The House On Mango Street Coming Of Age Essay
Coming of age is described as the transition between childhood and adulthood. It is usually determined when a child reaches a certain age and is no longer considered a minor. But was that the case in The House on Mango Street? Through a series of vignettes, Sandra Cisneros links the theme of coming of age. She uses a sense of “otherness”, loss of innocence, and a search for identity to help the reader understand what Esperanza had to do, what she had to go through, to be seen as mature or even considered an adult. Esperanza Cordero did not “come of age” by just growing up; she lived on Mango Street.
To begin with, Cisneros builds the concept of “coming of age” by developing a theme of “otherness”. All her life, Esperanza moved from house to house, street to street. In her journal, Cordero states, “You live there? There. I had to look to where she pointed….You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There. I live there….I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But
…show more content…
Mango Street had ended the search. In the beginning of the novel, Esperanza reveals, “She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow....I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window”(Cisneros 11). At a very young age, Esperanza Corderos has an idea of what she wants and what she doesn't. Towards the end of her journal, Esperanza writes what was told, “You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t erase what you know. You can’t forget who you are….It was as if she could read my mind, as if she knew what I had wished for”(Cisneros 105). Esperanza always knew what she wanted, all she needed was something, someone, to help her realize, to help her find her. Esperanza’s experiences on Mango Street have shaped her identity. Mango Street had become a part of who she
Esperanza's Pride In The House On Mango Street
710 Words | 3 Pages“You can pick up a mistake and carry it as a burden; or you can set it down and use it as a stepping stone to greatness.” -Unknown. This book claims that Esperanza goes through alot when she lives on Mango Street. We become the people that we are in life because of friends, family and mistakes . Friends have a big impact on people's lives because as in the book House on Mango Street.
The House On Mango Street Figurative Language
684 Words | 3 PagesHow would you feel when you grew to realize the street you were raised on wasn’t good for your wellbeing and that you needed to get away? Well, ‘The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros is a story about Esperanza’s childhood growing up in Chicago and how she develops as she gets older throughout the book. She realizes throughout the book that she didn’t belong on Mango Street. It takes whomever is reading it on an adventure through Esperanza’s point of view on her life. The book shows an overview of her childhood through several small short stories put together.
Who Is Esperanza's Identity In The House On Mango Street
690 Words | 3 PagesLiving in today’s world can be a struggle, not everyone easily fits in. Part of being someone in today’s society is knowing who made people who they are and understanding where they come from. Esperanza, the main character in the book The House On Mango Street faces problems understanding who she is. Esperanza faces problems with accepting her identity of who she is and where she comes from.
How Does The House On Mango Street Change
1559 Words | 7 PagesEsperanza soon learns to accept her life and family as well as grow into a mature woman which can be demonstrated with another method of characterization, thoughts and feelings. Esperanza goes to the three sisters to get her palm read to determine her future, and when she does the sisters talk about how she is special and that she will go far in life. They then tell her that when she leaves Mango Street, she must come back for the others but Esperanza does not fully understand. She soon figures out the true meaning behind it and that she is Mango Street, “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind.
The House On Mango Street Choosing One's Identity
418 Words | 2 PagesThe quote explains Esperanza wants to have a purpose, she wants to be free but is herself. She hopes that one day she’ll become someone different. Therefore, the quote from The House on Mango Street means being someone else.
The House On Mango Street Literary Analysis
789 Words | 4 PagesEsperanza has seen many other women on Mango Street be controlled and manipulated by a man, and she won’t let herself fall for that. This perfectly wraps up Esperanza’s character and growth throughout the vignettes, as she gains the mental strength to be different from the
Education In The House On Mango Street
691 Words | 3 PagesEsperanza feels a great deal of disfavor towards Mango street and believes Mango street is not a place she should be. It states in the ext, “Four Skinny trees. They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them. Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine.
Change In Esperanza's The House On Mango Street
1095 Words | 5 PagesNot once, or twice, or ever again.” (Cisneros 105). One of the reasons for this is her meeting the three old ladies who came for Rachel’s sister’s funeral. There prophesy that Esperanza will leave Mango Street boosts her self-confidence. The narrator also says, “Before Keeler it was Paulina, but what I remember most is Mango Street, sad red house, the house I belong but do not belong to.”
House On Mango Street Coming Of Age Quotes
1348 Words | 6 PagesAs a child, Esperanza wants only escape from mango Street. Her dream of independents and "self-definition" also means leaving her family behind without any responsibilities to her family. Throughout the book, her has also faced some situation where is feels ashamed to be part of the Mango Street community and in some instances refuses to admit she has anything to do with mango street. At the beginning of the book near the earlier chapters, Esperanza feels very insecure about herself in general along with the house that she lives in. As mentioned before, she doesn’t want to discuss her name nor where she lives.
Poverty In The House On Mango Street
1117 Words | 5 PagesMany people are undermined by the drawbacks of belonging to a low socioeconomic status. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is raised in a poor, Latino community, causing her to be introduced to poverty at an early age. This introduction of poverty affects Esperanza in many ways, one including that she is unable to find success. Esperanza struggles to achieve success in life because the cycle of poverty restricts her in a position in which she cannot break free from her socioeconomic status.
What Is Esperanza's Dream In The House On Mango Street
540 Words | 3 PagesIn the series of vignettes The House on Mango Street, the author Sandra Cisneros details the life of main character Esperanza, a young girl living in a barrio of Chicago. As Esperanza tells the reader about her experiences in her day to day life, the reader hears about her struggles and dreams, her hopes and expectations in life and how these affect her. Being a young girl, Esperanza holds naivety and hope for the world, not having experienced many mature situations or society yet, and since she is going through the time in her life when she begins experiencing these issues, we see her heartbreak and the world she knew shatter. For example, when Esperanza and her family move to Mango Street, as our story kicks off, her parents would often talk about the life that they would get when they win the lottery, like having “A real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn't have to move each year. And our house would have running water and pipes that worked.
How Does Esperanza Mature In The House On Mango Street
439 Words | 2 PagesEsperanza matures emotionally and sexually as the years go by on the house on mango st. Esperanza meets new friends and becomes influenced by them. her friends are important to her because they are maturing faster than she is. In addition "they are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them."
House On Mango Street Identity
876 Words | 4 PagesEveryone is affected by life’s circumstances. The responses to those experiences can have a positive or negative outcome in one’s future. In Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, the protagonist, Esperanza, gives us her views on life, how she views herself, and she views her future. Not only does she give her perspective throughout the story, she tells us of the numerous experiences that she grows through. These experiences have an impact on her, creating new emotions and new adult like perspectives she has never faced before.
House On Mango Street Culture
437 Words | 2 PagesEsperanza shifts from a follower into a confused individual, allowing her to begin her life as a woman outside of the oppressive nature of Mango Street. The suffocating stereotypes and sad, gloomy traits of the culture surrounding Esperanza contribute to the cultivation of her strong will and ardor. Mango Street opens her eyes to the abusive nature of her environment, and aids her in breaking the chain of corruption by defining and terminating the situation for herself. The neighborhood itself allows Esperanza to
Analysis Of Esperanza In The House On Mango Street
1115 Words | 5 PagesIn the book, The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is portrayed as a young innocent girl that drastically changes over the course of the book. Esperanza is new to mango street and encounters many challenges but also positive experiences that she is able to take away from mango street. In order for Esperanza to transform as a human it was inevitable for her to face the struggles on mango street. As Esperanza matures throughout the novel she experiences three major developments that shape her future through the awakening of maturity, responsibility and her awakening of her interest in poetry.
More about The House On Mango Street Coming Of Age Essay
Esperanza's Pride In The House On Mango Street
710 Words | 3 PagesThe House On Mango Street Figurative Language
684 Words | 3 PagesWho Is Esperanza's Identity In The House On Mango Street
690 Words | 3 PagesHow Does The House On Mango Street Change
1559 Words | 7 PagesThe House On Mango Street Choosing One's Identity
418 Words | 2 PagesThe House On Mango Street Literary Analysis
789 Words | 4 PagesEducation In The House On Mango Street
691 Words | 3 PagesChange In Esperanza's The House On Mango Street
1095 Words | 5 PagesHouse On Mango Street Coming Of Age Quotes
1348 Words | 6 PagesPoverty In The House On Mango Street
1117 Words | 5 PagesWhat Is Esperanza's Dream In The House On Mango Street
540 Words | 3 PagesHow Does Esperanza Mature In The House On Mango Street
439 Words | 2 PagesHouse On Mango Street Identity
876 Words | 4 PagesHouse On Mango Street Culture
437 Words | 2 PagesAnalysis Of Esperanza In The House On Mango Street
1115 Words | 5 Pages