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The House On Mango Street Sacrifice Essay

732 Words3 Pages

Although there are a variety of characters throughout literature that have made sacrifices that expose their values, none of them come close in comparison to the sacrifices of Esperanza in Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street. The consistent sacrifices displayed through Esperanza’s self-image, innocence, and cynicism express the struggles and desire for feminine individuality and respect that begin for many in childhood and dissolve into adulthood. Not only does Esperanza display these sacrifices constantly throughout the novel, the author’s use of her character as a beacon of catharsis to the reader symbolically represents the majority of women. Much like other women, Esperanza constantly tries to find herself throughout her own sacrifices, …show more content…

One of the earliest examples of a sacrifice made by Esperanza would be the moment she confirmed to a nun that the worn-down, nailed-up house was, in fact, her own. Although initially insignificant as a “sacrifice”, it becomes increasingly apparent throughout the novel that Esperanza feels very emotionally vulnerable regarding her family's financial status, which is mentioned and symbolized consistently throughout the novel. Because of her financial instability, she is sacrificing her self-preserving instinct through the display of integrity to those around her whenever it is mentioned or she is reminded that she can’t afford everything she …show more content…

It is undoubtedly due to the ultimate sacrifice of cynicism she forfeited in exchange for a chance at companionship and contentedness, which she failed at in almost every social circumstance. This is not because of her animosity or lack of enough wits to always entertain her friends, but simply her naivety and gullibility. It is important to note that this expression of total trust in her friends is a conscious action of Esperanza. Over and over again, she is faced with circumstances that cause her to lose trust in the friends she made throughout the novel. This sacrifice of cynicism shows that Esperanza values believing in an artificial or “fake” friend more so than she wants to be alone, even if she knows she will eventually get hurt just like the last

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