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The Theme Of Identity In The House On Mango Street

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Aidan Henkel Mrs. Bishop Multicultural Literature 8 Feb. 2023 An Identity Found on Mango Street “I close my eyes like tight stars…” (Cisneros 97). Theme: Confinement Esperanza, from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, feels confined within her neighborhood. In this scene, she is on her way to go save her friend Sally, but when she tries to save her she is told to go home. She then begins to feel ashamed and disappointed in herself for trying to help. Esperanza begins to feel trapped in her mind without any escape. Stars are the sign of infinite possibility. When you look at the stars you tend to space out and forget what is happening around you. Additionally, stars are a getaway from reality. That is what Esperanza desires. …show more content…

They are the reason we can see colors, animals, other people, and many more. Eyes are also the symbol of protection, healing, and restoration as the Book of Symbols says. It also says they allow you to gain insight on what is happening. Most people get to experience these sensations, but there is an easy way to eliminate them temporarily. It's as simple as closing your eyes. When you close your eyes you lose all vision, insight, and other important functions. This is what Esperanza does on page 97. When she ran to sit under the tree she closed her eyes and lost all of those benefits. No more protection, healing, restoration, and no more insight. There is a simile in the quote that I have used which is “I closed my eyes like tight stars” (Cisneros 97) which is especially fitting for what she is feeling. Since she is closing her eyes the tight stars becomes a very real analogy. She feels the confinement, the dense sky, the pressure being built up. She began to feel this when she closed her eyes. If she tried to keep her eyes open she would be able to keep the benefits of the eyes. She would be able to experience the protection, healing, insight, and restoration that they provide. If only she would’ve opened her

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