preview

The House On Mango Street

Good Essays

The House on Mango Street is a short story centered around the upbringing of a young Mexican girl and her arrival at her new house. It may be seen as a simple short story; however, it has many underlying themes it raises awareness of. The book has elements of sexism, struggles in poverty, and being an immigrant. It also has simple moments alluding to the idea that a simple life is what one desires. Ultimately, The House on Mango Street truly emphasizes the importance (positive and negative) of place, culture, and environment in childhood development whilst showing the values of a young girl and her struggles. Mexican culture (Hispanic in general) is known for being one of the most family-oriented and connected cultures in the world. Traditionally, …show more content…

A traumatic situation occurred to Esperanza when she was sexually assaulted/groped by a man at the carnival. In The House on Mango Street it’s said, “Sally, you lied. It wasn't what you said at all. What he did. Where he touched me. I didn't want it, Sally. The way they said it, the way it's supposed to be, all the storybooks and movies, why did you lie to me?” (Cisneros 99). For many individuals, an experience like this may ruin their lives forever; but for Esperanza, she seemingly didn’t let it ruin her life. It’s even said at the end of the story that Esperanza would want to come back to her Chicago neighborhood. There could be two reasons for this, one is that Esperanza is just a strong person and didn’t let the trauma consume her life. The other may be due to her environment growing up. It’s said that Esperanza was catcalled regularly and at one point her friend was even forcefully kissed at a young age, just for wearing high heels. These situations may have led to Esperanza becoming desensitized to sexual activities. This is to say that a person’s environment during their youth prepares them for events in

Get Access