House on Mango Street was how Esperanza was growing up and she didnt seem grateful for the stuff she had. She also seemed to have a hard time going through puberty since she is kind of having a hard time emotionally. Since she didnt like her house and felt ashamed of it. She also seems to be having a hard time making friends until she meets Lucy and Rachel. Which she lives many adventures with. After Esperanza starts to befriend Sally when she is starting to go through puberty. And she lives many events that mark her life. Esperanza through the story and the end wanted to leave Mango Street however at the end she Realizes how much it means to her.
About the Author
The Authors name is Sandra Cisneros she is a Mexican-American writer. Sandra Cisneros was born December 20, 1954. She was the only girl that survived and had six brothers. She is a winner of many awards including National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. In addition to being an author Cisneros is also a teacher and a poet. Historical Context
The time period of the novel seems to be a
time period where marriage didnt have an age and people saw it correct as where as now we have a certain age. The exact time period might have been before 1984 since that was the date the book was published. This time period also shows how the ladies werent that feminist since it didnt really matter to them if they married at such a young age and werent able to enjoy their life.
The House on Mango Street
Sandra Cisneros Itzel Rubio 9/18/2016
1.
2.
Essential Quotes
In English my name means hope. In
Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. Page 10 Paragraph #1 And the story goes she never forgave him she looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow.- Page 11 Paragraph #2
Reflections
The Novel has really important themes
since it can teach many people lessons such as being grateful for what you have and remember where you came from. I really like the way the story is written since it gives different aspects of Esperanzas life which makes it more interesting.
Character Analysis
The main Characters in the story
where: Esperanza (Protagonist)- Esperanza is a 12 year old that wants to be someone in life and doesnt want nothing that's not what she likes. She is also a girl that is in the process of maturity. Sally- Sally is one of Esperanzas Friend however she isnt a good influence for Esperanza Since is always preferring something else instead of Esperanza. Rachel and Lucy- Esperanzas best friends before she met Sally because after she met Sally she chooses Sally over them. Papa and Mama- They both seem to be hardworking, however Papa seems more since he's is never home. Esperanzas mom seems to have 0 influence over Esperanza.
Themes
Some of the Major Themes I noticed
in the Novel were: To appreciate Everything you have (This is one of the themes you can see clearly because the author tries to teach us to appreciate everything we have since Esperanza is doing the opposite thing) To never forget where you came from ( We can see this them at the end of the Novel because the Voice tells Esperanza to never forget where she came from and to come back to Mango Street) Finding your Identity (This theme we can see it when she is going through poverty because all kids at her age go through the process of Looking for their identity and that is what Esperanza seems to be doing.
Motifs and Symbols
The vignettes represent the
different events that happened to Esperanza throughout her life. One of the Motifs Esperanza uses is how she didnt want to follow the footsteps of her Grandmother because she seemed to be pushed into marriage and she didnt want that for her because she saw most of the married ladies sitting down behind a window and she didnt want that for her. Symbol A symbol I found important was the monkey garden is where Esperanza feels the desire of better things and feeling free from Males because she wanted better shoes to look more attractive. However she is in between the conflict of desire and Being a feminist.