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Life on Mango Street

            Every culture, race, and society has traits specific to itself and to the people who embody it. The Latino American culture portrayed by this book is no different having prominent themes and traits seen in the characters and repeated throughout the novel. Much underlying plot can be taken and interpreted from what Cisneros does not directly state through Esperanza. It is a combination of these hidden messages and the information Esperanza states directly that give the true account of how lower class Latino American families live.
             Throughout the novel it seems man woman and child all have positions in society. These positions seem to never, or at least seldom change and their world revolves around a platform of survival and power. The men are generally dominant over the females and act accordingly as heads of the households if they even stay with their families. The position of power that embodies the male is shown repeatedly in the novel. The first example of the power men have in this book is when Esperanza comments, "The Chinese, like the Mexicans, don't like their women strong (p10)." Mexican males don't want any competition between themselves and their women and if the question of who has the power ever arises, it is explained with forcefulness of words or aggression that more often than not lead to violence. Esperanza continues to explain how her grandmother entered into marriage because her grandfather forced her to and the rest of her life she lived unhappily. This is the point in the novel where it becomes apparent that Esperanza wants to get out of the Latino American urban culture. Further more she wants to get out of this culture for reasons other than her desire for a larger house. Esperanza seems to symbolize many young girls who feel the same way. Fathers are just as dominant as boyfriends or husbands in many cases. They expect strict obedience from daughters and often become enraged or very upset when rules are broken or their expectations are let down.


Essays Related to Life on Mango Street

1. Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street

In Sandra Cisneros' novella, "The House on Mango Street," a thirteen year old girl named Esperanza takes the audience through a series of events as if they are living Esperanza's life with her. ... All the families that live on Mango Street are poverty stricken and Esperanza hopes to one day leave Mango Street to become successful. ... The men of Mango street beat the women and control every aspect of their lives. ... Cisneros uses Papa as a foil character to all the other men on Mango Street. ... Cisneros uses this man to represent how all men on Mango Street behave. ...

  • Word Count: 1139
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. The House on Mango Street-The Elephant Man

In The House on Mango Street, a young girl names Esparanza is self-conscious about her home, her appearance, and her name. Throughout her childhood, she observes many of life's realities while meeting her neighbors on Mango Street . ... The novel begins when the Cordero family moves into a new house on Mango Street. ... At the end of the story, Esperanza admits that she will never escape Mango Street. ... Esperanza finally finds her identity and plans her life so she that can leave Mango Street. ...

  • Word Count: 799
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Esperanza in The House on Mango Street

In 1984, Sandra Cisneros published a collection of forty four vignettes titled The House on Mango Street. ... But the house on Mango Street is not what the way they told it at all. It was a small house with crumbling bricks, small windows, no front yard, no trees, hallway stairs, one washroom, and everyone had to share a bedroom. (4) The house on Mango Street did not live up to Esperanza's standards of her dream house. Likewise as a teenager, Cisneros' family had accomplished their goal of purchasing their own house but, "Cisneros regarded the house as ugly and shabby and nothin...

  • Word Count: 2834
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Writing Elements in "The House On Mango Street"

In "The House on Mango Street," Sandra Cisneros creates a believable scene using different elements of creative writing. Cisneros uses her description of the setting to allow "The House on Mango Street" to have a life of its own. ... Of the house on Mango Street, Cisneros describes it as "small and red with tight little steps . . . and windows so small you"d think they were holding their breath . . . ... Of the house on Mango Street, "For the time being, Mama says. ... Sandra Cisneros" use of setting, theme, and point of view in the short story "The House on Mango Street" enables he...

  • Word Count: 629
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. The House On Mango Street Summary

The House On Mango Street Summary This book is about young Latino girl named Esperanza who is growing up in a poor neighborhood in Chicago. ... She then visits a fortune teller, which only helped her realize that she is still ashamed of living on Mango Street. ... By the end of the story, Esperanza finally accepts Mango Street as a part of her. ... Life in the ghetto during that time was hard for everyone who lived there, no matter how old they were. ...

  • Word Count: 322
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street follows the story of a young girl named Esperanza and her life experiences growing up on Mango Street, the all-Hispanic community at which people of opulence look down upon and grimace. ... Esperanza's main goal is to escape Mango Street and build a good life for herself, but ultimately come back to save those who can't escape themselves. Throughout the novel, and because of her environment, Esperanza is placed in situations where she is forced to grow up as the people and life of Mango Street take her innocence away from her. ... &quo...

  • Word Count: 1067
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. The House On Mango Street

High Expectations The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a story about a boy who does not like the new home they are living in. ... He thought the house on Mango Street would be a nice house like the one his father and mother used to describe. Little did he know that the house on Mango Street is not what he imagined and finds great embarrassment in living there. ... There are other features of Mango Street that bring out the characteristic of the neighborhood and how poor it is. ... He uses imagery to portray how the house he dreamed of would look like and how the house on Mango ...

  • Word Count: 998
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Compare and Contrast House on Mango Street and Girl

"The House on Mango Street" talks about how they lived there lives due to certain situations. ... The house on Mango Street displays an array of troubles in a home which they are fortunate to live in, but are looking to a better future. ... In the house on mango street we see that the protagonists parents talks about a good life, the way they are going to live their lives as opposed to how they live their lives now. ... Even though the house on Mango Street and "Girl" has significance amongst each other we can still see their differences. ... In The House on Mango Street the protagonist shows...

  • Word Count: 544
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

9. The House On Mango Street

The book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros takes place on a run down street in Chicago called Mango Street. ... Esperanza tells herself that she will get out of Mango Street and own her own house that she can be proud to go home to. ... Growing up on Mango Street, Esperanza sees men and marriage trap many women, including her good friend Sally. ... Mamacita and her family moved into an apartment on Mango Street. ... She decides that she wants to get a good education, then a job and move out of Mango Street and buy a house to be proud of....

  • Word Count: 1279
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

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