The House on Mango Street
The House on Mango Street is a coming-of-age novel written by Sandra Cisneros that focuses on the theme of misogyny, poverty, and migration. The book comprises of short stories referred to as vignettes, which are poetic in nature. The stories are narrated in an intimate tone that changes from pessimism to optimism.
Esperanza, a Mexican-American girl, is about twelve years of age when her family moves into a house on Mango Street. The house is located in Chicago’s poor areas that are racially segregated. When she was young, her parents had promised that they will have a better home, but she is angry with the current house they are living in:
“I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t it. The house on Mango Street isn’t it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go.”
These stories tell of the life of the people living in the neighborhood. She describes the sorry state of the women living on Mango Street. When she gets to puberty, she discovers a thrill of dancing while boys watch her. She seeks solace in boys and men to escape from her abusive father. In addition, she is sexually assaulted in a carnival and at her place of work. Her traumatic experience and the negative treatment of the women in the neighborhood pushes her to escape from Mango Tree, but she is determined to come back and help those she left behind. It is these experiences in the first place that encourage Esperanza to write; a practice that helps her escape from the tormenting encounters in Mango Street.
