House on Mango Street

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses the novel, 'The House on Mango Street' by Sandra Cisneros. The writer points out that this is a story about the typical struggles of a Hispanic family. The writer relates that it is a picture of the various problems that many Hispanic women face in society today such as domination by men, and notes that the novel shows how women are viewed as objects and rarely valued for what they think and feel on the inside. The writer maintains that Sandra Cisneros wrote this novel so that the reader may understand the struggles and feelings of the Hispanic woman. This paper discusses how Sandra Cisneros describes the true struggles of Hispanic women in the context of a fictitious story.

From the Paper:

"In 'House on Mango Street', women are viewed as objects by men regardless of whether they are boyfriends, friends fathers or husbands. The women are similar to the man's possession. The young girls in the novel grow up with the mentality that looks and appearance are the most important things to a woman and that what they think and feel on the inside is irrelevant. Another sample of this masculine possession is when Cisneros also shows how Latino women are expected to be loyal to their husbands, and that a husband should have complete control of the marriage. Yet on the other hand, Cisneros describes the main character; Esperanza as not being like the typical Hispanic woman. She is different. Even though Esperanza is born and raised in the same Hispanic culture as the women around her, she is not happy with it, and knows that someday she will break free from its ties, because she is mentally strong and has a talent for telling stories."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Vintage Books: New York, 1984.
• Matchi, Thomas. "Literary Continuity in Sandra Cisneros's 'The House on Mango Street.'" The Midwest Quarterly. Autumn: 1995, pp. 67-80.

More papers on House on Mango Street:

• Book Review # 96339 : "The House on Mango Street"--A Review"
• Essay # 137660 : "Critical Perspectives: Arguing for the Hispanic Feminist Identity in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros"
• Book Review # 145145 : "Symbolism in "The House on Mango Street"
• Analytical Essay # 34020 : "The House on Mango Street"

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