"The House on Mango Street"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, in "The House on Mango Street," Sandra Cisneros creates a beautiful story about a young girl, Esperanza Cordero, coming of age and coming to terms with her cultural heritage, sexuality, and economic circumstances. It looks at how the dominant theme and root of the novel involve the Mexican-Latino cultural values and how, throughout her novel, Cisneros illustrates the importance of religion, strong family bonds, and the Latino struggle in a foreign world. It shows how Sandra Cisneros' patchwork of stories tells a profound tale of sexual and cultural identity within the framework of a poor, young, Chicano girl growing up in a Chicago barrio and dreaming of something more, something better.

From the Paper:

"Cisneros begins her novel with Esperanza describing how her family had moved so often during her youth that she could not remember them all, only a few stood out in her mind. She recalls a rundown third floor apartment on Loomis Street where a robbery had taken place in the Laundromat downstairs that left the windows boarded up on which the owners, fearing loss of business, had written that the Laundromat was still open. Esperanza, ashamed when a nun asked if she lived there, vowed that someday she would have a real house, one that she could point to without shame. Although, the house on Mango Street was not the house of her dreams, Esperanza's parents assure her it is only temporary (Cisneros 5)."

More papers on "The 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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