Abstract 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."
Abstract Sandra Cisneros provides a story of a young Latino girl, Esperanza, who dreams of distancing herself from an oppressive family and community network in the inner city of Chicago. At the same time, she knows she will never really be able to completely do so. And yet, this young girl achieves a certain redemption by affirming her female and creative self through her artistic expression. This essay will discuss this issue by examining certain parts of Cisneros's text, as well as the criticisms of Ellen McKracken and Julian Olivares. The paper will argue the thesis that Esperanza's story is very much about class liberation within a female perspective, yet that such liberation ultimately occurs within the artistic imagination of Esperanza herself.
Abstract This paper examines how Sandra Cisneros stands as one of the most formative Chicana writers of her generation. She has inspired many other Chicano novelists, poets, and essayists because of the critical and popular success of her first novel, "The House on Mango Street". It analyzes how, despite the book's attempt to give validity to a more positive view of Latin American culture as it exists in the United States, Cisneros's novel and her subsequent works have not limited their criticism of certain aspects of Hispanic life and reality, such as the inequality between the sexes.
From the Paper "The media itself is not all to blame, however. Cisneros believes that a girl, from birth, is raised with a different set of expectations in a Hispanic household. Within the common and accepted cultural framework, the father emerges as an unquestioned patriarch of the Latino household. Women's education is not valued on the same level as male education. Even girls who desire to better themselves through education are forced, because of cultural stereotyping, to assume care-taking functions that their brothers do not. Family relations inevitably affect the life of children in the school system when girls must do chores before their homework, or stay inside to preserve their safety and chastity, rather than wander where they might fall prey to young men."
Abstract This paper is on the topic of Sandra Cisneros. She is a famous writer that uses her background and culture in her writing of stories and poetry. One of her most famous stories is "The House on Mango Street".
Abstract "Salvador Late or Early" and "Mericans", both written by Sandra Cisneros, are stories that illustrate childhood experiences, narrated directly from the point of view of a child. This paper explains that despite all the similarities and differences, both situations in the stories can be combined to explain the same cultural situation. Both stories share elements of happiness, confusion and pain, and are intertwined with vivid descriptions from a child's eyes to describe objects and scenes to the reader. The paper concludes that both stories have themes of hope, belief and recognition.
From the Paper "In Salvador Late or Early, Salvador is a small, quiet boy who has no friends and comes from a very poor neighborhood, where "homes are the color of bad weather (Cisneros, 10)." Salvador's mother "is busy with the business of the baby (Cisneros, 10)" so it is his responsibility to get his two younger brothers ready for school, "feeds them milk and cornflakes from a tin cup (Cisneros, 10)," and "collects the hands of Cecilio and Arturito (Cisneros, 11)." All three of these statements illustrate Salvador's feelings of pain, confusion and maybe hope that things will be different in his life one day. Salvador is described as having "eyes the color of caterpillar (Cisneros, 10)," and his feelings as "its history of hurt (Cisneros, 10)." Salvador is not described in a very positive or flattering way, almost as though the he was a boy in the writer's class whom she did not like. This describes pain once again. In another example, Salvador's appearance is described as the "forty pound body of boy with the geography of scars." His pain is described are described as "in what part of the heart, in that cage of the chest where something throbs with both fists (Cisneros, 11)." Even though she did not like him, it seems as though the writer almost felt sorry for Salvador, in the way that she describes his poor living conditions, as "lives behind a raw wood doorway (Cisneros, 10)," and "in that vague direction (Cisneros, 10)." She may not have liked him because he was no one's friend and he was "Salvador whose name the teacher cannot remember (Cisneros, 10)." Salvador probably felt confusion as well, as there were no images of happiness that involved him."
Abstract In this paper, it is shown that both Marta and Esperanza are similar characters in relation to their cultural, familial, and feminist interactions within these novels. Both Benitez and Cisneros offer an insight into a female point of view of Hispanic life, and how these women behave within the societal constructs that surround them. The paper shows that in this manner, both these young women reflect behaviors and reactions to their families and cultural beliefs that portend differing results to their responses to these factors.
Abstract This paper discusses the ways in which the authors Sandra Cisneros and Jamaica Kincaid both use a first person narrative that is constructed to define a feminist point of view within a racially charged patriarchal society. Although Miss Annie and Esperanza reflect different cultural views of both Caribbean and Latino perspectives, the paper describes how both women reflect an inward and intelligent first person view of a developing feminist identity within the novels.
From the Paper "Feminist Identity in the First Person Narrative Styles of Sandra Cisneros and Jamaica Kincaid This literary study will examine the use of the first person narrative to bring forth a feminist identity in the works of Sandra Cisneros and Jamaica Kincaid. By analyzing The House on Mango Street by Cisneros and Annie John by Kincaid, one can utilize the problems of race and the feminist search for identity within a male dominated society. In essence, the first person narrative of these novels reflect a struggle for a racially motivated feminist identity, which is reflected through the idiom of race, family and "coming of age" issues. The quest for female identity in the character Esperanza in The House on Mango Street is the main source of first person narrative that defines a woman's point of view."
Abstract This paper reviews Sandra Cisneros' novel, "The House on Mango Street", by focusing on the symbol of a house as presented in the book. According to the reviewer, a house is used as a symbol of comfort, freedom and self-expression instead of as a physical space. Quotes from the book are used to illustrate this thesis. The reviewer further examines the protagonist Esperanza and her views of a house. The author concludes that a house is a symbol of escape for Esperanza.
From the Paper "Not only is the house important, but the conditions that caused them to move around so often are also worth pondering. It is because the family couldn't afford a house of their own that they had to move in and out of various houses. That intensified the desire of the family to have a house of their house especially Esperanza whose desire is most pronounced. Esperanza, the protagonist of the novel, is a young child whose sense of self respect is often dented by the humiliating comments made by others. She grows up believing that her sense of self worth is closely connected with having a house of her own- a white house "with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence" (p. 8)"
Tags: Sandra, Cisneros, The, House, on, Mango, Street
This paper discusses Sandra Cisneros' collection of short stories "Woman Hollering Creek", which examines the lives of Mexican-American women on both sides of the border.
1,810 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 0 sources, $ 58.95
Abstract This paper explains that each story of Sandra Cisneros' "Woman Hollering Creek" is a lesson in introspection. By using an approach similar to Anton Chekhov, Cisneros uses reflection to create a better life for her double minority Hispanic women. The author points out that Cisneros blends realism and anti-realism throughout her writings, which is an affective approach to obtain an objective outlook. The paper relates that, by showing just what may be needed to endure and overcome thus creating a better life, Cisneros uses Hemingway's theme of endurance and, in a style similar to Franz Kafka's writings, uses negative aspects of her characters and their situations to remove this image from her readers.
From the Paper "Cisneros' story "Eleven" uses expression through anti-realism more than many of her other works. Using the idealism of an eleven year old child, she projects the childlike belief that life will flow smoothly and be nearly perfect when adulthood is obtained. The antithesis of this ideal belief is that circumstances and scenarios change but the same situations can and do arise in adulthood along with the same feelings of inadequacy experienced by a child. Cisneros uses age progression to relate the theme of her story in much the same way that Hemmingway used age digression in some of his writings. Telling the story of embarrassment from the point of view of a child is an effective way to gain sympathy for the character and identity for the reader. The setting of a classroom is an excellent symbol for American society. While school is supposed to be a great equalizer to children just as our contemporary society is viewed as a racial and gender equalizer, in actuality both fall far short."
Abstract 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 circumstance. 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's 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)."
Abstract The paper discusses the plot and the main character of Sandra Cisneros' book, "Woman Hollering Creek". The paper describes the life changes and revelations that the protagonist Cleofilas undergoes after she marries and moves far away from her home town only to find that she is all alone and her husband is abusive. The paper further explains how the story is partly akin to the life of the author herself and that because of this, Cisneros is able to provide a very clear view into the thoughts and motive of Cleofilas as well as provide a clear view into the disappointment of Cleofilas once she has become inundated with the reality of marriage versus the television novel fantasy that she has grown up believing in.
Outline:
Introduction
The Characters, The Plot, and The Theme
Changes and Realizations
Cisneros: Providing a Voice to the Dispossessed
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "Juan Pedro and Cleofilas live in Texas after their marriage and running behind their house is a creek, which has been named 'Hollering Woman Creek' although no one can quite recall why this name was given the creek. Juan Pedro beats on Cleofilas and suffers the beatings silently. After the beatings, Juan Pedro cries and Cleofilas comforts him. The town that the two live in is desolate and Cleofilas is sure that another woman had been in her home while she was gone to the hospital giving birth to their first child and yet, she still does not verbalize this belief and stays silent."
Tags: cultures, religion, gender, humiliation, experiential, frustration, rage, fantasy
Abstract The paper examines Sandra Cisneros' collection entitled "Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories" that focuses on Cleofilas' story as a poor, young mother with an abusive husband and no family support. The paper describes how Cisneros uses the rosy expectations of a young girl married for life positioned against the also false expectations that life will be better in the promised land of the north. According to the paper, Cisneros tries to be true to her Mexican-American culture in her writing without excluding people who don't know the culture.
From the Paper "Woman Hollering Creek and other short stories is a collection of stories whose characters give a feminine voice to the vibrant and varied life on both side of the Mexican-American border. The women in these stories offer tales of childhood, family and change, filled with moments of startling insight and perception. The stories look into the cultural clash between man and woman, between the perceived hoped for life and the stark reality. "Woman Hollering Creek" is a coming of age story set in a sharp contrast between well loved daughter and beaten desolate wife, from friend and respected community member to alone and outcast. From expecting a knight in shining armor type of husband to finding strength in other women and one's self."
Abstract This essay discusses how Cisneros' style represents a minority voice. She helps her readers share the minority experience. This is why Cisneros has had a lot of influence and success in the status of minority writers, especially in the canon of what is read and taught in schools.
A comparison of three literary works by female Hispanic writers, "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisnero, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" by Julia Alvarez and "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina Garcia.
Abstract This paper compares three feminist Hispanic literary works: "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisnero, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" by Julia Alvarez, and "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina Garcia. The paper investigates how the issues of gender, race, ethnicity, belief, education, family and culture affect identity found in these literary works.
From the Paper "During the last few decades, a new genre has emerged, the female Hispanic writer. These women are enriching the American literature landscape with their lyrical stories and ethnicity. They are telling stories of young girls, mothers, grandmothers, and friends, who have been transplanted from a culture a world away into the American dream. They are telling their own stories. Telling those who read their tales what it's really like to grow up with little or no knowledge of the language and customs, trying desperate to adapt and meld into American life, weaving old ways and new into their own identity."
Abstract This paper examines the influence of race, gender and ethnicity on personality development through a review of three novels, "House of Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina Garcia and "How Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" by Julia Alvarez. It explores the problems that immigrant families encounter when they move to the United States as portrayed in these stories.
From the Paper "Race, ethnicity, immigration and their impact on one's personality are serious subjects which need to be studied carefully in order to understand why they cast such profound influence on human beings and their sense of self. In the three books namely, "House of Mango Street", "Dreaming in Cuban" and "How Garcia girls lost their accent", the authors give us unique insights into the subjects of race, discrimination and identity crisis and the role they play in the evolution of one's personality and character. The most important and by far the wisest approach towards these subjects was adopted by Sandra Cisneros, the writer of House on Mango Street. This is because while the other two writers deal with causes of immigration and the disturbing aspects of immigration, Cisneros focuses mainly on the internal conflict, dream and hopes of those who move from poor countries to the land of opportunity. It is very important to understand that all three have given a fictional touch to their own life stories since they all migrated to the United States with their families when conditions in their native countries appeared unfavorable."
