House On Mango Street Report

“House on Mango Street” is the first big novel written by Sandra Cisneros. The problem of Mexican-American (Chicano), described in the story, is deep in her own biography. Her family migrated from Mexico to the USA and she spent her childhood in the poor neighborhood.
The theme of Chicano identity as a nation is one of the central in the story. The main character is a girl named Esperanza, who is a collective image of Mexican-American culture, which starts to establish itself. Esperanza doesn’t like being teased because of her name at school, whereas in her native language her name seems harmonious. At the end of the novel, she leaves her house as if challenging the rest of the world, showing her fierce inwardness and her right for freedom.
The novel also presents the topic of poverty, the feeling of estrangement, shame, jealousy and desire to live better. Esperanza is ashamed of her home and doesn’t want to show it to her friends. The theme of growing-up is developed through the conflicts of teenagers and parents, teachers and peers. Self-identity of a personality is one of the main subject lines of the novel as Esperanza, a shy, clumsy girl, grows up into strong personality with clear understanding of aims and goals; she is strong enough to leave her house on Mango Street.
The topic of fathers and children is developed through Sally. Sally’s father doesn’t want her to follow her sister’s footsteps. Her father sees her future as a housewife, which Sally would never become. He beats her not in terms of punishment, but as a precaution; he wants to protect her from corruption. It doesn’t help, as Sally runs to another state to get married being under age. We can see the place of a woman in Mexican-American culture, that women are still the weaker sex in a traditional division of rights and responsibilities in a family: father is the head of the family and all the others, especially wife and daughters, have to obey his words. If there is no father, his role goes over to the elder son or uncle, or any male relative. Women, in their turn, care about children and respect their husbands.
Nowadays, in the life of equal rights, it is really hard to remember what our role is. We grow up very fast and no one ever tells us about growing up and what a struggle it would be. We are taught to be strong and independent, forgetting our original goals and upbringings. And then, having received everything we wanted, we start complaining that no one ever treats us as fragile creations. And who’s to blame? Nobody but us. I am not against equality and I don’t support abuse; every aspect of our lives is just about balance.