The paper’s focus will be on the book ‘The House on Mango Street’, particularly, the experiences of the Esperanza family. An investigation of the experiences of Esperanza and her family is critically presented. The way Esperanza and her family relate with her family, community and the existing tensions is also established. As a coming of age novel, Sandra Cisneros’s book is critically analyzed from the social angle. The life of Esperanza Codero illuminates the struggles and experiences of growing up in Chicago. As a young girl, she serves an ideal subject from where we can study the Latina experience in progression. Her decisions to leave the poor neighborhood are also examined to determine personal and social influences in it. The impact of her decisions on the community is also investigated.
Significance of Topic
The research is very critical in that it provides an insight into the coming of age experiences of children. Additionally, we get to see the experiences that a young girl growing up in Chicago shapes her life. From the reading, we can be able to engage critically in drawing conclusions on the relationships in that community. We get a perspective on the inside life of the Chicanos and Puerto Ricans in Chicago and their relations. The quest for better life and the dilemma of leaving family and friends are also critically evaluated. Most importantly, the research helps to put into perspective the reality of misogynistic in society. How young girls perform in growing up in impoverished neighborhoods of Latina Chicago is also another crucial revelation. All these data provide a comprehensive social-economic interpretative study of the book’s themes.
Research Question
The research question that the research will seek to answer is how do social experiences shape the lives of Esperanza, her family, and the society? From the book, we find that there are a strong influence and links between the Latino community and individual life. Everyone leads their life, but the wider society influences personal decisions in a major way. We, therefore, seek to examine how this community links contribute to the decisions that Esperanza makes. How the experiences around the community influence the way people live, relate and react helps answer the question. We examine how Esperanza’s father was unable to fit into society at first. He did not eat the food of choice as he could not express himself fluently.
The implication was that he had to fit in and speak fluent English. The same happened to Mamacita, who is unable to socialize due to the problem of poor English. The issue of language barrier also happens to Esperanza’s mother. In the end, we can establish that language is indeed a critical area in society’s structure. We also further examine the impact of deciding to change one’s life to fit or conform to a certain order. When one decides to change, it can be due to personal or social reasons.
Thesis Statement
It is clear that Esperanza seeks to gain a better place in society by improving herself and seeking a better life.
The research will be organized systematically in line with establishing the research question’s answer. The sections of the research will be organized as follows.
1. Research Proposal Topic
Under this, the paper will examine the topic of Esperanza and her family’s experiences as Latinos in Chicago. The decisions to change in order by learning English are also introduced to their implicative nature. The areas and thematic concerns that influence the life of Esperanza, her family, and community in Chicago are critically analyzed. The way other Chicanos live, sexual assault attempt on Esperanza and segregation make up who Esperanza becomes.
2. Significance of the Topic
The centrality of the topic of society and individual lifestyle is presented in this topic. How the decisions made by Esperanza individually, with Lucy and Rachael are a product of experiences and social conditions. As the female protagonist grows up, we see her watching the women at her street more closely. The imitation is an exhibition of the continuity in social bounds and harmonies.
Literature Review
Three scholarly sources will be used in the research of the ‘House on Mango Street’. The secondary sources supplement the primary source in the exposition and critical discussion.
Annotated Bibliography
De Valdes, Maria Elena. "The House on Mango Street." Bloom’s Literary Themes f (2009): 81.Cisneros, Sandra. The house on Mango Street. Vintage, 2013.
The source gives important study material on various thematic concerns raised in ‘The House on Mango Street’. One of the concerns that come through is that of these themes is sexuality and independence. Esperanza is maturing and reaches puberty where her sexuality comes out strongly. One of the things that she starts noticing is her desire for being in a relationship with a boy natural. She says that she will run away from men. At the same time, she desires to be in love with one. When she notices boys watching her at a dance show, she becomes excited and happy.
Later, her sexuality is intruded with when a man sexually assaults her at a festival. She is shocked and questions her life. Later the introspection sees her seeking the company of less sexual friends, Lucy, and Rachel. Sally is also deeply embroiled in sexuality having suffered from abuse from her father. She dresses provocatively and has multiple boyfriends. Before the assault, Esperanza decides that she is going to be beautiful and cruel. The interpretation of this is that she is going to be sexually attractive but hard to men who want her. She draws this latter cruel attitude from Sally ‘sexual life.
After the attack, she tones down her sexuality and recluses into a confused state. Sexuality it appears is imposed and also controlled by society. Sally and Esperanza all behave according to their parental and peer’s sexual foundations respectively.
The theme of identity is also very prominently highlighted. Esperanza is in a constant search for identity realization. She loves her family and peers but wants to leave to have her big house. At one point, she wants to be beautiful and cruel. After the sexual harassment, she does not know what she wants. She revolves around being like Sally, sexually bold, or like Lucy, sexually toned down. She also observes that most women on Mango Street have been tied down by marriage. The women suffer identity loss after finding the marriage institution effectively clamping them down.
McCracken, Ellen. Sandra Cisneros ‘The House on Mango Street: Community-Oriented Introspection and the Demystification of Patriarchal Violence." Breaking Boundaries: Latina Writing and Critical Readings (1989): 62-71.
The source focuses on the patriarchal violence and community-based introspection. From the book, the research’s theme of society influence on an individual is reinforced. The book surveys the misconceptions of patriarchal violence in the Latino community. It then demystifies them showing the real issues that belay how men and women interact in power
Plays. The source also provides an insight into how community oriented introspection is used in the lives of Mango Street residents. The men remain the family heads as they offer guidance and decision making to their families. The father of Esperanza is seen reassuring her that the house they live in is just a temporary measure.
Another introspective reality is on the case of Esperanza’s neighborhood Sally. She is portrayed as a very sexually mature girl despite being a little over 13 years. She wears bold clothes and dons make up not usually related to her age. What stands out as most interesting is her deliberate self-sexualized persona of wearing short skirts and high heels. Her manner of behavior stems from the abuse her father places on her. It is from the abusive father relationship that she uses boys as an escape route. Using community introspection, the connection of her behavior and home conditions are explained.
All these are pointers that the patriarchy does not play the role of leaders and protectors. Instead, they are the predators. Esperanza and her community have been through a lot of experiences together. There are also very many relations that she has cultivated as a member of her society. In the end, these interplays provide the basis for her introspection in deciding to leave the neighborhood. She comes to the conclusion that even when she leaves, she will still come back. The introspective perceiving of the place as a critical life bacon shapes her decision and life’s choices. She vows to come back and help others who have been through similar problems.
Soares, Lina, and Patricia Watson. "Empowering adolescents through critical literacy." Middle School Journal 37.3 (2006): 55-59.
Lina and Watson in this source, engage in the aspect of education empowerment in adolescents. The duo argues that critical literacy can have an emancipating effect on young learners. The position taken by the authors reflects the course of action taken by Esperanza. She notes that those who do not speak English in her neighborhood are not listened to by others. They are consequently below the social ladder. She is determined to escape the same fate. Her working hard to attain literary capabilities and proficiency in English echoes Lina and Watson’s thesis. Esperanza, Lucy, and Rachael grow and mature into teenage girls. They discover sexual and physical maturity which gives them some insight into their identity. The literacy about their lives provides a window of opportunity to test their new found realization. Esperanza becomes more determined than ever to achieve success. We see a big difference between the young 12-year-old and the fast maturing girl. The role of literacy in both the formal and informal context drives her to be a better person.
Conclusion
In summation, the research of the experiences of ‘The House on Mango Street’ opens up the social influence on persons. The research focuses on the experiences of the family ties and neighborhood relations that shape a person. The eventuality of all this, however, lead to the experiences, relationships, and bounds of the people. By approaching Esperanza’s determination to have power in language, we can examine the issue of society and individual. The secondary sources to be used in this study offer a very broad research material to explore.
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Works Cited
De Valdes, Maria Elena. "The House on Mango Street." Bloom’s Literary Themes f (2009): 81.Cisneros, Sandra. The house on Mango Street. Vintage, 2013.
McCracken, Ellen. Sandra Cisneros ‘The House on Mango Street: Community-Oriented Introspection and the Demystification of Patriarchal Violence." Breaking Boundaries: Latina Writing and Critical Readings (1989): 62-71.
Soares, Lina, and Patricia Watson. "Empowering adolescents through critical literacy." Middle School Journal 37.3 (2006): 55-59.
