Brief Analysis of 'The House on Mango Street'

The Author Sandra Cisneros writes and describes a novel about the life from a perspective teenage Latina, Esperanza Cordero. She tells about this young girls living in a poor Chicano and Puerto Rican neighborhood of Chicago. Growing up in the poor neighborhood on a street called Mango Street. Where you have to have good sense, sharp skills and awareness from what you know to survive. Esperanza tells about her family, friends, all her experiences and situations she was exposed to. She describes the awkward situations and challenges that she had to overcome and as a child who loses her innocence as she matures. Her hopes and desires are to one day escape Mango Street!

Quote #1

“Out back is a small garage for the car we don’t own yet and small yard that looks smaller between the two buildings on either side. The house has only one washroom. Everybody has to share a bedroom-Mama and Papa, Carlos and Kiki, me and Nenny”.

This quote is giving the description of the Cordero family’s new home on Mango street. Shows clues about their economic status. The smallness of the house, not really big enough for a family of six. It tells us that the family is poor.

Quote #2

‘You live there? The way she said made me feel like nothing. There. I lived there. I nodded”.

Esperanza feels judged by the nun from her school. It was all in the tone of her voice. The way she said the word ”there”, tells Esperanza that something was wrong with her home. She makes her feel embarrassed about where she lives. It also makes Esperanza wonder about where she lives.

Conclusion:

Esperanza eventually does leave her house on Mango Street. She becomes a writer which was one of the things that she did while growing up that helped her survive. However, she does return back to where she grew up and used her new home to help house others who were also struggling to survive. As she looks back at her life she analyzes and identifies with her past and in summary, Esperanza is able to help others, that like her may have ended up on a street called, “The House on Mango Street”!

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