The House On Mango Street Gender Essay

Living in today’s world can be a struggle, not everyone easily fits in. Part of being someone in today’s society is knowing who made people who they are and understanding where they come from. Esperanza, the main character in the book The House On Mango Street faces problems understanding who she is. Esperanza faces problems with accepting her identity of who she is and where she comes from.

From the internationally acclaimed and award winning author of Caramelo, Sandra Cisneros does not disappoint in this classic, coming-of-age story, mirroring her own childhood experiences. You will follow a young girl, Esperanza, growing up in an impoverished Latino neighborhood in Chicago – you guessed it- on Mango Street. Written in vignettes, it’s as if you are peeking into Esperanza’s diary, empathizing with her pain and joy as each story unfolds. You will find yourself rooting for her the whole way through. Aimed toward younger readers, it’s real-life challenges brings an opportunity for families to discuss dangers in society, and provides a humbling experience for readers more fortunate than Esperanza. Although she is mature, Esperanza’s

The community around Esperanza has many gender roles that separate the boys and girls, which makes her want to break these roles and be her own, independent, person. In the vignette “Boys and Girls” Esperanza sees that gender roles are prominent around her neighborhood and school. Esperanza’s brothers, who she always talked to at home, “But outside they can not be seen talking to girls. Carlos and Kiki are each other's best friend, not ours”(Cisneros 8).

These problems coming to light through the many women Esperanza looks up to, drive her to rise above her obstacles, and become more than just another poorly treated woman. Despite the variety of girls in the neighborhood, one of Esperanza’s closest friends ends up being Sally, who has moved from one abusive home to the next. Sally’s father was a very strict man and she constantly disobeyed him once out of his sight. Whenever Sally is caught dressing “provocative” or acting “too old” her father decides to teach her a lesson.

Societal expectations are a part of everyone’s life, male or female. From the day people are born, there are roles they are expected to assume-- wife, homemaker, father, provider, mother and many others. While these aren’t necessarily negative, the stigma of not fulfilling these roles can be unpleasant. While the roles we are supposed to choose aren’t always clearly defined, the judgement that comes from choosing to take certain actions in life, like settling down or becoming a mother is palpable. Throughout The House on Mango Street, Esperanza’s view of the world is largely shaped by the people around her, which are her neighbors, family, and friends.

The main protagonist Esperanza, matures from a childish girl to a young confident woman through many critical and life changing events in the story. Ultimately, the author, Sandra Cisneros implements the symbols of confidence, the house on mango street and the metaphor of shoes to show how Esperanza develops into a more mature state. Sandra Cisneros

Esperanza is often humiliated not only by where she lives, but also by her physical appearance, hence causing a restriction in her climb to a higher social class. Esperanza is frequently ashamed of her family’s broken-down house in an urban, poor

Esperanza’s Odyssey Esperanza ’s journey of self-identification is apparent in the novel “House on Mango Street”. Her hopes of leaving the barrio were clearly shown in different vignettes: “House on Mango Street”, “Bums in the attic”, “Beautiful and Cruel”, and so on. Her process of self-identification will entail her realizing that she is growing more mature, figuring out her sexuality, and understanding her culture as a Latina.

In Mexican American society , women are deemed inferior to men, evident in traditional family roles, the male is the head of the family who provides for the family , while the woman stays at home to look after the children she is expected to provide for her husband . In the third vignette of ‘The House on Mango Street’ titled ‘Boys and Girls’ the reader is informed of the division between men and women when Esperanza refers to herself and her sister Nenny , and her brothers, “They’ve got plenty to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But outside they can’t be seen talking to girls”. The male dominance begins at a very young age.

Throughout the story, Esperanza witnesses the prevalence of gender roles in her community and the domestic responsibilities that fall on women's shoulders. Sandra Cisneros presents insights into women's actualities by showing the emotional and physical

In the book “The House on Mango Street” there are three major characters that influence Esperanzas ambitions for her future, and let her change and grow as a person. People such as Mama, Alicia, and Sally give Esperanza a glimpse of what it takes to have a good life, and how hard you have to work to escape poverty. Esperanza is really ashamed of being poor, and not being able to wear nice clothes, but she soon learns that it does not matter what people think about you, and that her values are more important. When Esperanza begins desiring boys, she comes upon a girl named Sally, who boys find beautiful.

“No, this isn’t my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I’ve lived here (Cisneros 106).” This quote shows Esperanza’s unwillingness of accepting her poor neighbourhood because of the violence and inequality that has happened in it. In the House on Mango Street, the author, Sandra Cisneros, shows that there is a direct link between inequality, violence and poverty. The House on Mango Street shows women are held back by the inequalities that they face. Cisneros shows that racism prevents individuals from receiving job opportunities which leads to poverty and violence.

Women and Their Roles Stereotypes are ways that people put others into tiny boxes in order to feel like they are in control. In her story, The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros uses women stuck in gender roles to show how trapped many women in the her story are. Cisneros’s stereotypical roles for the women in Esperanza’s community are the homemaker, a man’s plaything, and isolated wife. Cisneros’s use of the characters including Alicia, Sally, and Rafaela emphasize the roles women are forced into.

The male-dominated society that Esperanza grows up in forces the idea that women are weak and should stay locked in their houses while men go off to work. The men are immoral and seedy, as expressed in the chapter in which a homeless man leers and asks for a kiss from the little girls. Esperanza experiences the evil of her community when she is sexually assaulted, causing her to lose her previous desire to explore her sexuality. Before being assaulted, she wanted to be “beautiful and cruel” like her friend Sally, because Sally was what she understood to be a perfect woman. However, after her rape she decides that she needs to discover her own identity for herself.

In the book, The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is portrayed as a young innocent girl that drastically changes over the course of the book. Esperanza is new to mango street and encounters many challenges but also positive experiences that she is able to take away from mango street. In order for Esperanza to transform as a human it was inevitable for her to face the struggles on mango street. As Esperanza matures throughout the novel she experiences three major developments that shape her future through the awakening of maturity, responsibility and her awakening of her interest in poetry.