In her novel The House on Mango Street (1984), Sandra Cisneros expresses the story of a young, indigent girl, Esperanza, who had recently moved onto Mango Street and is ashamed of the family’s shabby new community. Cisneros develops the story through a series of vignettes that express Esperanza’s experiences in her new home like the people she meets, their lives, hardships they face, obstacles that she has encountered, how they’ve affected her, and how her mind was changed. Through these vignettes, Cisneros uses various characters around Esperanza that influence her. Three characters, Sally, Alicia, and the three sisters, change and impact her personality, thoughts, and decisions of her previous life goals.
Esperanza is motivated to live a …show more content…
In “The Three Sisters”, the sisters, godmothers of Rachel and Lucy’s dead sister, pull Esperanza aside, ask her to make a wish, and, as if knowing what she wished for, warned that “[she] will always be Esperanza. [She] will always be Mango Street. [She] can’t erase what [she] know[s]. [She] can’t forget who [she] is” (105). Although Esperanza only becomes more confused, she comes to realize that she cannot change where she has come from, where she has grown up, and where she has obtained valuable experiences that have shaped her character. No matter what, Mango Street will always be a part of her, whether she cherishes it or not. The three sisters go on to advise Esperanza that “[she] must remember to come back. For the ones who cannot leave as easily as [her]” (105). Esperanza later on grasps the wise meaning the three women spoke of, that she has to be the one to help other people on Mango Street, or no one else will. She is the only hope for the impecunious families, and the only one who can bring Mango Street up from the difficult situations that plagues the neighborhood. Her outlook on Mango Street significantly changed after she caught on to the guidance of the three sisters when they tell her she can’t forget her origin and must come back to help “the ones that cannot out”
Esperanza is motivated to live a …show more content…
In “The Three Sisters”, the sisters, godmothers of Rachel and Lucy’s dead sister, pull Esperanza aside, ask her to make a wish, and, as if knowing what she wished for, warned that “[she] will always be Esperanza. [She] will always be Mango Street. [She] can’t erase what [she] know[s]. [She] can’t forget who [she] is” (105). Although Esperanza only becomes more confused, she comes to realize that she cannot change where she has come from, where she has grown up, and where she has obtained valuable experiences that have shaped her character. No matter what, Mango Street will always be a part of her, whether she cherishes it or not. The three sisters go on to advise Esperanza that “[she] must remember to come back. For the ones who cannot leave as easily as [her]” (105). Esperanza later on grasps the wise meaning the three women spoke of, that she has to be the one to help other people on Mango Street, or no one else will. She is the only hope for the impecunious families, and the only one who can bring Mango Street up from the difficult situations that plagues the neighborhood. Her outlook on Mango Street significantly changed after she caught on to the guidance of the three sisters when they tell her she can’t forget her origin and must come back to help “the ones that cannot out”