Gender Roles In The House On Mango Street

Men and women; filed into categories and stuffed inside one cabinet labeled gender. For Esperanza, reaching the limitations of her gender was just part of growing up in Chicago. In The House on Mango Street, author Sandra Cisneros delineates the concept that in society, the roles that are shaped by gender define one’s identity. This becomes clear when Esperanza begins to understand gender in her home, on her street, and in her life. Throughout the novel, women are seen as docile and stuck in their relationships with men. The text states “I have inherited her name, but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window,” (Page 11). Esperanza is expressing how she was passed down her grandmother's name, but she doesn’t want her legacy. This explains how like the grandmother, women are confined in their relationships and doomed to watch life pass by …show more content…
As noted on page 76, “The man saved his money to bring her here. He saved and saved because she was alone with the baby boy in that country. He worked two jobs. He came home late and he left early. Everyday.” He is forced to be a superhero and save this woman by working extensively. Because he is a male, the immediate reaction for him is to be the breadwinner, even if the woman could help. In addition, the author writes “She sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission,” (Page 102). Sally is so frightened by the power of her spouse that she is unable to leave her own home. Thus adding onto the idea that a man’s role is one of much control which is represented in the novel as forceful isolation and ownership among women. Clearly the author intended to for the reader to perceive a man’s identity through his masculinity, how he runs his home, and what he uses his power to