Gender Roles that Effect Esperanza's Identity
“I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be.” (11) Esperanza is a tween and is trying to perceive the world around her. She lives in an environment where she is influenced by her loved ones. They all share stories of regret of their cultural, domestic, and life choice situations. In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros uses the characters’ personal experiences to illustrate and form Esperanza’s identity. Esperanza’s family experiences impact her determination and dreams of moving away from Mango Street. In her culture, women often end up sacrificing talent and personal values to start a family. Her great-grandmother …show more content…
She learns a lot about the toxic effects of waiting for a prince charming. In the vignette “Beautiful and Cruel”, Esperanza describes women who wait for men as “[Laying] their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain.” (88) Esperanza understands her friend Sally’s fate isn't what she wants in her life. Esperanza doesn't think men should control the way women act. Sally’s every action is to please men. “You throw your head back and laugh. Those boys look at you because you're pretty.” (99) Sally behaves like this because she wants a man to appreciate her, unlike her father. “The way Sally tells it, he just went crazy, he just forgot he was her father between the buckle and the belt.” (93) Sally feels like she has to escape Mango Street with a boy to get away from her abusive father. This is why she marries young and falls back into the same cycle she was in at home with her father. “She says she's in love, but I think she did it to escape. She is happy, except sometimes her husband gets angry and once he broke the door where his foot went through, though most days he is okay.” (101) Esperanza sees how Sally is treated by men and realizes that she doesn't want to settle down and be manipulated by a man. She would rather do what she wants rather than what a man wants for …show more content…
If family and friends allow culture to determine their life path, then one is likely to follow. Surprisingly in The House on Mango Street, Esperanza's family uses their own life struggles to advise her to pursue her dreams and interests. These stories influence Esperanza to have feelings and beliefs that aren't necessarily conventional in her culture, but are a large aspect of her identity. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza refuses to make the same rueful mistakes as the women around her. Sandra Cisneros uses the female character’s experiences to form Esperanza’s own perspectives that influence her own
“I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be.” (11) Esperanza is a tween and is trying to perceive the world around her. She lives in an environment where she is influenced by her loved ones. They all share stories of regret of their cultural, domestic, and life choice situations. In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros uses the characters’ personal experiences to illustrate and form Esperanza’s identity. Esperanza’s family experiences impact her determination and dreams of moving away from Mango Street. In her culture, women often end up sacrificing talent and personal values to start a family. Her great-grandmother …show more content…
She learns a lot about the toxic effects of waiting for a prince charming. In the vignette “Beautiful and Cruel”, Esperanza describes women who wait for men as “[Laying] their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain.” (88) Esperanza understands her friend Sally’s fate isn't what she wants in her life. Esperanza doesn't think men should control the way women act. Sally’s every action is to please men. “You throw your head back and laugh. Those boys look at you because you're pretty.” (99) Sally behaves like this because she wants a man to appreciate her, unlike her father. “The way Sally tells it, he just went crazy, he just forgot he was her father between the buckle and the belt.” (93) Sally feels like she has to escape Mango Street with a boy to get away from her abusive father. This is why she marries young and falls back into the same cycle she was in at home with her father. “She says she's in love, but I think she did it to escape. She is happy, except sometimes her husband gets angry and once he broke the door where his foot went through, though most days he is okay.” (101) Esperanza sees how Sally is treated by men and realizes that she doesn't want to settle down and be manipulated by a man. She would rather do what she wants rather than what a man wants for …show more content…
If family and friends allow culture to determine their life path, then one is likely to follow. Surprisingly in The House on Mango Street, Esperanza's family uses their own life struggles to advise her to pursue her dreams and interests. These stories influence Esperanza to have feelings and beliefs that aren't necessarily conventional in her culture, but are a large aspect of her identity. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza refuses to make the same rueful mistakes as the women around her. Sandra Cisneros uses the female character’s experiences to form Esperanza’s own perspectives that influence her own