Society has developed the concept of social class to categorize people into different groups based on their economic status. Social class makes everyone's lives extremely different. In The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, many themes are revealed. One of them includes the theme of social class. The series of vignettes illustrates a young girl, Esperanza, growing up in a Latino area of Chicago. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza belongs to a low social class and lives in a difficult environment, which dramatically affects her goals, childhood and perspective.
In this novel Esperanza's social class affect her goals. Since Esperanza economical status does not allow her to live in a big, fancy house, she dreams about leaving Mango …show more content…
Esperanza experiences some hardships through her childhood by not living in the best conditions because of poverty: “ The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn’t fix them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying over empty milk gallons” (Cisneros 4). Before she moved to Mango Street, at a young age, she had to learn how to take a shower with empty milk gallons filled with water because her family did not have any water. Esperanza also does not get to fully enjoy her childhood because she has to contribute money to her family, so they can strive in life. Cisneros states, “ It wasn't as if I didn’t want to work… I needed money. The Catholic high school cost a lot, and Papa said nobody went to public school unless you wanted to turn out bad” (53). Since Esperanza had to work at an young age to help out her family and pay for her private school, she had to learn how to grow up quickly. By writing “It wasn't as if I didn't want to work,” Cisneros sets a tone that demonstrates the opposite of what Esperanza was saying. It makes it seem as if Esperanza really did not want to work at such a young age. These arduous experiences Esperanza has to overcome because of poverty, greatly affects her childhood and forces her to grow up …show more content…
She notices that belonging to a certain social class can change someone’s opinion about her or her community. In the vignette called “Those Who Don't” Esperanza writes about people who come into her neighborhood and immediately think that they are going to be harmed: “ Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives”(28). People who come to her community look around and see an inadequate and poor neighborhood. Without evening thinking, they quickly identify this place as a horrible town where only criminals live. Even Esperanza can be accused of judging other people from their race and social class: “But watch us drive into a neighborhood of another color and our knees go shakity-shake and our car windows get rolled up tight and our eyes look straight. Yeah. That is how it goes and goes” (28). Esperanza describes how if she goes into another community with different social class than her’s, she too would be afraid and lock her car doors. Esperanza realizes how social class affects people's perspective about what kind of a person you
In this novel Esperanza's social class affect her goals. Since Esperanza economical status does not allow her to live in a big, fancy house, she dreams about leaving Mango …show more content…
Esperanza experiences some hardships through her childhood by not living in the best conditions because of poverty: “ The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn’t fix them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying over empty milk gallons” (Cisneros 4). Before she moved to Mango Street, at a young age, she had to learn how to take a shower with empty milk gallons filled with water because her family did not have any water. Esperanza also does not get to fully enjoy her childhood because she has to contribute money to her family, so they can strive in life. Cisneros states, “ It wasn't as if I didn’t want to work… I needed money. The Catholic high school cost a lot, and Papa said nobody went to public school unless you wanted to turn out bad” (53). Since Esperanza had to work at an young age to help out her family and pay for her private school, she had to learn how to grow up quickly. By writing “It wasn't as if I didn't want to work,” Cisneros sets a tone that demonstrates the opposite of what Esperanza was saying. It makes it seem as if Esperanza really did not want to work at such a young age. These arduous experiences Esperanza has to overcome because of poverty, greatly affects her childhood and forces her to grow up …show more content…
She notices that belonging to a certain social class can change someone’s opinion about her or her community. In the vignette called “Those Who Don't” Esperanza writes about people who come into her neighborhood and immediately think that they are going to be harmed: “ Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives”(28). People who come to her community look around and see an inadequate and poor neighborhood. Without evening thinking, they quickly identify this place as a horrible town where only criminals live. Even Esperanza can be accused of judging other people from their race and social class: “But watch us drive into a neighborhood of another color and our knees go shakity-shake and our car windows get rolled up tight and our eyes look straight. Yeah. That is how it goes and goes” (28). Esperanza describes how if she goes into another community with different social class than her’s, she too would be afraid and lock her car doors. Esperanza realizes how social class affects people's perspective about what kind of a person you