TITLE & AUTHOR: THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET – SANDRA CISNEROS
Reviewer: Ruth Lalhmangaihsangi, II PPES O.
TEACHER IN-CHARGE: MS. ANITHA RAVINDRAKUMAR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BOOK REVIEW
The House on Mango Street is a coming-of-age novel written by Sandra Cisneros published in 1984. The book is a mix between poetry, fiction and autobiography, with the main theme revolving around self-identity, feminism and community. The protagonist of the story is, Esperanza Cordera, a young girl of Mexican descent who is born and brought up in America. She is 12 years old when the book begins. It starts when she moves into a new neighbourhood called Mango Street, which is a crowded and run down Latino Street in Chicago, where races are strategically …show more content…
One of the characters in the book named, Mamacita moved to America to be with her husband but later finds herself imprisoned in her own home as she can’t speak English. Even when Esperanza’s father first moved to the States, he couldn’t pick what he wanted to eat as he didn’t understand anything on the menu except for ham and eggs. In one of the incidents in the book, Esperanza’s mother, who is a native English speaker, writes a letter to her school but the authorities in the school find it unconvincing as the language use was poor. It can also be noticed in Esperanza’s desire from a young age to change her name to something other than what defines her family’s heritage due to her want of self-identity beyond the community she hails from. Throughout the book, it is seen that many people in her street have two names,an English name and a Spanish name. For example, Esperanza’s own sister Magdelena who is also called Lenny and Meme Oritz whose Spanish name is Juan. Here, having two names is symbolic of the assimilation of two cultures in the community of Mango Street and the unique identity for the community as it is difficult for them belong at a particular place. The protagonist believes that the more names you have the more powerful you are and she justifies this by giving the example of how the Eskimos …show more content…
If, she wanted the growth of her community and the others after her to live in a community where there is freedom in oneself then, the ones who are capable must leave, learn from the world and come back to the community to help make a change. She realises that she can be the change but to do so, she must first accept her heritage and be proud of where she comes from regardless of whatever scars she has got on the way. This realization came from writing. Esperanza (or the author) realizes that she started writing The House on Mango Street because she did not want to belong and wanted something more for herself but as the book comes to an end, it is clear that she does belong in Mango Street, and that she is not only there to fill space but also to be the change her
Reviewer: Ruth Lalhmangaihsangi, II PPES O.
TEACHER IN-CHARGE: MS. ANITHA RAVINDRAKUMAR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BOOK REVIEW
The House on Mango Street is a coming-of-age novel written by Sandra Cisneros published in 1984. The book is a mix between poetry, fiction and autobiography, with the main theme revolving around self-identity, feminism and community. The protagonist of the story is, Esperanza Cordera, a young girl of Mexican descent who is born and brought up in America. She is 12 years old when the book begins. It starts when she moves into a new neighbourhood called Mango Street, which is a crowded and run down Latino Street in Chicago, where races are strategically …show more content…
One of the characters in the book named, Mamacita moved to America to be with her husband but later finds herself imprisoned in her own home as she can’t speak English. Even when Esperanza’s father first moved to the States, he couldn’t pick what he wanted to eat as he didn’t understand anything on the menu except for ham and eggs. In one of the incidents in the book, Esperanza’s mother, who is a native English speaker, writes a letter to her school but the authorities in the school find it unconvincing as the language use was poor. It can also be noticed in Esperanza’s desire from a young age to change her name to something other than what defines her family’s heritage due to her want of self-identity beyond the community she hails from. Throughout the book, it is seen that many people in her street have two names,an English name and a Spanish name. For example, Esperanza’s own sister Magdelena who is also called Lenny and Meme Oritz whose Spanish name is Juan. Here, having two names is symbolic of the assimilation of two cultures in the community of Mango Street and the unique identity for the community as it is difficult for them belong at a particular place. The protagonist believes that the more names you have the more powerful you are and she justifies this by giving the example of how the Eskimos …show more content…
If, she wanted the growth of her community and the others after her to live in a community where there is freedom in oneself then, the ones who are capable must leave, learn from the world and come back to the community to help make a change. She realises that she can be the change but to do so, she must first accept her heritage and be proud of where she comes from regardless of whatever scars she has got on the way. This realization came from writing. Esperanza (or the author) realizes that she started writing The House on Mango Street because she did not want to belong and wanted something more for herself but as the book comes to an end, it is clear that she does belong in Mango Street, and that she is not only there to fill space but also to be the change her