Who Is Gaela In The House On Mango Street

In the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Rafaela is a young woman who lives on Esperanza’s street. Rafaela is a beautiful girl who has taken a husband very young, however her partner is not the man of her dreams. She lives with her spouse, spending lots of time locked inside her room. She sits on her windowsill wishing she could go to the bar and find a better lover, but instead she must settle for her coconut and papaya juice, her current mediocre husband. Rafaela wants to find someone who will take care of her and love her, a companion better than she currently has. However, no matter how kind or loving her spouse is, Rafaela will not be happy because she always wants more. Until Rafaela learns to be happy with herself instead of depending …show more content…
The biggest piece of Rafaela’s identity is her lust for a prince charming: someone who will come and take her away. She sits on her windowsill wishing she could go to the bar around the corner and find a different man; however, because she is trapped by her marriage, she can’t. Rafaela drinks her juice and wishes it is sweeter. She sits in her room, wishing it was less lonely. She waits by the window and waits and wishes, “[leaning] out the window and [leaning] on her elbow and dreams” (79). Rafaela is not content with what has happened to her; however, she is doing nothing to change it. Instead she is looking out the window, much like Esperanza’s grandma, waiting for someone else. Rafaela wants things to change, but she isn’t willing to change them herself. Instead, Rafaela has made herself