Every human being is born with a desire for a sense of belonging. Whether it is at their jobs, schools, or amongst their friends, people will always search for acceptance. The House on Mango Street, a novel beautifully crafted by author Sandra Cisneros depicts a young Latino girl's prolonged search for an identity. Cisneros portrays the young girl's evolution throughout the book by using ethnic and thematic elements. Through many hardships and life-changing experiences, Esperanza slowly blossoms from an innocent child into a mature young woman. Some of the major ethnic elements that greatly impact the story are the culture, mindset, and tradition of her people when concerning women. For example, in the story, many girls who Esperanza shares
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According to Esperanza, her great-grandmother was a "horse woman" just like her, and supposedly bad luck. Esperanza mentions that she inherited her great-grandmother's name, but does not wish to inherit her great-grandmother's "place by the window" (Cisneros 11). Esperanza's great-grandmother disapproved of her own marriage, but was forced against her will anyway. As a result, her great-grandmother countless spent hours in her life looking out the window, wistfully thinking about all the opportunities and possibilities she could have had. Cisneros provides many other examples of maltreated women in the story, such as Minerva, a young girl whose husband left her, and Sally, a girl who is abused by her …show more content…
In the beginning of the book Esperanza expresses her feelings about her name. She says, "In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing" (Cisneros 10). Esperanza's name means "hope", something that gives her negative and positive feelings. Hope brings joy, but it also requires waiting and anticipation. Because of that, Esperanza dislikes her
According to Esperanza, her great-grandmother was a "horse woman" just like her, and supposedly bad luck. Esperanza mentions that she inherited her great-grandmother's name, but does not wish to inherit her great-grandmother's "place by the window" (Cisneros 11). Esperanza's great-grandmother disapproved of her own marriage, but was forced against her will anyway. As a result, her great-grandmother countless spent hours in her life looking out the window, wistfully thinking about all the opportunities and possibilities she could have had. Cisneros provides many other examples of maltreated women in the story, such as Minerva, a young girl whose husband left her, and Sally, a girl who is abused by her …show more content…
In the beginning of the book Esperanza expresses her feelings about her name. She says, "In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing" (Cisneros 10). Esperanza's name means "hope", something that gives her negative and positive feelings. Hope brings joy, but it also requires waiting and anticipation. Because of that, Esperanza dislikes her