Wednesday, January 13, 2016
The House on Mango Street Summary and Analysis
The House on Mango Street is told in the first person limited by the main character, Esperanza, in a series of vignettes. The beginning deals with her frustrations about living on Mango Street and how she hopes to move away and have a house of her own. The novel paints a picture of Latina culture as we see different family members and interactions at school through Esperanza's eyes. The novel also covers a great deal about Esperanza's sexual development, as she deals with Sally, a more sexually adventurous friend, and the burden of living as a Latina female. To endure these challenges, writes. In the end she resolves to return to Mango Street to help those who remain after she moves on.
The novel uses a great deal of imagery and is written in a personal and at times childish tone. The motifs include women looking out windows, representing lack of satisfaction with married life, and clouds, which function as both a motif and symbol representing possibly hopes and aspirations. Trees are a prominent symbol as Esperanza seems to liken her own struggle to that of a tree attempting to escape its routes to reach the sky (related to clouds).
"In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting."
Indicates that she is of two origins, the Mexican and American, and they both play a role in her identity, sometimes conflicting but mainly producing a mix of cultural associations. It could also suggest that her parents consider her to be a glimmer of promise amidst poverty and social injustice-- a hope born out of sadness.
"Sally, you lied, you lied. He wouldn’t let me go. He said I love you, I love you, Spanish girl."
This is from "Red Clowns" where Esperanza is sexually assaulted. The quote shows her conflicts with Sally and her struggle to confront the misconceptions about boys and sex that she has seen in popular culture which contrasts with the stark and unforgiving reality about what can happen to vulnerable women at a very impressionable age.
In Cisneros' novel, we see that one can overcome significant hardship in the form of poverty, racism, gender inequality, and abuse by finding individual strength and understanding, allowing one to embrace his/her origins to help his/her family or society of origin.
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Thomas,
ReplyDeleteYou have given a very thorough analysis, and have outlined most of the important points of the novel. I do think her sense of shame and not belonging is a very strong theme that you could have touched on more specifically. Other than that though it's very thorough. The broad themes that Cisneros was conveying are clear in your response, (poverty, racism, sexual confusion, growing up) and you pulled out some important quotes, especially the first one about her name. I feel like that is a very telling quote regarding Esperanza's outlook, and the setting of the book.
Thomas,
ReplyDeleteYou have given a very thorough analysis, and have outlined most of the important points of the novel. I do think her sense of shame and not belonging is a very strong theme that you could have touched on more specifically. Other than that though it's very thorough. The broad themes that Cisneros was conveying are clear in your response, (poverty, racism, sexual confusion, growing up) and you pulled out some important quotes, especially the first one about her name. I feel like that is a very telling quote regarding Esperanza's outlook, and the setting of the book.
Hey Thomas,
ReplyDeleteI like how how incorporate analysis into your summary. It is well laid out and separating big ideas into separate paragraphs makes it easier to follow your ideas. You do an excellent job summarizing the story. It shows that you really understand what is going on and are able to highlight the important parts. This spills over into your analysis when you are able to show the meaning behind your summary. You also do a very good job analyzing the characters, I like the use of quotes to prove your statements. Did you like how the book was split up into individual vignettes?
Thomas, I really liked your summary and analysis. Firstly, it's unique in the fact that each paragraph has a paraphrase or a direct quote from the book that fully supports your claims. Also, your analysis is very short and sweet in clear paragraphs that make it easy to read and understand. It isn't like looking at a large block paragraph that makes it overwhelming to read. Like Vivek mentioned, you also do a great job analyzing the characters. Clearly showing the relationship with Esperanza. Good job!
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