The House on Mango Street is about a little girl named Esperanza who dreams about having the American Dream. When she was young all she did was move from place to place, always talking about her family's dream of getting a new house. Since she was constantly moving, she didn't really know what the definition of "home" was, and she knew that she didn't want the home she used to have previously. She wanted the house in America, the stereotypical cute little neighborhood house, and she kept promising her mother about the house they were going to get. It represented hope for her, but Esperanza's dreams of getting the American Dream failed her. She thought everything she wanted and dreamed of was in America, but all she did was move with no improvement to her dream. Because she dreamed the American Dream, she learns about who she doesn't want to be and becomes more independent. She is very keen to gender roles, and with the observation she makes she finds her identity and matures throughout the book.
The House on Mango Street has a lot to do with the concept of the American Dream and identity and gender roles. Part of the American Dream for Esperanza is to find herself, her identity. Throughout the book she observes different people and sees how they act and what how they live, and after that she determines whether or not she wants to be like him or her. For example she says she does not want to be like her grandmother even though she has her name because "...Threw a sack over her head and carried her off." her grandfather controlled her grandmother's life. Having a controlling husband was not what she imagined as a part of her concept of the American Dream. She wants to live freely and enjoy the luxuries of life like she had imagined in Puerto Rico. Esperanza wants to live her American Dream, but only gets disappointed after seeing the reality of her situation.
ReplyDeleteEsperanza is figuring out who she wants to be through others in her neighborhood. She listens to all the stories of the women who are abused by the male figure in their life and trapped in their homes and knows that she does not want to become like them. Esperanza's motivation to someday leave Mango Street are the stories that she hears. Throughout the novel, Esperanza is confused about who she is and who she wants to become. She has all of these women around her, but has no one to look up to and aspire to become like them. As mentioned already, Esperanza does not want to grow up and become like her great-grandmother who just sits by the window because she is trapped. I think that this novel does a good job explaining how hard it is for immigrants to find their place once they come to a new country and have to adjust to the new lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI definitely enjoy the writing style because its an interesting change from normal novels. The story is very easy to follow and while I'm reading it I feel as if I'm going through these experiences with the author. Throughout the first part of the novel we can feel Esperanza's ultimate struggles, the main one being identity. She does not really know who she is or who she wants to be, she just knows that she doesn't really like herself. The author does a good job of putting everything into terms that are easily understandable, and to many probably quite relatable. So far I can honestly say that I've thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I'm excited to see how it ends.
ReplyDeleteI think Esperanza's dream of having a perfect house with a white picket fence and everything definitely shows that she has the American Dream. This theme of the American Dream frequently shows up in the House On Mango Street for Esperanza, along with the theme of Identity. She does not know her true identity; all she knows is she does not want to be like her great grandmother. I like that this book is a compilation of vignettes because it makes it easier to read for me. Overall, so far, I like this book.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this novel we can see Esperanza's struggle with her identity. When she describes her hair she mentions how "lazy" it is but when she talks about her mother's hair she gives a vivid description of the texture and smell. She's not sure how to describe herself but when it comes to others, she's very descriptive and attentive to detail. She also talks about how other women are controlled by their husbands and this makes her realize through others what she doesn't want to be. She has inherited her grandmother's name but she doesn't want to inherit that same place by the window. You can see how hard it is for Esperanza to find her identity especially when factors like gender, age and culture come in the picture.
ReplyDeleteThe House on Mango Street is mainly about a girl named Esperanza. She wants the American Dream and hopes to have a perfect life in a perfect house. She expresses her disappointment of the house she's living in on Mango Street. She also is confused about her identity as an immigrant and a child. Her name means hope in english and it means various things in spanish. Her name is an example of the confusion that she has about herself. She's still young and is trying to figure everything out. Throughout this book, Esperanza grows and changes because of the experiences she goes through.
ReplyDeleteThe style of writing is very childish and innocent. The story-line and actual problems of the story are adult like topping. its almost interesting to see the child's take on the world and her life. This is shown through the way she "hops" around from subject to subject. A childs mind has a reputation for being very random and being very curious.So it is very intelligent that the book is written in the same way. Sense of self-esteem and identity is shown when she starts critiquing herself. For an example her hair, her name, and her looks. Even though she is very young, she is well aware of herself, her surroundings and is articulate about what she wants. Clearly she has been influenced by the American dream and is not satisfied with her current situation.
ReplyDeleteThe House on Mango Street, talks about the immigrant experience. Esperenza is a preteen and shes going through a tough time, not just with her age but also being in a new place. There are so many different kinds of people and there are so many different cultures. Its hard to make friends when you come to a new place. I know exactky what she feels like beacuse when i came to the United States from Albania, i was 6 years old and when i started school, i didnt know how to speak the language and it was tough to make friends. Kids would laugh at my accent and i would always get singled out. Esperenza wants to live the American Dream, but then again she also doesnt know what she wants, and shes comparing herself to all these people and saying how she doesnt want to be them,
ReplyDeleteEsperanza has high hopes of the "American Dream" upon living in the United States. She envisioned a white house with a picket fence in a well-regarded neighborhood. Instead, she lived in a shoddy house in a neighborhood thought of to be dangerous, and in the ghetto. She feels isolated and without many friends. She watches negative things go on around her and wishes for a better life outside of Mango Street.
ReplyDeleteThe story goes great lengths to achieve a sense of reality. The vignettes help emphasize what the author is going. The author uses the single story of the outdated "American Dream" to portray Esperanza's deepest hopes and desires. However, this dream is quickly changes when Esperanza realizes that the sort of dream she is looking for does not exist on Mango Street. Eventually Esperanza comes of age and deals with her harsh realities. It is sad to see that her first notion of home is synonymous with such harsh realities.
ReplyDeleteReally like how we pretty much witness Esperanza grow up throughout the novel. She give a point of view of suceeding in life and achieving the american dream that not everyone can relate too. She also tells the story in a way that the readers can easly paint a picture in their minds of the events and characters she mentions in the book.
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