Character Analysis of Esperanza in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

In the novel, “The House on Mango Street”, author Sandra Cisneros portrays a story of a young girl, Esperanza who is completely dissatisfied with her life. She yearns for what she considers a perfect house and various other items that she believes will make her existence perfect. As she finds out who she truly is and what she is really good at, she becomes the person she had hidden all along. She was lost inside someone who was so conceited, and hoped for things that could never even happen. Unfortunately, when someone does not accept the realities of their life, maybe to make it better at some point, their situation becomes intolerable because this individual keeps searching for something that is unattainable.

Esperanza and Mholo are similar in the manner they have each faced the challenges associated with a humbling living situation. Deeper than their living situations they both have experienced dealings with social class and cultural differences and the stereotyping resulting from them. Mholo secretly stays with her sister in the basement of a very well off family. When madam of the family ushers Mholo off the property, rather show her a little hospitability and allow her wait for her sister. Suggests the madam was uncomfortable with Mholo’s presence because she was different than her family. Esperanza lives with her entire family in a small one bedroom one bath house in a neighborhood with a less than respectable reputation attached to it. Esperanza

Utilizing a series of vignettes, Sandra Cisneros follows the significant moments in the life of a young Mexican girl named Esperanza in her coming-of-age novel The House on Mango Street. The book records a year of Esperanza life, in which her family moves into a rented house on Mango Street in Chicago. While searching for her independence, Esperanza and her friends meet the issues of racism, sexuality, and male dominance. Esperanza forms the realization she will have to leave the toxic environment on Mango Street for her future, however, she plans to return and help those who are unable to remove themselves from the poor conditions.

Nevertheless, being accepted in society is a fundamental part of the growing process of any person. In that regard, finding an identity—understood as a set of characteristics that distinguish a person in a particular group—is a critical part of this process. For Esperanza, the house will allow her to have at least the necessary stability that she needs to go out and face important issues, such as making friends and getting accustomed to a new neighborhood. It is interesting to underline how, intentionally, the author does not give a concrete description of the main character: there is no name, age or physical description of her, except for the fact that the she refers to herself as “me.” This condition may denote Esperanza’s struggle trying to adapt herself to a new community, as the character acknowledges that she does not know who she is; neither knows what place in the world she owns yet; nor what role in her life she wants to play. In addition, the author uses the description of a run-down house—hat makes Esperanza feel ashamed— as a means to portray and reinforce the idea of a character whose personality is still underdeveloped and in the search for her own way to express

Now, Esperanza has changed a lot throughout the book. First she was spoiled and a brat. Here are some examples when she kept on complaining about their living conditions. She called the cabin a horse stable. So she has been really disrespectful to her mom and Miguel.

I chose this quote because it displays the division of gender, or split into two sides based on boys and girls. Women were thought to be inferior to men and men dominated the society. Esperanza had no friends other than her brothers who would not be seen with her in public. I choose to incorporate this quote into my journal because the women are deemed as powerless. However Esperanza is willing to make a change and be an individual by not being dependent on anyone else.

Can you picture being apart of a wealthy family in Mexico? Most people in Mexico are seen as seen as poor and very needy, but Esperanza came from a very blessed family. (Ryan 3) Esperanza's family is seen as a very wealthy family, especially in the 1930's. Her father is a wealthy farm owner that accumulates most of the money for the family, and Esperanza is spoiled rotten due to this. (Ryan 3) She owns many nice things that many her age couldn't afford in Mexico at the time. She has been excited lately due to the fact her 13th birthday was approaching, but she could hardly wait for her 15th birthday. She knows on her 15th birthday, she and others will wear white gowns, big celebrations for her, and even the sons of the

The House on Mango Street, a novella by Sandra Cisneros, revolves around the idea of a developing Latino girl facing the difficulties of transitioning to a young mature woman. Esperanza moves into a house on Mango Street, where she meets many diverse influential people as she attempts to discover her true identity and understanding of the world. While doing this, she encounters the struggles of her community, socioeconomic class, and heritage. Esperanza’s opposing view of herself slowly adjusts as she begins to focus on where she belongs in her community. Cisneros uses a series of short stories to reveal the importance of Esperanza’s acceptance of the knowledge from the significant people around her that contributes to her developing identity.

Sandra Cisneros uses characterization to show that even when there is bad times you can still find your true self in The House on Mango Street. Esperanza is the main character and she feels lonely, embarrassed, and just wants to fit in her new neighborhood. She is having a hard time trying to find her identity. Esperanza wants to change her name “…more like the real me” instead of accepting a name from her family’s heritage, “…the one nobody sees” (Cisneros 11). She thinks her name sounds rough when her classmates say it, but sounds softer in Spanish.

The characters of The House on Mango Street include Esperanza the narrator, her family and her many friends and neighbors. In this literary analysis I will be analyzing the main three, Esperanza, Sally and Nenny. In The House on Mango Street a year goes by and Esperanza matures. She begins growing into a young woman. More people see her as a lady and not and innocent child. She also develops a sexual desire for some of the neighborhood boys. Emotionally she feels the desire for love. Although, her sexual desire becomes

Esperanza is girl who is the main character of the book “House On Mango Street” and the author who writes vignettes about her. The author of this book is Sandra Cisneros and gives us facts and thoughts about Esperanza’s life and more. Esperanza is 12 years old and lives in a house in a street called Mango Street. All of this contribute to the topics observation, friendship, and family. Observation, family, and friendship will give more gifts and trust to one another and become as one.

In Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street, Esperanza’s world influences her life for the better. Esperanza is living in poverty and watching all the mistakes people are making, her environment allows her to learn from the mistakes people around her are making. Sally, a girl living in her neighborhood, gets married like they expected, “Young and not ready” (Cisnero 14). Esperanza has seen someone get married too young before her eyes and now she will understand not to make the same mistake as Sally did. Esperanza living in this community allows her to understand what living at the bottom of the world is like, Esperanza becomes motivated wanting, “A house all my own” (Cisnero 15). Esperanza wants something better in life than living on

“The House on Mango Street,” by Sandra Cisneros uses a narrative style to tell the story of Esperanza throughout her childhood.

Jose de las Luz y Caballero once said, “As the fruit ripens, so does the man mature; after many rains, suns, and blows.” (Forbes) Through the superior, inferior, and everything amid occurring in everyone’s lives, some choose to embrace it while others shove it in the back of their closet and try to forget it. However, while experiencing life, one learns and one grows. Sandra Cisneros’s novel “The House on Mango Street” is considered a coming of age novel. Esperanza, the main character, faces many different challenges and situations in her life. Esperanza is introduced as an innocent girl who later matures into a young adult after developing and grasping onto new concepts.

The decisions a person chooses to make greatly affects their lives and changes them. In the collection of short stories, The House on Mango Street, the author, Sandra Cisneros focuses on the life of a young Hispanic girl named Esperanza Cordero who gradually changes and matures through the experiences of gender discrimination, sexual orientation and countless more living on Mango Street. Esperanza's transformation from a young and innocent girl to a mature woman is displayed through her self-realization and experiences that help Cisneros reveal how one's own experiences can lead to the discovery of their identity.