preview

House On Mango Street Stereotypes

Decent Essays

Sandra Cisneros has been criticized by many for her depiction of Mexican Americans in her novel The House on Mango Street. Critics claim that Cisneros portrayal of Mexican Americans sustains an image of negative stereotypes. Those negative stereotypes being men who are dominating over women and women who are submissive. Throughout Cisneros’ story we meet many characters who are portrayed as the critics claim – in a way that suggests the dominance men have over the home and the family. Despite this, I believe this representation is not ment to enhance those negative stereotypes, but to better heighten the feelings of oppression, otherness, and helplessness Esperanza has. One of the most prominent examples of the negative stereotypes being displayed …show more content…

Esperanza dreams of being free from all the expectations of her family and is okay with breaking the barriers she has to do it by herself; Sally may feel the same desire to be free of her current situation, but her refusal to run free as Esperanza does gives the impression that she does not believe she can escape where she is, at least without the help of a husband who can take her away. We later learn Sally does leave Mango Street when she marries, but she ends up in a relationship similar to that of the one she had with her father, she is abused by her husband, and never allowed to leave the house. This is different from the ending of Esperanza’s story. Esperanza knows she is going to leave, but she will have the possibility to come back and help those she can not help while she is there. It is true that in many of the stories in The House on Mango Street there is a man holding back a woman from being free. Esperanza is often feels sympathy for these women. These stories are used to show us how trapped behind her culture and expectations Esperanza feels. The helplessness Esperanza sees mirrors her own feelings of weakness. While I do believe many of the stories Cisneros gives us depict a rather stereotypical view of the Mexican American household, I also believe it is a tool used to reflect her main character’s struggle to break

Get Access