The House On Mango Street: Boys & Girls .

After reading The House on Mango Street, I believe the author, Sandra Cisneros believes that both girls and boys should be treated and raised differently, and she also points out that girls should be raised to be tougher than boys. Sandra Cisneros answered the question of should parents should treat their boys and girls differently by stating them indirectly in some of her vignettes.

Sandra Cisneros answered the question on gender differences in the vignette titled, “Boys and Girls.” In this vignette, the narrator, Esperanza described both boys and girls such as her brothers and her sister. Esperanza said, “Nenny is too young to be my friend. She is just my sister and that was not my fault... She can not play with those Vargas kids or she will turn out just like them. And since she comes right after me, she is my responsibility.” (page 8) This particular quote demonstrates that Nenny is younger than Esperanza, so Esperanza can not be Nenny’s friend. Since, it is not her job to be her friend, it is her job to take care of her, watch after her, and be responsible for her actions. So that proves that Cisneros believes that parents need their older girls to be responsible for their younger siblings. This is important because if Esperanza does not watch after Nenny, Nenny might become one of those “Vargas kids” which is a bad reputation to the family.  

In additionally,  Sandra Cisneros also believe that girls should be the one to step in when their family has problems. In the vignette, “ Alicia Who Sees Mice,” this vignette talks about her friend or neighbor, Alicia. Alicia is someone that is afraid of four legs animals and her own father. Alicia is also someone that lost her mother, and she has to step in and be the mother of her siblings, instead of her father, because they believe girls should be tough, strong, and independent. This is evidenced, when Esperanza narrated, “Close your eyes and they will go away, her father says, or You’re just imagining.” (31) This portrays that Alicia’s father is telling Alicia to be tough, and not be scared of anything, to overcome her fears so she can handle the family. In addition, Alicia has to be responsible for her sibling's lunch. “Alicia, whose mama died, is sorry there is no one older to rise and make the lunchbox tortillas.”(31) This shows that since Alicia’s  mom passed away, it is her responsibility to make the food for the family, which means to be in her mother’s place.  This proves that Sandra Cisneros think girls in the family should be the one to step in and take care of the family.

The House On Mango Street: Esperanza's Future .

After reading The House on Mango Street written by the author, Sandra Cisneros, I predict Esperanza left her house on Mango Street, as well as in her future, she became a writer. In the book, Esperanza always wanted to leave neighborhood where Mango Street and her house is located at. At the last vignette of the book, Esperanza said,

“ One day I will pack my bags of books and papers. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away.” (110). This quote proves both that in Esperanza’s future, she will become a writer and will leave the house on Mango Street, and be free. Esperanza is a strong independent woman, in most of the vignettes, she described how women are leaning on the window. This means, that they want to leave where they are at. This shows that Esperanza is one of them too, because if she does lean on the windows too, she understands why the women are leaning. It is a symbol for desiring freedom. She will become a writer because she said ” I will pack my bags of books and papers.” This portrays, Esperanza likes to read and write.

Consequently, I predict she became a writer. I also think the author, Sandra Cisneros is Esperanza. This is evidenced when Esperanza said,  “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out.” (110). This shows that Esperanza will come back and help the women that have the life she had when she was a young women, just like all the ones that lived in Mango Street. To go back to help those women, she wrote a book, titled The House on Mango Street. In the book of The House On Mango Street, Esperanza described how her life was like living in Mango Street.  Also how the women in her neighborhood, their lives were like. She wants to help the other women, on how to get freedom like her, so to do that, she wrote The Book on Mango Street.

Esperanza's Best Friend: Trees .

The book, The House On Mango Street is written by the author, Sandra Cisneros. The House On Mango Street is written in the style of vignettes. Through out the book has many symbols within the vignettes, also there is a pattern of the symbols occurring. As I was flipping and reading through the book, I realized that the symbol, “trees” popped up a lot. I found that the symbol “trees” were in the following vignettes: “ Sire”, “Four Skinny Trees”, also the vignette “The Monkey Garden”
To start off, in Sire, Esperanza treats the trees as her friend, someone that she can talk to. On page 73, Esperanza said, “Not this way, every evening talking to the trees, leaning out my window, imagining what I can’t see.” Both the windows and the trees are related, because windows are signifying that Esperanza wants freedom. While, the trees are someone she can express herself to. She is telling the trees that she wants freedom, to be out of this neighborhood. Also, the trees are keeping her strong through the hardships in her life. Like when she leans on the window, wanting freedom.
In addition,  in Four Skinny Trees, the narrator, Esperanza compares her self to the trees. In this particular vignette, Esperanza describes how the trees are skinny just like her. She is saying that she is like the trees, the trees that do not belong in this neighborhood, just like her. “Four who do not belong here but are here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city,” (page 74). This is demonstrating that both of the trees and Esperanza are forced to be in this neighborhood, that they do not wish to belong here. Both of them wish to be free and be some where else other than in this bad neighborhood.
Last but not least, in The Monkey Garden, Esperanza explained what happened when she was trying to save Sally from the guys. On page 97, Esperanza were holding sticks and bricks to save Sally, but what can she do with them? So she felt embarrassed and this is what she did afterwards, “I had to hide myself at the other end of the garden, in the jungle part, under a tree that wouldn’t mind if I lay down and cried a long time.” This portrays that Esperanza trusts the trees, like a best friend. Trees are the one she can go to, when she is down. Also, during the hardships of her life, like in this vignette when she feels embarrassed and ashamed, she can go to the trees. Trees are the one that makes her keep going, to be stronger, also they are the one she can trust.
Esperanza and the trees are so similar that she treats them as a best friend, that she can rely on and trees are the one that make her continue her life.

Leaning on Windows .

In the book, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros is written by the narrator Esperanza, not only that but the book is also written in the style of vignettes.There are many vignettes in the book, and in those vignettes, there are many themes and symbols that relate back to Esperanza and her family .  In the vignettes “My Name,” “No Speak English”, and  “Rafaela”, all have something similar in them. They relate to “windows” and women which both symbolize something important.

In the vignette, “My Name”, Esperanza explains how she got her name, and it was from her great grandma. Esperanza wrote: “She (her great grandma) looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow.” (10) This quote shows that, when her grandma is inside the house, looking out at the window, it is a symbol that her grandma is being locked and wants freedom. Esperanza’s great-grandmother really wants freedom, because she married to a guy she does not like and HAS to spent her whole life sitting sadly by her window.

In addition, the vignette, “No Speak English,” talks about Esperanza’s neighbor, Mamacita. Esperanza said, “She won’t come down. She sits all day by the window... I think she cries.” (77). Mamacita does not speak English, and she came from a Spanish speaking country, where she was dragged to come to America. Mamacita sits by the windows all day and look down at the street, just like Esperanza’s great grandma. Mamacita wants to go back to where she is from, because when she is here in America, she can not communicate with others. She wants freedom too, to be able to go back to where she was from. And not being controlled by her husband.

Moreover, in “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut and Papaya Juice on Tuesdays”, talked about, Esperanza’s neighbor Rafaela. In the text it says Rafaela is married to a man that does not want anyone to see his wife, because of her beauty so this is what Rafaela does : “ And then Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out the window so much, gets locked indoors... Rafaela wishes she could go there and dance before she gets old. “ (79) This demonstrates that Rafaela’s husband locked her in because she is too beautiful, he is scared to lose her. While Rafaela wants to be free and chase her dream, of being able to dance. Instead, all she can do is lean out the window and wishes to have freedom, and being able to dance, and leave her husband.
Clearly,  all of the women want is freedom. Esperanza’s great grandma wants to leave her husband that she does not love. Mamacita wants to go back to her country, and being able to come out and communicate with others. And while Rafaela wants freedom because she wants to chase her dreams, of being able to dance.