Althea Gumisad

Ms. Shaffer
English 1 GATE
20 September 2016

The House on Mango Street Essay

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is filled with figurative language and it
often masks the intentions of why each chapter could be possibly important at all. There are
many themes, symbols, motifs, and ideas to this written work that many have found, likely you
(the reader) did too. However, one central idea that is arguably the most important one that is
found in this book many a times is the idea that , attempting to be different or being someone
you are not is hard to accomplish. Or rather, self-definition. The idea of self-definition in this
novel comprised of vignettes is often noticeably conspicuous from all the figurative language in
usage. Self-definition is a major kind of theme that influences the main protagonists actions. For
instance, Esperanza, the main character, wants to have a different name that does not relate to her
origins, to be a woman that does not get affected by mens sexual advances, and to escape from
Mango Street, her community.
The main protagonist of the novel, Esperanza, states that I would like to baptize myself
under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or
Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do. (Ch. 4, Pg. 11) In this quote,
Esperanza wants to have a name change. A name that would define herself in her own terms,
instead of who she truly is. This quote highlights Esperanzas desire to be different from others in
her family. Shed rather have another name that, in her point of view, sounds more appealing in

her and have more quantity like Zeze the X. Although, wanting a new name, Esperanza still
keeps her name the same. Never once changing throughout the novel. Not even a nickname was
created, she stuck with her given name. This an example of self-definition because Esperanza
wanted to have a different name, to be able to be distinguished from others. Names were the first
step of Esperanzas knowledge of language and she was aware that names can transform how
one is viewed. That is the reason why a name change is of importance to her being and shows
that she wanted to change her self-definition.
Another excerpt from Esperanzas narrative in the story expresses, In the movies there is
always one with red red lips who is beautiful and cruel. She is the one who drives the men crazy
and laughs them all away. Her power is her own. She will not give it away. (Ch. 35, Pg. 89)
This shows that Esperanza wants to be like the women in the movies she has watched and be
similar to them. She thinks they are powerful for the way they handle men. This evidence reveals
that Esperanza wants to be the type who does not get hurt or affected by men when they make
advances to her. However, she stops as she gets sexually assaulted and finds she is not capable as
being fully sexually developed as those women in movies. Esperanzas plan to turn into a
beautiful and cruel woman did not work very well and stopped her efforts to become something
that was never her in the beginning. Instead, she focuses on what her passions truly laid, writing.
Also according to Alicias words to her friend, Esperanza, No Like it or not you are
Mango Street, and one day youll come back too. (Ch. 42, Pg. 107) This demonstrates that, even
if Esperanza tries to change herself and continuously deny Mango Street as a part of her
throughout the chronicle, she does in fact belong to it. Although, not truly. An examination of
this quote reveals that, try as Esperanza might to divert from her community, shell still be
nonetheless apart of it. Attempting to be different and give herself her own terms of self-

definition did not work out quite well. This conversation made Esperanza realize that trying to be
different from others in her community will not thoroughly work, when she was already a part of
Mango Street, for her origins and who she truly was.
Overall, the main protagonists thoughts on wanting to be different influenced many of
her decisions and actions. The whole ordeal with her trouble with defining herself under a new
name of her liking and to be perceived as so based on how the name is, going through
troublesome things with attempts at being fully sexaully developed female, and the fact she is
Mango Street through and through, but not quite. This shows that indeed this novel is
demonstrating the fact that striving for a new type of you may only cause difficulties to barrel
into your life and Sandra Cisneros proved that with the very compelling chronicle of Esperanzas
life.

Rubric rating submitted on: 9/30/2016, 10:52:14 AM by ashley.shaffer@salinasuhsd.org

2

Hook
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Thesis
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Comments:
M.U.G.: 8/10