Themes
1. Identity
- Ethnic identity, gender, culture, female sexuality, economic status, language
2. Dream, hopes & plans (identity)
- Home
3. Society & class (social organisation)
4. Innocence (experience)
- Loss of innocence
5. Gender (social organisation)
- Roles of discrimination, equality
- Women are always under the control of men
6. Women and femininity/Feminine power
- Esperanza perceives beauty as a major source of feminine power and she admires and
envies beauty in her female friends or relatives
- She also notices beautiful women are often the ones who suffer the most as they are
oppressed by men
7. Foreignness (immigration - sharing the planet)
- Loneliness, isolation, sense of not belonging, immigrants, shame
8. Friendship
9. Family
Literary devices
- Diction (many words and images that express intense emotion)
- Syntax (long, stringy sentences also help convey intense emotion)
- Alliteration, rhyme
- Repetition
- Imagery
IB theme
1. Identities
- Lifestyle change, dream
2. Experiences
- Rites of passage, sexuality, owning a house, tradition, migration
3. Human ingenuity
- Writing, expressing herself
4. Social organisations
- Gender roles, neglect, Esperanza’s growth
5. Sharing the planet
- Gender inequality, immigrants, physical abuse
Summary
The House on Mango Street, written in 1983 by Sandra Cisneros, is a bildungsroman (coming-of-age
novel) of a young Chicana girl named Esperanza who is also the narrator of the novel. The novel
navigates Esperanza’s complexity of growing up as a Latino woman in Chicago as well as forming
her identity. We can see Esperanza matures significantly throughout the novel amidst the issue of
dual identity, economic status and gender.
1. Summary (This extract is from the ~ The main point of this extract is to present the readers
with main themes of the novel)
2. Theme and points
a. For my presentations, I will be exploring the theme of ~
b. My first point is ~
c. My second point is ~
3. Lastly, this extract can be connected to the IB theme ~ because ~
, Symbolism
House 1. American dream
- Two types of houses: House on Mango Street ↔ Esperanza & her family’s ideal house
- House on Mango Street symbolises Esperanza’s origin - a place where she grew up
- Ideal house - the house she is trying to pursue ⇒ symbol of lower-class Mexican American’s
dream
- Use of link verbs in vignette 1: “is”, “am”, “our” are used for a house on Mango Street ↔ “would
be”, “would have” are used for ideal house ⇒ emphasize the gap between the dream & reality
- Owning an ideal house to both Esperanza and Mexican Americans symbolises their hopes, in
other words, American dreams
- Dream for owning a decent house is a sign of integrating into the mainstream American society.
2. Indepdnce & freedom of Chicanas
- Some Chicanas are abused by the male - Sally
- Some are imprisoned in the house by the male - Esperanza’s great grandmother, Rafaela
- Some want to live under their own roof with their own space - Esperanza
- Sally’s experience show that only by depending on themselves, Chicanas can get their own
space and freedom
- A house of her own without any dependence on male symbolises independence and freedom for
Chicanas
3. Root of Esperanza
- Esperanza was once ashamed of the house on Mango Street and denied she belonged there.
However, she then realises that Mango Street symbolises her origin, that it is the place where
she grew up and what makes her who she is
- She finally accepts her identity of belonging to Mango Street, symbolising the house on Mango
Street is the root of her origin
- Esperanza’s accepting belong on Mango Street indicates she is accepting her root (Mexican
American)
- Two kinds of different houses shows her struggle of individual identity
Shoes 1. Charm and power of females
(high heels) - Esperanza and her friends choose the way of attracting males by adding their feminine charms
by wearing high heels
- Represents girls’ awakenings as sexual beings and transition from girlhood to womanhood
- By wearing the heels the girls realizes their sexuality can bring them danger
- High heels represent males’ standards and expectations for charming females
- But in “Chanclas” when Esperanza wears ugly shows and dances, she wins a boy’s attention
and warm applauses from the guests. This indicates that the true power of females does not
come from anything but themselves.
- It also illustrates the conflict Esperanza feels between the emergence of sexual attractiveness
and her desire for independence
Four skinny 1. Embodiment of Esperanza herself
trees - Four skinny trees are abandoned by the city, just like people on Mango Street
- Like Esperanza, they don’t belong here but have to survive here → trees are strong because of
their deep roots
- The four trees teach Esperanza to survive and stick to her own dream, meaning they are the
embodiment of all the Chicanas like Esperanza who tries to achieve her dream in a difficult
situation
- Survive and thrive in an urban setting
Names - Amongst different characters, Esperanza is one of the only characters who have one name.
, Nenny and Aunt Lupe have a real name or a nickname and some have two names, one in
English and one in Spanish like Meme Ortiz.
- Having multiple names emphasise the mix of cultures and languages in Esperanza’s
neighbourhood which shows the struggle her neighbourhood figuiring their identity
- Esperanza wanting to have a new name like Zeze the X depicts the power of language and how
she thinks changing her name will allow her to fit in
Windows - There are numerous Women on Mango Street who are trapped by their husbands or fathers
such as Sally, Mamacita, Rafaela
- Sitting by the window and looking down the street signifies being trapped in an oppressive
household
- Marriage leads to loss of freedom & independence
- Esperanza is determined not to become a woman sitting by a window but rather be independent
Characters
Esperanza - The novel shows rites of passage of Esperanza from adolescence to youth
- She wishes to be independent right from the young age
- Not only Esperanza, but others try to assimilate into American culture but find it physically,
financially difficult
- In spite of being young, Esperanza displays a peculiar sensitivity of her state and surroundings
and tries to read the world around her
- Her shame arises from the sense of being poor (their economically impoverished life), being
Chicano, or being female
- Influenced by Aunt Lupe and Alicia and is inspired to understand that identity is not just for the
self but also for others
- She experiences a loss of innocence as well but she emerges more matured out of it all
Aunt Lupe - She educates Esperanza about the importance of writing and tells her that writing will pave way
for freedom
- She encourages Esperanza to gain freedom by continuing writing
- Virgin of Guadalupe: She suffered from miseris and inequality in the world and she always take
sides who are weak, poor and oppressed.
Alicia - Shows how she can balance family and her university studies and she is the one who tells
Esperanza she is Mango Street
Sally - Sally’s life is determined by what she is not allowed to do
- Her life represents the cycle of domestic violence
1. Identity
- Ethnic identity, gender, culture, female sexuality, economic status, language
2. Dream, hopes & plans (identity)
- Home
3. Society & class (social organisation)
4. Innocence (experience)
- Loss of innocence
5. Gender (social organisation)
- Roles of discrimination, equality
- Women are always under the control of men
6. Women and femininity/Feminine power
- Esperanza perceives beauty as a major source of feminine power and she admires and
envies beauty in her female friends or relatives
- She also notices beautiful women are often the ones who suffer the most as they are
oppressed by men
7. Foreignness (immigration - sharing the planet)
- Loneliness, isolation, sense of not belonging, immigrants, shame
8. Friendship
9. Family
Literary devices
- Diction (many words and images that express intense emotion)
- Syntax (long, stringy sentences also help convey intense emotion)
- Alliteration, rhyme
- Repetition
- Imagery
IB theme
1. Identities
- Lifestyle change, dream
2. Experiences
- Rites of passage, sexuality, owning a house, tradition, migration
3. Human ingenuity
- Writing, expressing herself
4. Social organisations
- Gender roles, neglect, Esperanza’s growth
5. Sharing the planet
- Gender inequality, immigrants, physical abuse
Summary
The House on Mango Street, written in 1983 by Sandra Cisneros, is a bildungsroman (coming-of-age
novel) of a young Chicana girl named Esperanza who is also the narrator of the novel. The novel
navigates Esperanza’s complexity of growing up as a Latino woman in Chicago as well as forming
her identity. We can see Esperanza matures significantly throughout the novel amidst the issue of
dual identity, economic status and gender.
1. Summary (This extract is from the ~ The main point of this extract is to present the readers
with main themes of the novel)
2. Theme and points
a. For my presentations, I will be exploring the theme of ~
b. My first point is ~
c. My second point is ~
3. Lastly, this extract can be connected to the IB theme ~ because ~
, Symbolism
House 1. American dream
- Two types of houses: House on Mango Street ↔ Esperanza & her family’s ideal house
- House on Mango Street symbolises Esperanza’s origin - a place where she grew up
- Ideal house - the house she is trying to pursue ⇒ symbol of lower-class Mexican American’s
dream
- Use of link verbs in vignette 1: “is”, “am”, “our” are used for a house on Mango Street ↔ “would
be”, “would have” are used for ideal house ⇒ emphasize the gap between the dream & reality
- Owning an ideal house to both Esperanza and Mexican Americans symbolises their hopes, in
other words, American dreams
- Dream for owning a decent house is a sign of integrating into the mainstream American society.
2. Indepdnce & freedom of Chicanas
- Some Chicanas are abused by the male - Sally
- Some are imprisoned in the house by the male - Esperanza’s great grandmother, Rafaela
- Some want to live under their own roof with their own space - Esperanza
- Sally’s experience show that only by depending on themselves, Chicanas can get their own
space and freedom
- A house of her own without any dependence on male symbolises independence and freedom for
Chicanas
3. Root of Esperanza
- Esperanza was once ashamed of the house on Mango Street and denied she belonged there.
However, she then realises that Mango Street symbolises her origin, that it is the place where
she grew up and what makes her who she is
- She finally accepts her identity of belonging to Mango Street, symbolising the house on Mango
Street is the root of her origin
- Esperanza’s accepting belong on Mango Street indicates she is accepting her root (Mexican
American)
- Two kinds of different houses shows her struggle of individual identity
Shoes 1. Charm and power of females
(high heels) - Esperanza and her friends choose the way of attracting males by adding their feminine charms
by wearing high heels
- Represents girls’ awakenings as sexual beings and transition from girlhood to womanhood
- By wearing the heels the girls realizes their sexuality can bring them danger
- High heels represent males’ standards and expectations for charming females
- But in “Chanclas” when Esperanza wears ugly shows and dances, she wins a boy’s attention
and warm applauses from the guests. This indicates that the true power of females does not
come from anything but themselves.
- It also illustrates the conflict Esperanza feels between the emergence of sexual attractiveness
and her desire for independence
Four skinny 1. Embodiment of Esperanza herself
trees - Four skinny trees are abandoned by the city, just like people on Mango Street
- Like Esperanza, they don’t belong here but have to survive here → trees are strong because of
their deep roots
- The four trees teach Esperanza to survive and stick to her own dream, meaning they are the
embodiment of all the Chicanas like Esperanza who tries to achieve her dream in a difficult
situation
- Survive and thrive in an urban setting
Names - Amongst different characters, Esperanza is one of the only characters who have one name.
, Nenny and Aunt Lupe have a real name or a nickname and some have two names, one in
English and one in Spanish like Meme Ortiz.
- Having multiple names emphasise the mix of cultures and languages in Esperanza’s
neighbourhood which shows the struggle her neighbourhood figuiring their identity
- Esperanza wanting to have a new name like Zeze the X depicts the power of language and how
she thinks changing her name will allow her to fit in
Windows - There are numerous Women on Mango Street who are trapped by their husbands or fathers
such as Sally, Mamacita, Rafaela
- Sitting by the window and looking down the street signifies being trapped in an oppressive
household
- Marriage leads to loss of freedom & independence
- Esperanza is determined not to become a woman sitting by a window but rather be independent
Characters
Esperanza - The novel shows rites of passage of Esperanza from adolescence to youth
- She wishes to be independent right from the young age
- Not only Esperanza, but others try to assimilate into American culture but find it physically,
financially difficult
- In spite of being young, Esperanza displays a peculiar sensitivity of her state and surroundings
and tries to read the world around her
- Her shame arises from the sense of being poor (their economically impoverished life), being
Chicano, or being female
- Influenced by Aunt Lupe and Alicia and is inspired to understand that identity is not just for the
self but also for others
- She experiences a loss of innocence as well but she emerges more matured out of it all
Aunt Lupe - She educates Esperanza about the importance of writing and tells her that writing will pave way
for freedom
- She encourages Esperanza to gain freedom by continuing writing
- Virgin of Guadalupe: She suffered from miseris and inequality in the world and she always take
sides who are weak, poor and oppressed.
Alicia - Shows how she can balance family and her university studies and she is the one who tells
Esperanza she is Mango Street
Sally - Sally’s life is determined by what she is not allowed to do
- Her life represents the cycle of domestic violence
