House On Mango Street Essay
In the book, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza the main character faces a lot of conflicts throughout the book. However, I think the one that caused the greatest change in her was the external conflict of what society and men expect of her and other woman. She found out that love was nothing like she thought it would be, and that woman are thought of as objects and not people.
In the first part of the book Esperanza was confused about what love was. As the book went on she had a dream that she was in love and it was just like the movies. For example, “I know. Is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life.” (27)In the evening they sit outside of Marin's house and talk about the future. Esperanza thinks that Marin who lives by her house is waiting for a guy to come sweep her off her feet and make everything better. But, Esperanza realizes that dreams are different from reality when, Marin actually has to work to save money to get herself back to her boyfriend in Puerto Rico, because he doesn’t have a job. Marin in her heart still believes that he will show up in a car a take her away.
Esperanza made it …show more content…
clear that in the chapter “My Name” that she doesn’t want to end up like her great grandma, that spent her life looking out of a window. Esperanza said, “I have inherited her name but, I don't want to inherit her place by the window.” (11) What I think Cisneros meant by this was that she doesn’t want to do what is expected by woman, to get married and spend their life doing things they don’t want to do. A lot in this book I saw girls that were forced to stay inside by their husband and never let out to see the world. Esperanza reacts to this by going and talking to them or being nice and buying them stuff. In the chapter, “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays” Rafaela’s husband keeps her inside, because he is afraid that she will run away because she is too beautiful. These are just two examples of women in Esperanza's life that have no control of their own lives and Esperanza doesn’t want to be one of them.
Esperanza is so innocent that she has no idea that she has no idea really about sexism and about what is happening to her.
In the chapter “The First Job” Esperanza experiences sexual harassment at her first job, “I thought I would because he was so old and just as I was about to put my lips on his cheek, he grabs my face with both hands and doesn’t let go.”(55) Esperanza was being sweet and nice when she gave him a kiss but the man took over her. Him and other men think they can use woman as objects to get them to do what they want. One of the biggest parts would have to be when Esperanza got raped.It made her see what men think of her and other woman. Esperanza realizes that women have little value in the society she lives in, that men view them as objects for their pleasure or to make their lives
easier.
Next to all the other conflicts that go on in this book, sexism greatly impacts Esperanza. For most of the other conflicts Esperanza just sees it happen or imagines it, but this conflict actually happens to her. From the start to the end Esperanza sees a lot of sexism and starts to realize what is happening around her. She has men ask to kiss her, she sees woman being kept inside by men, and also gets kept inside by men herself, and gets raped in the end.The circumstances that Esperanza experiences being raped and treated like an object, greatly impact her. In the beginning of the book she was innocent and had big dreams but towards the end she becomes more cynical and hard. Yet still she dreams of a house of her own where she can be her own person.
In the first part of the book Esperanza was confused about what love was. As the book went on she had a dream that she was in love and it was just like the movies. For example, “I know. Is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life.” (27)In the evening they sit outside of Marin's house and talk about the future. Esperanza thinks that Marin who lives by her house is waiting for a guy to come sweep her off her feet and make everything better. But, Esperanza realizes that dreams are different from reality when, Marin actually has to work to save money to get herself back to her boyfriend in Puerto Rico, because he doesn’t have a job. Marin in her heart still believes that he will show up in a car a take her away.
Esperanza made it …show more content…
clear that in the chapter “My Name” that she doesn’t want to end up like her great grandma, that spent her life looking out of a window. Esperanza said, “I have inherited her name but, I don't want to inherit her place by the window.” (11) What I think Cisneros meant by this was that she doesn’t want to do what is expected by woman, to get married and spend their life doing things they don’t want to do. A lot in this book I saw girls that were forced to stay inside by their husband and never let out to see the world. Esperanza reacts to this by going and talking to them or being nice and buying them stuff. In the chapter, “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays” Rafaela’s husband keeps her inside, because he is afraid that she will run away because she is too beautiful. These are just two examples of women in Esperanza's life that have no control of their own lives and Esperanza doesn’t want to be one of them.
Esperanza is so innocent that she has no idea that she has no idea really about sexism and about what is happening to her.
In the chapter “The First Job” Esperanza experiences sexual harassment at her first job, “I thought I would because he was so old and just as I was about to put my lips on his cheek, he grabs my face with both hands and doesn’t let go.”(55) Esperanza was being sweet and nice when she gave him a kiss but the man took over her. Him and other men think they can use woman as objects to get them to do what they want. One of the biggest parts would have to be when Esperanza got raped.It made her see what men think of her and other woman. Esperanza realizes that women have little value in the society she lives in, that men view them as objects for their pleasure or to make their lives
easier.
Next to all the other conflicts that go on in this book, sexism greatly impacts Esperanza. For most of the other conflicts Esperanza just sees it happen or imagines it, but this conflict actually happens to her. From the start to the end Esperanza sees a lot of sexism and starts to realize what is happening around her. She has men ask to kiss her, she sees woman being kept inside by men, and also gets kept inside by men herself, and gets raped in the end.The circumstances that Esperanza experiences being raped and treated like an object, greatly impact her. In the beginning of the book she was innocent and had big dreams but towards the end she becomes more cynical and hard. Yet still she dreams of a house of her own where she can be her own person.