House On Mango Street Research Paper

Words: 1620
Pages: 7

House on Mango Street

Esperanza, a young Mexican girl growing up in a Latino neighborhood of Chicago, faces many difficulties and tough circumstances during her childhood. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros displays many negative interactions between the boys and girls on Mango Street. Ever since Esperanza is a very young girl she is exposed to these situations. Many of the women living in Esperanza’s neighborhood are oppressed by their husbands, fathers, and lovers and are expected to get married and depend on a man to provide for them. As she grows up we see her actively challenge falling into this common role and strive for independence instead. The interaction of males and females in Esperanza’s neighborhood, time period,
…show more content…
This situation was a huge turning point for her. She is at a carnival with her classmate Sally and is waiting by the tilt-a-wheel when an older, smelly man approaches her. After she is assaulted, she is angry at Sally for lying to her about what sex was like because Esperanza had a very negative experience with it. She is also upset at Sally for making her wait because that probably wouldn’t have happened if Sally was with her. She is also upset because the way she once thought of sex was completely different after she is assaulted. “You’re a liar. They all lied. All the books and magazines, everything that told it wrong.” (Cisneros 100). She is upset because she always thought of sex as some kind of great event because all of the magazines described it that way as did Sally. In reality she realizes that this was not the case for her and is very disappointed. That event helped her realize how hard it is to have the best of both worlds and that her independence and strength is more important than being like many of the other women in her life. In an unexpected way, the assault actually changed her life for the better because of this important