The House On Mango Street Gender Roles Essay

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The quote “The boys and the girls live in separate worlds” (Cisneros 8) shows that gender plays a big role in society. For example, Carlos and Kiki talk to Esperanza and Nenny at home, but not on the streets; They can talk in private but not in public. This shows that boys and girls aren’t supposed to talk and be friends with one another. In Esperanza’s world, she believes that boys and girls are not equal, and this was shown even at a young age. Men and women live by two separate sets of rules, and this allows men to have more freedom, independence, and even power than women. In Esperanza’s world, women are forced to watch their lives go by while doing what is expected of them. They are naturally more susceptible to abuse and oppression just because they are female. They can’t live their own dreams and lives, and Rafaela and Sally were examples of that. They were confined in their own homes. …show more content…
Nowadays, people have more freedom; They are not required or forced to conform to gender specific roles. Women can chase their dreams and have their own aspirations like men can. However, this is just the surface. Men and women are still stereotyped with things such as personality traits, behavior, and physical characteristics. For example, I am judged by the way I dress because it is “not feminine”, and I can’t sit how I want because it is inappropriate for my gender: I am not feminine enough. In the end, gender is just how others think your appearance and behavior in society should be, based on people’s beliefs that have been compiled and used for
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