Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Arte Publico Press, 1984. ISBN 0679734775
Plot
The life of Esperanza, the protagonist is told in a series of vignettes. She is Mexican -American. It begins with her moving into a house that now her family owns on Mango Street. It is in Latino neighborhood, with its own issues of institutional neglect and segregation. As time goes on, she begins to enter puberty, and is shown not only in the way her body is changing but also her crushes. She experiences an assault, and writing is a refuge for her. There are stories of many of the people that live in her block, that show all the different choices people have made and Esperanza reflects on what she would like for herself. Esperanza has a close friendship with Sally, who is sexually active and engages in sexual activity as a form of escape. Many of the older women in the neighborhood are the complete opposite and in Esperanza's eyes, they are stuck. After Esperanza is assaulted after Sally leaves her alone with a group of boys, she is determined to want to escape Mango Street, the destiny she feels that many of the older women chose/ or were chosen for them and the trauma experienced there as a young girl coming of age dealing with sexual assault. She stays and is helping the women in the neighborhood, and her desire to leave intensifies and she is aware how her passions will be what gets her to where she wants to be.
Critical Evaluation
The author writes these stories that are meant to be tied to a larger story, even when other characters are the main focus in a vignette. The vignettes are connected and offer depth of feeling with either Esperanza as the focus or that of her neighbors. Sexuality, autonomy, self-definition, determining own future, and acceptance of cultural heritage and critique of the abusive elements (such as sexual assault) are held in this book of vignettes tied together by all the different characters. At times the vignettes may appear disjointed and Esperanza, a sense of projection of what others may be experiencing. Ultimately, we discover what Esperanza wants for herself, as she uses the stories of others to get clear on what is for her.
Reader's Annotation
A book about a young woman finding her place in a large family, a community where she doesn't see her future reflected and finds her way despite the challenges she faces.
Author Information
She's worked as a teacher and counselor to high-school dropouts, as an artist-in-the-schools where she taught creative writing at every level except first grade and pre-school, a college recruiter, an arts administrator, and as a visiting writer at a number of universities including the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Her books include a chapbook of poetry, Bad Boys (Mango Press, 1980); two full-length poetry books, My Wicked Wicked Ways (Third Woman Press, 1987; Random House, 1992) and Loose Woman (Alfred A. Knopf, 1994); a collection of stories, Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories (Random House, 1991); a children's book, Hairs/Pelitos (Alfred A. Knopf, 1994); the novels The House on Mango Street (Vintage, 1991) and Caramelo (Knopf, 2002), and the picture book Have You Seen Marie? (Knopf 2012). A House of My Own: Stories from My Life (Alfred A. Knopf, 2015) is a collection of personal essays, and Puro Amor (Sarabande 2018) is a bilingual story that she also illustrated. Forthcoming works include the Spanish and English story Martita, I Remember You/Martita te recuerdo (Vintage 2021) and a poetry collection, Mujer Sin Vergüenza (2022).
Source: https://www.sandracisneros.com/mylifeandwork
Genre
Short Stories - Classics
Booktalking Ideas
When Esperanza says, one day I will own my own house but won't forget who she is and where she comes from.
Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 9 - 12
Challenge Issues
Been considered unsuitable for a certain age group due to the sexual assault and the sexual awakening of Esperanza and Sally's sexual maturity. The Library Bill of Rights and Los Angeles County Collections Policy.
Why I Chose This Book
The book is based in a working class neighborhood and style of writing is accessible, via its vignettes.
New York Times Interview: Sandra Cisneros
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