American Society in The House on Mango Street

Throughout the history of the United States of America, people of all walks of life are expected to live by certain codes or standards. These standards can vary from social, economic, cultural, or a combination of these many factors. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros explores these such standards through the eyes of Esperanza, a 12-year-old Mexican girl living in the city of Chicago. Esperanza and her family have moved multiple times throughout her life.

We didn’t always live on Mango Street.

Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I can’t remember. But what I remember most is moving a lot. Each time it seemed there’d be one more of us. By the time we got to Mango Street we were six – Mama, Papa, Kiki, my sister Nenny and me. (Cisneros 3)

The apartments that they had previously lived in were not always in the best condition.

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“The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn’t fix them” (Cisneros 4) and also having to use “the washroom next door and carrying water over in empty milk gallons (Cisneros 4). I, myself, along with my family, immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life and to pursue the American dream. One of those dreams was to always own a place of our own. “They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn’t have to move each year.

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” (Cisneros 4)

American societal guidelines cause us to view as owning a house as having made it, as being successful. Esperanza’s parents always described what their dream house would be. “This was the house Papa talked about when he held up a lottery ticket” (Cisneros 4), though it was not the house on Mango Street. “It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in.” (Cisneros 4). She knew from her days living on Loomis that “I had to have a house. A real house.” (Cisneros 4).

When Cisneros returns to her father’s house after graduating from college, she brings up the fact that she wanted to move back out on her own “like she did when she was away at school.” (Cisneros xii) She states that writers need a quiet place to work, “privacy and long stretches of solitude” (Cisneros xiii), which could not happen while living back home. Here, Mexican cultural norms are being tested.

When she thinks to herself in her father’s language, she knows sons and daughters don’t leave their parents’ house until they marry. When thinks in English, she knows she should’ve been on her own since eighteen. (Cisneros xiii)

While “her father can’t understand why” (Cisneros xiii), Cisneros’s sudden freedom during college is an awakening moment for her. “Why did I work so hard to buy a house with a furnace so she could go backwards and live like this?” (Cisneros xiii)

Throughout the storyline, you can feel Esperanza internally struggle with her Mexican heritage while being raised in Chicago. She seems to constantly compare things between “in English” (Cisneros 10) and “in Spanish” (Cisneros 10) in regards to her name and the meaning of it. She is named after her grandmother but does not want to “inherit her place by the window.” (Cisneros 11). Here you can sense that Esperanza has bigger goals than that the typical societal rules that are set out for her. Not so much as removing her Mexican cultural identity, but being able to break away from her cultural norms.

There are many influencers that surround Esperanza throughout her time on Mango Street. Along with her sister Nenny, they befriend Rachel and Lucy who are sisters that live across the street. They have moved to Chicago from Texas. Upon meeting one another, “My name is Lucy, the big one says. This here is Rachel my sister. I’m her sister, says Rachel. Who are you?” (Cisneros 15) When introducing herself to new people, Esperanza still struggles with her identity. “And I wish my name was Cassandra or Alexis or Maritza – anything but Esperanza.” (Cisneros 15) To what may feel like a surprise to her, “they don’t laugh” (Cisneros 15) when she tells them their name.

As the story progresses, Esperanza is exposed to various personalities, which in turn becomes new information for her. Marin, who is from Puerto Rico, is currently living with her aunt. Esperanza becomes friends with her. Marin explains to Esperanza that

She’s going to get a real job downtown because that’s where the best jobs are, since you always get to look beautiful and get to wear nice clothes and can meet someone in the subway who might marry you and take you to live in a big house far away. (Cisneros 26)

Alicia is another girl who lives on Mango Street. Her mom died and has assumed her mother’s duties. She “is sorry there is no one older to rise and make the lunchbox tortillas.” (Cisneros 31). She is currently enrolled at the university and takes “two trains and a bus, because she doesn’t want to spend her whole life in a factory or behind a rolling pin.” Cisneros 31-32).

As Esperanza becomes more and more knowledgeable about the world that surrounds her, her mom gives her some insight on what could have been for her. “I could’ve been somebody, you know?” (Cisneros 90) Esperanza goes on to explain how her mom “can speak two languages. She can sing an opera. She knows how to fix a T.V.” (Cisneros 90) However, her mother is not able to take the train downtown because she does not know which train to take. She repeats the same phrase, “I could have been somebody, you know? Esperanza you go to school. Study hard…Got to take care all your own.” (Cisneros 91) Through this conversation, Esperanza’s mom is giving her some motherly advice while also revealing what seems to be her biggest regret in life.

Shame is a bad thing you know. It keeps you down. You want to know why I quit school? Because I didn’t have nice clothes. No clothes, but I had brains. Yup, she says disgusted, stirring again. I was a smart cookie then. (Cisneros 91).

The House on Mango Street takes us on Esperanza’s journey to find herself. From her experiences on the streets with her friends and people who she thought were friends, you see her internal struggle to find her identity while being a Mexican American girl growing up in Chicago. She has created her own path regardless of what the social norms were. She followed her mother’s advice of studying and going to school. “Good lucky you studied.” (Cisneros xxvii) Finally, with “a house all her own” (Cisneros 108) she is able to create a space for herself on her terms. “Not a flat. Not an apartment in back. Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s.” (Cisneros 108). But even with that she will always have a part of Mango Street with her.

When you leave you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t erase what you know. You can’t forget who you are. (Cisneros 105).

Works Cited

  • Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York. Vintage Books. 1984.
Updated: Nov 15, 2022
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American Society in The House on Mango Street. (2021, Dec 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/american-society-in-the-house-on-mango-street-essay

American Society in The House on Mango Street essay
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