Analysis: The House on Mango Street

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15 May 2008

Damsels in Distress in The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street is more than just a typical story of a budding teenager . The character of Esperanza reveals the struggles of a typical teenager and the austere suffering in society at the same time . In her characterization , Cisneros did not only portray the difficulties encountered by a blooming lady but also the poor situation of Latinas in poverty-stricken neighborhood . In her portrayal of women in Mango Street , the

author shows how the Latina women suffer from poverty isolation , and physical abuse

In the novel , Esperanza meets some women characters who each represent her own struggles , and the social condition of Latina women . In particular , Mamacita represents those who come to America without adequate skills in using the English language . As such , they are stuck in the house , for they cannot communicate well with the neighborhood Just like Mamacita , Esperanza struggles with the same difficulty of learning a new language , but unlike Mamacita , the girl is in a better situation as she has youth and the ability to learn fast

Rafaela is another character who mirrors the typical damsel in distress . Because of her jealous husband , Rafaela is a recluse at home and left to the mercy of the girls whom she asks to buy her some fruit drinks . Although Esperanza does not suffer from the same consequence such situation affects her personally . Seeing Rafaela 's situation , the eagerness to escape from Mango Street becomes more intense each day

Another character that adds to the worse picture is Minerva . Minerva represents abandoned young wives with children . This situation leaves someone uneducated and unemployed because of one 's responsibility to take care of the children . Although her situation is typical , Minerva has a talent in writing poems to express herself . However , as her situation with her husband becomes worse , her life is threatened each day . In to escape from this hopeless situation , people like Minerva should receive help from those who can . But in the novel no one was there to help her , not even Esperanza whom she sought for help

This gives us a clear picture of the government 's callousness to women like Minerva . Although there are programs now to assist young moms by providing them part time work , the assistance from the government is still not enough . Some programs actually provide opportunities but they are not enough to support the mom and the poor children

Among the girls , Sally is pictured as one with fighting spirit . However just like the others , Sally is misled by the scum in her society . Abused by her own father , Sally tries to find escape from her reality by finding attention from guys her age . Her tragedy ends only when a man takes her away from the Mango Street and from her father , but she faces another chapter of misery for her husband also beats her at times

The situation of Sally...