Cisneros-`The House on Mango Street

The Symbolism of the House on Mango Street

Sandy Cisnero appropriately entitles her collection of stories as The House on Mango Street reflecting the importance of the house in developing and embodying some of the most important themes of the stories . Cisnero uses the house to show the progression of Esperanza 's character throughout the stories . Esperanza and her family have lived in other houses before but the one that she writes about , the one she remembers the most , is the one on Mango Street . This means that it is in this

house that she has had some of the most important experiences and realizations about her life

In the first short story , The House on Mango Street , Esperanza clearly expresses her feelings for the house . This house with its small space single bathroom and single bedroom is not her ideal or dream house . Her parents assure the family that the house is not permanent but Esperanza does not believe these assertions . It is here that Esperanza expresses her longing to have her own house , her longing to live in a spacious house that she would be proud to point out as hers

Living in a house like the one on Mango Street is a stark reminder for Esperanza of the poverty she lives in . It is also a constant reminder of the house she wishes for her family but which she can not have . The points presented in this first short story are very important . The feelings expressed here...