The House on Mango Street: More Than Just a Story Essay Example
The House on Mango Street: More than Just a Story
Essay #2
In The House on Mango Street, the author Sandra Cisneros addresses the countless social problems facing the seldom seen lower class. Throughout the story Cisneros does a thorough job explaining and showing how these issues affect the public. This novel is written through the eyes of a young girl, Esperanza, growing up in a poor neighborhood where the lifestyles of the lower class are revealed. Cisneros points out that, in the Latino society, the expectations of women and their treatment, based on ethnicity is a major problem that she feels is wrong.
Sandra Cisneros often shows us how women are treated as subordinates in a patriarchal society. In the way women are expected to better themselves by marrying, and often marry at a young age which Cisneros condemns in The House on Mango Street by stating that her friend, Sally, made a mistake by getting married so young:
“Sally got married like we knew she would, young and not ready but married just the same… she married him in another state where it's legal to get married before eighth grade…. She says she is in love, but I think she did it to escape.” (101)
This excerpt shows how Cisneros believes that she should not have gotten married at such a young age when she says that Sally is "young and not ready". The author also reinforces how women too often get married "to escape". Esperanza tells us that after the women get married they are supposed to stay at home and raise their children, which they often do alone. Besides women's roles, the way they are treated is also an issue that is addressed in this novel. Esperanza tells us many stories where it is evident that women are treated as possessions and often have little or no say in the affairs of the family. Too often it seems that in Esperanza's experiences women are beaten by their husbands' or fathers'. One such example of abuse is when Sally explains to Esperanza why she often has so
Essay #2
In The House on Mango Street, the author Sandra Cisneros addresses the countless social problems facing the seldom seen lower class. Throughout the story Cisneros does a thorough job explaining and showing how these issues affect the public. This novel is written through the eyes of a young girl, Esperanza, growing up in a poor neighborhood where the lifestyles of the lower class are revealed. Cisneros points out that, in the Latino society, the expectations of women and their treatment, based on ethnicity is a major problem that she feels is wrong.
Sandra Cisneros often shows us how women are treated as subordinates in a patriarchal society. In the way women are expected to better themselves by marrying, and often marry at a young age which Cisneros condemns in The House on Mango Street by stating that her friend, Sally, made a mistake by getting married so young:
“Sally got married like we knew she would, young and not ready but married just the same… she married him in another state where it's legal to get married before eighth grade…. She says she is in love, but I think she did it to escape.” (101)
This excerpt shows how Cisneros believes that she should not have gotten married at such a young age when she says that Sally is "young and not ready". The author also reinforces how women too often get married "to escape". Esperanza tells us that after the women get married they are supposed to stay at home and raise their children, which they often do alone. Besides women's roles, the way they are treated is also an issue that is addressed in this novel. Esperanza tells us many stories where it is evident that women are treated as possessions and often have little or no say in the affairs of the family. Too often it seems that in Esperanza's experiences women are beaten by their husbands' or fathers'. One such example of abuse is when Sally explains to Esperanza why she often has so