House On Mango Street Theme

“The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros is series of vignettes put together to create one remarkable novel. The story unfolds from the perspective of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in inner-city Chicago. The plot is loosely based on the author’s childhood. The setting of the novel, Mango Street, is important to the work’s themes of social classes, self-identity, and gender roles. Social class is very important to the narrator. Esperanza is ashamed of where she lives and understands the stereotype surrounding her street. “Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood scared (Cisneros 28).” But when Esperanza goes into other neighborhoods, she is scared too. She wants someone to be the change for her