The House On Mango Street Analysis

In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros the author, selected a unique structure and writing style for the text. The book is constructed from a variety of small stories also known as vignettes narrated by the main character Esperanza. This is definitely a different style from what we are accustomed to, yet it reminds me of poetry. It is easily readable and the simplicity of the text allows readers to focus on imagery. At the start of the novel, we meet a family living in the city of Chicago. Esperanza begins by sharing her aspirations to live in a “real house…our house would have running water and pipes that worked. And inside it would have real stairs…” (Page 4). She goes on to detail what would be a beautiful home, something that she isn’t familiar with. Esperanza then recalls a memory she has of one of her previous family homes she mentions a time where she was playing outside and one of the nuns from her school passed by her and questioned where she lived. “You live there?... the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa nailed on the windows so we wouldn’t fall out. You live there?” (Page 5). It is quite clear that this family is struggling financially. They are constantly moving from house to house in almost uninhabitable living spaces that even caused a nun to be lost for words and in
With this writing style are you better able to pick up on any of the imagery in the text?
2. Esperanza and her family move quite often, initially she is not satisfied living on Mango street do you think her opinion will change?
3. I mentioned my thoughts on the balloon and anchor earlier, why do you think Sandra Cisneros chose a balloon and the anchor to be the two objects in that line.
4. Esperanza calls people who come into her neighborhood scared, stupid, and lost because they aren’t familiar with the area, yet when her family is in another neighborhood she isn’t as judgmental. Why is that, is she clearly biased here or is there a greater meaning to