The House on Mango Street

Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street

As one of the most prominent writers in Chicano (i.e. Mexican American) literature, Sandra Cisneros’ The House on the Mango Street is the one book that puts her on the literary scene ever since its 1984 publication. From a girl named Esperanza, we are introduced to a world that does not belong; we are told, in a somewhat nostalgic tone, of her dreams and hopes in a place where things always fall short. The House, compiled from a series of short writings that resemble both poetry and prose in style, is a true to life observation of a young girl’s living and her coming-of-age experience, in a place she finds difficult to identify with.

“Shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down.”(The House, 91), so says Esperanza’s mother. Surely, much effort is spent as Esperanza struggles to outgrow the things that shame her. Her weird-sounding name, that disgraceful place she has to call home, and together with all the other worries, are the things that confuse her, the obstacles that refrain her from growing into a mature self. Her thinking, mostly innocent yet at moments deep and philosophical, reminds the readers of our own troubled youth, and we cannot help but take side with her.

And yet, The House does not merely focus itself on the little girl’s bildungsroman, it also grants the reader admissions to different aspects of life that surround the Mango Street. Esperanza’s matter-of-fact tone amplifies the seriousness of the social issues that are mentioned. These references not only reflect serious issues down in the lower society, but for Esperanza, these are the things she desperately wants to break away from. From domestic violence to social segregation; from repressed women to immigrant issues, Cisneros, using her fictional characters, puts focus on the actual problems that need to be addressed to.

The House is a novel that reveals a lot despite its rather short length, an honest confession of a little girl and those around her. Cisneros superbly constructs the voice of Esperanza, whose truthful revelations comes up real without any pretence. Readers will be more than glad to see the timid little girl from the beginning grows into a more mature selfhood. For even though in the end she finds a way to leave the Mango Street, she has the thought bear in mind to always come back, for those who are left behind, and this time she stays willingly, without any regret.