House on Mango Street
In all aspects of life, women are pressured to be someone they are not. They are put in situations that force them to chose a path of life. In “The House on Mango Street”, Esperanza is forced to think about leaving Mango Street in the future, because she is surrounded by women who are pushing her to become an adult.
The first example is Cathy, who knows all the dangers of Mango Street. “She lives upstairs, over there, next door to Joe the baby – grabber. Keep away from him, she says. He is full of danger.” (Cisneros 12). Cathy tells her what to avoid on Mango Street, and about the people on it. And when she moves away, it lets Esperanza know now how bad the neighborhood is getting. There is also Marin, who is a role model for Esperanza because she wants to leave Mango Street just like Esperanza wants to. Marin teaches Esperanza a lot about life. “She is older and knows a lot of things. She is the one who told us how Davey the Baby’s sister got pregnant and what cream is best for taking off moustache hair and if you count the white flecks on your fingertips you can know how many boys are thinking of you and lots of other things I can’t remember now.” (Cisneros 27). Also, Marin is older, so when boys talk to her, she is not afraid, which is something Esperanza desires for. Marin is waiting for someone or something to change her life, which in a sense is what Esperanza wants. Esperanza wonders why Ruthie keeps coming back to Mango Street. “Only thing I can’t understand is why Ruthie is living on Mango Street if she doesn’t have to, why is she sleeping on a couch in her mother’s living room when she has a real house of her own.” (Cisneros 69). If Esperanza expressed feelings like this, we can tell that if Esperanza had the chance to leave Mango Street, she would take it. There is also Alicia, who is forced to become an adult at a young age, just like Esperanza is being expected to. This makes Esperanza realize that she does not want that life, and is
The first example is Cathy, who knows all the dangers of Mango Street. “She lives upstairs, over there, next door to Joe the baby – grabber. Keep away from him, she says. He is full of danger.” (Cisneros 12). Cathy tells her what to avoid on Mango Street, and about the people on it. And when she moves away, it lets Esperanza know now how bad the neighborhood is getting. There is also Marin, who is a role model for Esperanza because she wants to leave Mango Street just like Esperanza wants to. Marin teaches Esperanza a lot about life. “She is older and knows a lot of things. She is the one who told us how Davey the Baby’s sister got pregnant and what cream is best for taking off moustache hair and if you count the white flecks on your fingertips you can know how many boys are thinking of you and lots of other things I can’t remember now.” (Cisneros 27). Also, Marin is older, so when boys talk to her, she is not afraid, which is something Esperanza desires for. Marin is waiting for someone or something to change her life, which in a sense is what Esperanza wants. Esperanza wonders why Ruthie keeps coming back to Mango Street. “Only thing I can’t understand is why Ruthie is living on Mango Street if she doesn’t have to, why is she sleeping on a couch in her mother’s living room when she has a real house of her own.” (Cisneros 69). If Esperanza expressed feelings like this, we can tell that if Esperanza had the chance to leave Mango Street, she would take it. There is also Alicia, who is forced to become an adult at a young age, just like Esperanza is being expected to. This makes Esperanza realize that she does not want that life, and is