House on Mango Street Questions Essay

1. The apparent randomness shows the diversity of Mango Street. The random topics emulate the random cast of characters that live on the street and the different lives they lead. 2. The fact that Esperanza has problems with eating in public shows that she is very insecure and self-conscious of her body. She doesn’t want others to see her eat. This may be because she believes she is too skinny or too fat. 3. In many ways, it is a feminist text. Since the main character is female and much of the story is seen through her point of view, she addressed many female issues. These include the constant abuse many females faced from the men in charge of their lives. However, many of these issues are universal. Both sons and daughters have been victims to parental abuse and everyone dreams of escaping to paradise. 4. When Esperanza mentions her own war, she is referring to her inner struggle between becoming a grown woman who will patiently wait for a man or becoming a woman who is in ch arge of herself. 5. Boys are held to a higher standard than women are. They are bred to become proud, authoritative figures in society while the females are nurtured into becoming submissive partners. Since boys are considered superior, it is considered a weakness when they befriend and play with girls. These beliefs will cause the boys to grow up as dominative, controlling husbands that rule over their own lives and their wives’ lives. The women will end up being common submissive partners. The future relationship is one similar to one between masters and slaves. 6. Esperanza looks up to many women in the book. She looks up to Marin because she exudes knowledge of the world and shows off the sexuality that Esperanza is just discovering. She also looks up to Alicia because she isn’t only wishing to escape, but is actually working towards it by going to university. Esperanza looks up to Lois because she represents the freedom that Esperanza desperately craves. Esperanza wants to stay out until late and feel the love that she sees Lois experiencing. Finally, Esperanza looks up to Sally because Sally is there to comfort her and because she envies Sally’s beauty. She feels connected to Sally because they both dream of escaping. 7. The House on Mango Street is a book about culture because the problem that Esperanza faced is caused by the clash in culture. She longs for freedom because she is trapped in a slum due to her race. Cathy referred to this racism when she said that she was moving because people like Esperanza were moving in. Cisnero also uses various Spanish words throughout the book. 8. Esperanza has contrasting feelings towards her Hispanic heritage. On one hand, she feels that it confined by it because Spanish culture trains their women to be submissive. On the other hand, she feels that her name can only sound beautiful through a Spanish tongue. Esperanza feels that the Spanish heritage can show off her inner beauty. She also feels disconnected from the English culture that she has been thrust into. She is looked down upon and is tossed aside by the outside society. She longs to change that when she gets older. She wants to get out of Mango street but plans to come back to help those who could n ot get out. 9. Esperanza’s love of speech is shown when she describes her name. She says that her name is like a muddy colored number nine. All the characters live on Mango street and have their own troubles, but many of them share similar issues. Sally is beaten by her dad while Minerva is beaten by her husband. Earl keeps his wife behind locked doors just like Rafaela’s husband keeps her in the house at all times. 10. In â€Å"Beautiful and Cruel,† Esperanza thinks she’s seen as the ugly daughter. However, she sees herself as a strong woman who won’t allow any man to control her. Esperanza believes she has inner power that nobody else can see other than her. 11. Rafaela dreams of escaping the house she is confined to, and is able to escape for a moment on Tuesday when she gets various fruits from the nearby market. Minerva tried to escape her abusive husband by kicking him out, but she always lets him back in. Sally wishes to escape the abusive home she lives in but is unable to do so. Cathy’s family wanted to escape the many Chicanos moving into the neighborhood, and they achieved that to an extent when they moved farther down the street. Esperanza wants to leave too. She will have to work just as hard as everyone else, or even harder, to escape but she will. It’s hard to escape when one is poor. The less money they have the lesser opportunities become available. Poverty lessens the chances of escaping, but increases the drive to want to do so. 12. Esperanza dreams of a white house with trees, a big backyard, real stairs, three bathrooms, and a basement. Her actual house is small and red with a small backyard, tiny windows, a swollen door, one bathroom, and only one bedroom. Esperanza dreams big and craves success. She has a lot of ambition to leave but has just as much ambition to come back. She wants to give back to the community as well as escape it.