My Submission - the House on Mango Street

Introduction

        The book I am reporting on is called The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.  This book takes place in the 1980’s in a poor town.  It is told from the perspective of a poor dark skinned girl named Esperanza.

Body

        The title relates to the story by explaining that Esperanza lives in the red house on Mango Street.  Her, her sister Nenny and their group of friends in general are three main characters.  Esperanza is just trying to find her way around in life.  She knows she has so much to learn.  Nenny is viewed as a follower behind her big sister Esperanza.  It is sometimes portrayed as her being clueless.  Her friends seem a lot more knowledgeable about life and are teaching Esperanza and Nenny how to live it.  External conflict was present, some not by any significant characters.  A friend of Ezperanza’s, Sally, decided to go to a carnival of some sort with Esperanza.  Sally lied to Esperanza and told her she would meet her by the Red Clowns next to the Tilt-a-Whirl on page 99.  She never showed up and apparently that led to Esperanza getting harassed by boys at the Carnival.  Esperanza’s internal conflict was when her mom and dad would keep talking about a house that was pretty with pipes that worked and windows with nice soft curtains.  Having in her head and her never actually getting it in the story kept breaking her down.  The four skinny trees on page 74 act as symbols to the way Esperanza feels about her looks and the situation she is in.  Skinny and scrawny branches like her elbows and neck.  The way the roots continue to persevere and push the concrete that holds them back, Esperanza relates to that of her trying to persevere through the obstacles of her trashy neighborhood.