The House on Mango Street 1

I am not completely enjoying this book, so thank god it is short. Although I appreciate the language, I do not enjoy how petty everything Esperanza talks about seems. I like how the author wrote the book in vignettes because it also makes the book pass by faster since each chapter is so short. In addition, this type of language creates a childish exterior despite the hidden themes in the story, which are actually much more mature. The book is also childish in the sense that Esperanza, who is the narrator in the story is young and naive. For instance, she is still at a stage in her life where boys and girls are not meant to talk to each other. This could be interpreted literally, but I also believe that the chapter "Boys and Girls" describes how women in general were not viewed as good enough to be a part of the men's sphere. Also, Esperanza does not even recognize Angel's tragedy (she commits suicide), but instead describes her jumping off a building as her learning to fly. In a sense, this makes Esperanza blind to tragedy as she does not completely recognize it or understand it. Six of the major themes that are present so far are feminism, racism, ambition, segregation, stereotypes and labels, and diversity. This book discusses stereotypes by explaining the way those who live in Esperanza's neighborhood are viewed. In speaking, Esperanza also mentions her discontent with the stereotype that she is placed in. Another theme, diversity is ever- present in the story, as each of the people Esperanza describes are different. In addition, Esperanza designates certain chapters such as "Hair" and "Laughter" to comparing and highlighting the differences between the differences in different people's traits. Segregation is also prominent, because not only is the city divided based on heritage and wealth, but there is also division between men and women. The house on mango street is obviously a symbol, although I cannot yet tell whether it will be a positive or negative symbol. So far it symbolizes Esperanza's insecurities, along with her disappointment. In addition however, it symbolizes Esperanza's ambitions because she dreams of leaving the house and many more things. My favorite quote so far was "Is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to changer her life" 27. This is when Esperanza is talking about Marin. I can relate to this feeling and the general tone of aspiration and longing.