The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros is a short story cycle which tells the story of Esperanza Cordero as she grows up on Mango Street. Within the book there are many themes that come up. The major two are Esperanza's loss of innocence and also her will to never stop dreaming.

The first theme, Esperanza's desire to grow up and become a woman is prevalent throughout the book. The book begins with stories about Esperanza's family and her adjustment to her new home. Nowhere within the book is Esperanza's age revealed, so the reader is forced to judge her age on their own. There are a number of stories which point towards her being a young girl, probably between the ages of 11 and 13. There are stories of her buying a bike with her two friends Rachel and Lucy and all three of them riding it down the street "all wobbly as is the wheels are spaghetti," (16) and of the "First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest." (22) It can be seen in these stories that Esperanza is still young at heart, and wants to just go out and have fun, but as the book progresses it becomes obvious that she experiences things that change her. For example, in The Family of Little Feet, Esperanza, Lucy, and Rachel get high heels and try them on in a game of what seems like dress up. But as you read on through the chapter the game turns from innocent to perverted when a bum begins to hit on them. After running away from him the girls decide "we are tired of being beautiful," (42) wanting to regain the innocence that comes with being a young girl, instead of the attention that comes with being a young woman. But Esperanza's transformation into a woman is inevitable, as is her loss of innocence. There are a number of stories which she is taken advantage of, in The First Job she attempts to kiss a man at her work on the cheek, but when she does he turns and kisses her "hard on the mouth and doesn't let go." (55) Esperanza seems to be unaware of both her sexuality and the desire men have for her. This becomes evident in the chapter Red Clowns, where Esperanza says, "Sally, you lied. It wasn't what you said at all. What he did. Where he touched me. I didn't want it Sally." (99) While the reader is not exactly sure what happened it is obvious that something terrible happened, as Esperanza says, "I don't remember. Please don't make me tell it all." (100)

Despite all the terrible things she encountered, Esperanza managed to maintain her positive attitude and her dream of one day owning her own house. After realizing that her house on Mango Street "is not the way [her parents] told it at all" (4) she says, "I knew then I had to have a house. A real house." (5) She holds this dream throughout the book and in the chapter Bums in the Attic she says, "One day I'll own my own house, but I won't forget who I am or where I came from." (87) The book ends on this notes as well, Esperanza states, "One day I will pack my books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango...They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out." (110) Esperanza's dream is more than just a dream, it embodies the hope of everyone in the book for a better life beyond Mango Street.