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The House on Mango Street MAG
InThe House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros defies traditional form and grammar tocreate an honest and passionate work. Her simplicity is beautiful, as are herabundant images and metaphors.
Through the young and imaginative eyes ofthe narrator, Esperanza, Cisneros gives the reader snapshots of a childhood in animpoverished Latino family in Chicago. Each brief passage highlights an incidentor observation in her life, from the childish pleasures of a used bicycle and thecompanionship of neighborhood trees, to the disappointment of moving to MangoStreet and the guilt of losing a relative.
Gifted with effortlessstorytelling ability and poetic sincerity, Cisneros brings together these storieswith their common thread of cultural oppression of women. Esperanza watches asthe women in her life become stuck in hopeless poverty and loneliness due totheir fathers or sweet-talking boyfriends who leave them with too many children.Esperanza sees the young mothers with a baby balanced on each hip, and the oldimmigrant women desperately struggling to maintain their Mexican roots. She vowsto leave Mango Street and work as a writer, but never to forget the women whocould not escape.
Esperanza's growth into a young woman and her desire torise above her beginnings make The House on Mango Street a poignant book forstudents of any culture and background. Its concise prose makes it ideal forreading either in a single evening, or in short sections over a longer period oftime.
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This article has 71 comments.
MiaQuintero said...
on Nov. 28 2018 at 1:41 pm
"The House on Mango Street" By: Sandra Cisneros. This book was really good, very well written, and super funny. The book takes you through a journey of real life problems and every chapter gets better and better. I highly recommend this book to people of all ages. I found it informational and a good book to read when you have nothing else to do.
Angieceron2 said...
on Oct. 11 2018 at 7:21 am
The “House on Mango Street ” By Sandra Cisneros I recommend this book because its funny and interesting.
Esperanza was a young Hispanic girl going through some issues. She moved to a house on mango street and she did not like it at all. She lived with her whole family. This story symbolizes people as well like the skinny trees symbolizes Esperanza because she did not fit in.
My opinion is that people should definitely read this book so that they can put themselves inside of Esperanza’s shoes and have a better understanding of what she was going through as a young little girl.
Esperanza was a young Hispanic girl going through some issues. She moved to a house on mango street and she did not like it at all. She lived with her whole family. This story symbolizes people as well like the skinny trees symbolizes Esperanza because she did not fit in.
My opinion is that people should definitely read this book so that they can put themselves inside of Esperanza’s shoes and have a better understanding of what she was going through as a young little girl.
aliska07102004 said...
on Oct. 11 2018 at 3:34 am
I forgot it's not appropriate to little kids
aliska07102004 said...
on Oct. 10 2018 at 11:10 pm
The “House on Mango Street ” By Sandra Cisneros I recommend this book because its funny and interesting so I really recommend it.
Esperanza’s problem was she started living in another place with her family Mama,Papa,Carlos,kiki,nenny,and Esperanza and they are trying to get used to it.They used to live in Keeler and they moved to Mango street its their house is there’s and they don’t have to pay for it but they she thought that they would get a better house.I like how they made the story of Esperaza, her family, and her friends.
My opinion is I think you should total read it and its appropriate for kids and it’s really interesting.The book is very different from what I read before and I really like it.Though the problems they had they still got through them and I really liked it.
Esperanza’s problem was she started living in another place with her family Mama,Papa,Carlos,kiki,nenny,and Esperanza and they are trying to get used to it.They used to live in Keeler and they moved to Mango street its their house is there’s and they don’t have to pay for it but they she thought that they would get a better house.I like how they made the story of Esperaza, her family, and her friends.
My opinion is I think you should total read it and its appropriate for kids and it’s really interesting.The book is very different from what I read before and I really like it.Though the problems they had they still got through them and I really liked it.
lindseywelch17 said...
on Oct. 9 2018 at 3:05 pm
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros was a great book. I really liked the whole theme of growing up. I was amazed at how Miss Cisneros could write from the viewpoint of a child. So many times when you read a novel about growing up, I feel the author doesn't get the full impact of the child's point of view. I especially liked the author's view of the women and men who live on Mango Street. The women are dominated by men and are put into roles that have them "looking out the window with their chin in their hand waiting for their husbands to arrive home." Although it was a little hard to keep track of all the characters and their stories, I liked the book. It wasn't the best book I ever read but it wasn't the worst one either.
itsalesya1 said...
on Oct. 5 2018 at 3:01 am
The House on Mango Street is a very good book. It can help you in the future and life. The main character Esperanza explains how she wants to leave mano street and be happy but she doesn't want to leave her family. This book gave me a perspective on her life and mine and how it's kinda similar. I like how the book has short but different chapters. She also gives lots of symbolism, things that symbolize her. I recommend this book, it makes you happy, said, laugh and cry all at the same time.
sophiareyessss said...
on Oct. 3 2018 at 2:20 pm
I recommend the book, The house on mango street, by Sandra Cisneros, because many people can relate to the problems especially younger people. This book talks about a girl named Esperanza who moves to a new house. She dislikes it their and talks about peoples problems who live on her street. I personally liked how it's relatable. I can relate to sally the most. Sally has strict parents because of her older sisters mistakes. There are other characters that you might relate to personally like Alicia for example she takes a "mother role " In the story."
KailaStrong said...
on Sep. 27 2018 at 3:21 am
I recommend to read the book, The House on Mango Street , by Sandra Cisneros, because I feel that many people will be able to relate to the problems, or whole concept of the story. This book is about a young teenage girl named Esperanza who moves into a new house with her family on Mango Street, but dislikes it. In this story, there are many symbols. For example, the skinny trees symbolize Esperanza, they don’t seem the belong in the neighborhood, and they are different, as well as she is. There are many characters in the story, and most of them are family. There’s Esperanza, the main character and narrator of the story. Sally, the beautiful “troubled” friend, as her father says. Nenny, Esperanza’s pain-in-the-neck little sister. Mama and Papa, Esperanza’s caring and encouraging parents. Alicia, one of Esperanza’s older neighbors who takes the “mother role” at home. Carlos and Keeky, Esperanza’s tough little brothers. Cathy, a snob who is a former friend of Esperanzas. Lucy and Rachel, new friends of Esperanzas after moving to Mango Street. There are many other characters in the story with different traits. In conclusion, The House On Mango Street is a relative novel in which many teens who may be living in penury or trying to figure things out as a teen will be able to relate to. I do recommend.
KSI said...
on Aug. 16 2018 at 5:39 pm
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros I think people should read this book because it opens up on isolation and sexuality. The story is about a girl named Esperanza who makes a friend names Sally learns about sexuality in the long run and makes a friend with a similar intrest in sexuality who insteads ditches her for boys which insteads ends up in her getting sexually assaulted which changes her appeal on sexuality in the long run its a great book with some flaws.
king_olivas23 said...
on Aug. 15 2018 at 6:28 pm
The House on Mango street by Sandra Cisneros. I think people should not read this book because it’s extremely boring and uninteresting.
This story is about a girl named Esperanza and she leaves at the end of the story. The characters are Nenny, Esperanza’s little sister. Sally, the girl Esperanza befriends in the story. Rachel, friend of Esperanza. Lucy, another friend of Esperanza. I didn’t like the plot of the story. I didn’t like what the story was about.
I don’t think people should read this book because it’s boring, at least to me, but yeah reading this book put me to sleep every time. I just think it’s a waste of time to read this book, unless you like these types of books. But this book is boring to me and a waste of time and I think people should not read this book.
This story is about a girl named Esperanza and she leaves at the end of the story. The characters are Nenny, Esperanza’s little sister. Sally, the girl Esperanza befriends in the story. Rachel, friend of Esperanza. Lucy, another friend of Esperanza. I didn’t like the plot of the story. I didn’t like what the story was about.
I don’t think people should read this book because it’s boring, at least to me, but yeah reading this book put me to sleep every time. I just think it’s a waste of time to read this book, unless you like these types of books. But this book is boring to me and a waste of time and I think people should not read this book.
lauramaldonado9273 said...
on Aug. 3 2018 at 1:43 am
The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, a story based on a girl who wants the best for herself and her family. I personally suggest this book, I instantly enjoyed reading the first few chapters.
Esperanza is the main character in this story, she evolves through out the story. Esperanza and her family weren’t as “ stable “ as you can say. They were in and out of homes. Until they came along a house, the house on Mango Street. Taking place likely in Chicago, Latin. Esperanza isn’t well pleased with her home, she has high expectations on what house she’d want. Esperanza has to accept the home her parents were able to get, they go by waiting to win the lottery for hope. Esperanza still isn’t so pleased with it all.
Esperanza realize’s her sexuality through out her time, on Mango Street, but not only does she realize that, she also finds a bestfriend. A bestfriend more than her two other friends Lucy and Rachel, more than her little sister nenny. Sally was her name. This part would have to be my favorite, to be able to find a bestfriend, and know who you truly are, is more than just wanting a better home.
I highly recommend this book to young ladies, because. not only does it show Esperanza’s life, it can connect to another young lady’s life as well, not everything is easy, the author shows us that it takes the worst to get the best. That’s honestly the best lesson to give any girl or male as well. Life will give you what you earn.
Esperanza is the main character in this story, she evolves through out the story. Esperanza and her family weren’t as “ stable “ as you can say. They were in and out of homes. Until they came along a house, the house on Mango Street. Taking place likely in Chicago, Latin. Esperanza isn’t well pleased with her home, she has high expectations on what house she’d want. Esperanza has to accept the home her parents were able to get, they go by waiting to win the lottery for hope. Esperanza still isn’t so pleased with it all.
Esperanza realize’s her sexuality through out her time, on Mango Street, but not only does she realize that, she also finds a bestfriend. A bestfriend more than her two other friends Lucy and Rachel, more than her little sister nenny. Sally was her name. This part would have to be my favorite, to be able to find a bestfriend, and know who you truly are, is more than just wanting a better home.
I highly recommend this book to young ladies, because. not only does it show Esperanza’s life, it can connect to another young lady’s life as well, not everything is easy, the author shows us that it takes the worst to get the best. That’s honestly the best lesson to give any girl or male as well. Life will give you what you earn.
Kiddo_03 said...
on Aug. 1 2018 at 9:56 pm
The House On Mango Street, a beautiful work of art made by Sandra Cisneros interesting piece created with a perfect mixture of comedy, and real life stuff. I’d honestly recommend this book to anyone. From a small child to a mid adult this book can be read by. anyone.
A book about a little girl who becomes a young woman, this book has a personal, and detailed description of Esperanza Cordero’s (The main character/ Narrator) life. From her many difficult experiences in the low-income Latino neighborhood in Chicago. One will be able to step in her shoes as she progresses through her life.
She arrived at her house because of a leak that happened at her apartment that the landlord didn't fix. She had high expectations of the house that was crushed when she arrived. She eventually got to love the place. Until she began to mature and her eyes opened to a lot of things that she never saw before. Her own sexuality, poverty, the true intentions of most men with females. She sought to leave the place to become a writer and artist and grow past everything. She wanted to be independent. “One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away.” - Esperanza Cordero
Like I said before I’d recommend this book to anyone. So you could stand in the shoes of a young hispanic girl who became a grown woman, and understand the mysteries and troubles in her life.
A book about a little girl who becomes a young woman, this book has a personal, and detailed description of Esperanza Cordero’s (The main character/ Narrator) life. From her many difficult experiences in the low-income Latino neighborhood in Chicago. One will be able to step in her shoes as she progresses through her life.
She arrived at her house because of a leak that happened at her apartment that the landlord didn't fix. She had high expectations of the house that was crushed when she arrived. She eventually got to love the place. Until she began to mature and her eyes opened to a lot of things that she never saw before. Her own sexuality, poverty, the true intentions of most men with females. She sought to leave the place to become a writer and artist and grow past everything. She wanted to be independent. “One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away.” - Esperanza Cordero
Like I said before I’d recommend this book to anyone. So you could stand in the shoes of a young hispanic girl who became a grown woman, and understand the mysteries and troubles in her life.
anahi003 said...
on Jul. 30 2018 at 5:05 pm
The House On Mango Street by sandra cisneros , the book is about a young girl that feels like she don't belong in mango street and is also about her growing up and going through tough situations. i highly think people should read this book because you might relate to this book , you may feel what esperanza feels during her childhood years. the plot in this story is her moving in to a new street and trying to fit in but she has notice she doesn't belong in mango street , she has notice that every woman in that street are young just like her but these girls are already married and they have kids and cannot escape where they live. the main characters are her , sally, esperanza parents , and many more. the setting in the book is mango street. i liked everything about the book one of the best books i ever read. "for the ones who cannot out" here is a little quote from the book that proves that people cannot get out of mango street but esperanza will come back for the ones she left behind.
Soniawinchester60 said...
on Jul. 25 2018 at 7:00 pm
"The House on Mango Street" is a coming-of-age book about a Mexican-American girl growing up in a Hispanic neighborhood in Chicago. We see Esperanza Cordero's family and neighborhood through the twelve-year-old girl's eyes, told in a series of vignettes. She sees many older women sitting by the windows. They feel trapped by their fathers, their husbands, and the responsibility of children. Others are trapped by their lack of education or inability to speak English. Esperanza is hoping her writing skills will be her ticket out of the neighborhood someday. She has dreams for her future, including a house of her own. But she'll always have ties to the old neighborhood.
Sandra Cisneros writes beautifully, painting a new picture for the reader in each vignette. This book would be perfect for classroom discussions for teens.
Sandra Cisneros writes beautifully, painting a new picture for the reader in each vignette. This book would be perfect for classroom discussions for teens.
daniellearretche said...
on Jul. 23 2018 at 7:55 pm
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a coming of age story about young Esperanza and the challenges she faces within herself and her community.
Esperanza moves into a new neighborhood and makes new friends who are very different from her. She is not happy with the new house on mango street but that is all the family can get with such short notice due to the condition of their old home. She learns new things from her new friends in the neighborhood about the way of the world, boys, and how to be. Cisneros paints a picture of a Latin-American community and the struggles the residents face.
It is a resilient story about a young girl and her struggles of growing up. If you enjoy stories about involved communities you should check out The House on Mango Street.
Esperanza moves into a new neighborhood and makes new friends who are very different from her. She is not happy with the new house on mango street but that is all the family can get with such short notice due to the condition of their old home. She learns new things from her new friends in the neighborhood about the way of the world, boys, and how to be. Cisneros paints a picture of a Latin-American community and the struggles the residents face.
It is a resilient story about a young girl and her struggles of growing up. If you enjoy stories about involved communities you should check out The House on Mango Street.
kait_lyn3 said...
on Jul. 18 2018 at 1:21 am
In the House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the author beautifully expresses her work with emotion and language. I personally enjoyed the novel and I believe that you should read it too. “The House on Mango Street” will get you engaged and into the story easily.
The novel written by Sandra Cisneros, is through the imaginative eyes of the narrator, Esperanza, Cisneros gives the reader snapshots of a childhood in an poverty Latino family in Chicago. Each brief passage highlights an incident or observation in her life, from her little young self riding a used bicycle and the companionship of neighborhood trees, to the disappointment of moving to Mango Street and the guilt of losing a relative.
The main characters include Esperanza, Lucy and Rachel, Sally, Nenny, Marin, Papa and Mama, Alicia, and Cathy. The story takes place in a poor, mostly Latino neighborhood that's commonly understood to be Chicago, which is the author's hometown. Some things I personally enjoyed in the book was in the chapter “Those Who Don’t.” In that chapter Esperanza and her friends are very confident in themselves and don’t get scared with the people around them. They are all used to everyone that they don’t feel the need to be scared of anything. That made me very engaged to the chapter.
All in all, I think “The House on Mango Street” is an amazing book. It is very interesting and at the same time filled with different emotions. It gives you a good feeling when reading the book because sometimes you can relate and feel all those emotions. Especially when it is explained with the tons of figurative language.
The novel written by Sandra Cisneros, is through the imaginative eyes of the narrator, Esperanza, Cisneros gives the reader snapshots of a childhood in an poverty Latino family in Chicago. Each brief passage highlights an incident or observation in her life, from her little young self riding a used bicycle and the companionship of neighborhood trees, to the disappointment of moving to Mango Street and the guilt of losing a relative.
The main characters include Esperanza, Lucy and Rachel, Sally, Nenny, Marin, Papa and Mama, Alicia, and Cathy. The story takes place in a poor, mostly Latino neighborhood that's commonly understood to be Chicago, which is the author's hometown. Some things I personally enjoyed in the book was in the chapter “Those Who Don’t.” In that chapter Esperanza and her friends are very confident in themselves and don’t get scared with the people around them. They are all used to everyone that they don’t feel the need to be scared of anything. That made me very engaged to the chapter.
All in all, I think “The House on Mango Street” is an amazing book. It is very interesting and at the same time filled with different emotions. It gives you a good feeling when reading the book because sometimes you can relate and feel all those emotions. Especially when it is explained with the tons of figurative language.
selestiiee said...
on Jul. 17 2018 at 3:02 pm
The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros is an extraordinary, classic novel that'll take you on a journey through vignettes and short sentences meant for you to read between the lines and understand. I definitely think that you would have to relate to this book on some level for it to be interesting to you. So whether it be the stories Esperanza tells about her neighbors, or family, or friends; or just witness to them like Esperanza, this book will be one you can't put down. Warning: spoilers ahead!
The story takes place in Chicago, where Esperanza and her family move into this small, run-down house, on a street called Mango Street, of course. Mango Street is filled with Latinos, who all have different stories and situations they're in that keep them there in Mango. Fortunately Esperanza notices their predicament and sees them as her having to have her eyes open to the possible paths she may take that'll lead her to a place she doesn't want to be. Throughout the story she keeps this in mind in dreaming of her future house and who she will be all grown up, and even as a girl she navigates with that in her friendships.
The book includes various motifs and symbols, which I like. Some that stuck out to me were the way women sat sadly looking out a window came up time and time again throughout the book, starting with Esperanza's dead great grandmother and the way Esperanza's shoes always seem to matter to her, like when she was dancing with her uncle at a party and a boy stares at her and when Sally, her sexually mature friend, blows her off for guys, leaving Esperanza in the garden she has played in with all the other neighborhood kids, is rooted from what happened in the beginning with the high heeled shoes she, Lucy, and Rachel wore.
"She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many sit the sadness on a elbow." Esperanza says this about her great grandmother and about women because she sees it with several women in her own neighborhood. "Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor." -Esperanza
Get the book and read it.
The story takes place in Chicago, where Esperanza and her family move into this small, run-down house, on a street called Mango Street, of course. Mango Street is filled with Latinos, who all have different stories and situations they're in that keep them there in Mango. Fortunately Esperanza notices their predicament and sees them as her having to have her eyes open to the possible paths she may take that'll lead her to a place she doesn't want to be. Throughout the story she keeps this in mind in dreaming of her future house and who she will be all grown up, and even as a girl she navigates with that in her friendships.
The book includes various motifs and symbols, which I like. Some that stuck out to me were the way women sat sadly looking out a window came up time and time again throughout the book, starting with Esperanza's dead great grandmother and the way Esperanza's shoes always seem to matter to her, like when she was dancing with her uncle at a party and a boy stares at her and when Sally, her sexually mature friend, blows her off for guys, leaving Esperanza in the garden she has played in with all the other neighborhood kids, is rooted from what happened in the beginning with the high heeled shoes she, Lucy, and Rachel wore.
"She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many sit the sadness on a elbow." Esperanza says this about her great grandmother and about women because she sees it with several women in her own neighborhood. "Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor." -Esperanza
Get the book and read it.
kymooni said...
on Jul. 16 2018 at 1:06 pm
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is actually not a really interesting book to me. Honestly the more I read it the more bored I got. The story is basically about a girl by the name of Esperanza who moved on a house on Mango street and off the bat hates it. The neighborhood that she lived in wasn't the best neighborhood to be. It was filled with things such as woman abusers or men who took complete advantage of women. The house was in a poor mainly Latino area in the city of Chicago. I think the main reason I didn’t like the story is because I couldn’t really relate to it, or couldn’t find any connections towards it, which made it boring to me. The content in this story is for a an older crowd, basically high school student because it includes ideas that maybe some parents wouldn’t agree on.
Jaden13150 said...
on Jul. 12 2018 at 7:13 am
The house on mango street is about a girl growing up while moving to many places due to financial issues and ends up in a small house on mango street and dislikes it there. the book was really entertaining and fun and I totally recommend it to whoever wants to read it. but I think it was harder for me to understand because the main character is a woman and is going to her puberty and hardships of a woman and I don't relate to that because I am a male, not a female.
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