Question #4

I saw a similarity between “The House on Mango Street”  and “Giovanni’s Room” in the exert “Linoleum Roses”. One reason why is because of the theme of flight. Sally leaves home to escape the abuse and oppression from her father. David leaves home to escape his sexuality. Sally will just enter another life of abuse. David will still be surrounded and haunted of his homosexuality. Second similarity is the symbolic use of the room. Sally is described within a room unable to do anything without sit inside, not even look out the window. She uses this room to hide from her father she had left. To hide the past, but little does she realize, this room will only bring the same pain. David uses this room to hide himself or hide from himself. In Giovanni ‘s room David will act in every way he had tried to leave behind. Though we begin to see the change of David realizing he had imprisoned himself with his fears, he will only escape into another room to find the same fears and problems. We are left to imagine that perhaps one day Sally will reach the realization. Sally can also be compared to Giovanni’s use of the room to hide from his history in Italy. Giovanni builds himself a cave where he feels his past can’t find him and in essence this is what Sally tries to build for herself.