English 2000 Perspectives in Literature

The author was a low class family who had been in a very poor financial situations for many years. It seems that the concept of “Real House” in this novel is emphasizing not just the structure of the house, but the importance of a comfortable house for a family.

The narrator is Mexican girl name Esperanza. Her parents are Mexican immigrants. Esperanza said her father listens to Mexican records. Her family is poor working class because they move house to house and the new house they live in,  looks broken and small and the whole family sleeps in one room. Esperanza doesn’t appreciate the life she lives because she is ashamed of her house. Esperanza seem like she wants a lot in life. These elements contribute to our understanding of the text’s theme because we get to find out the characters  personality which leads us to understand the conflict in the story. We get to understand the point the author is trying to make.

Jodi Grant

The House on Mango Street.

2. Describe the various aspects of the narrator’s identity (race, class, gender, sexuality, etc.)? How do these elements contribute to our understanding of the text’s theme(s)?

At the beginning of the story, Esperanza is describing how she is moving from place to place and at the same time complaining of not having a real house and everybody sleeping in one room. From what she was describing it seems that her family is the hard working class that’s having economic problems and finding a nice house for everybody to leave peacefully. I think this is normal for a family that has the American dream, working hard and living temporarily at different places, later on I think she will see the results of working hard. Also I think that her being Hispanic would understand the fact that her family is working hard, but she keeps complaining about “this” and “that” and doesn’t get use to the fact that they are a family that’s trying to progress, slowly but progressing on an unknown land. I also think Esperanza sounds ashame of the history of her name and from who she got it from. I think she should appreciate more of what she has because others would love to be in her place and have a home.

The concept of a “Home” functions in this novel as a place where it can be called theirs. As in the space, the feeling of being part of something that only a full fledged house can provide. Moving from tenement to tenement, then finally owning a real house where every part is yours, is a great experience. It not only provides a greater expansion of freedom, but moving up in life, because everyone at some point wants to own their own home, when you finally do, its like checking off a checklist of life expectancies. Also homes bring with them future mementos, by leaving the house to your child and there child’s child etc, with a apartment that can’t happen.

The main character, Esperanza comes from a lower-class Hispanic family. She is bothered by what people say to her because of her family’s socioeconomic status, “I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t it. The house on Mango Street isn’t it, states Esperanza. She feels she is better off living somewhere else, “I remember the most is Mango Street, sad red house, the house I belong but do not belong to” says Esperanza. She wants to leave Mango Street and start a  new life  “She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free”, states Esperanza. Lastly, to find a house where she can live with her family and feels like a house, “Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass  growing without a fence”, says Esperanza.

In the numbered list of conditions #6 my attention. “When I am told about our national heritage or about civilization, I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.” This has never been shown to me in a positive light, wether its religion or deep history  Ottoman Empire I have yet to read a book where America finds that the people of my race and or color have made it what it is. Im not even mentioning the whole “9/11” situation, the only good thing they speak about is our infamous oil from Saudi Arabia. Honestly what goes on in my mind is generalizing, that if your Muslim, your part of my culture, so although I am from Yemen I would still speak on behalf of Palestine, Syria Iraq, Egypt, and all the Arab nations only because I believe we should all be working together to  show we are not these savages that are bound by religion in a cruel way.

Dean is a important character, but i don’t think that he is the center of the novel. I believe this because i tend to always see the main center character as the author or who the author personifies themselves as, in this case Sal. Also a center character to me is one who grows in the novel, one who adapts, changes etc. Dean is already portrayed as many things, like smart, cool, guy with all the girls etc, Sal in the other hand is the one in which needs learning, so thats why i think dean can’t be a center character because he is already up there in the sense of life, whereas Sal still is developing. This also connects to why Sal admires Dean so much, because of his success, he see’s him as this mysterious man that he needs to unveil.

The road, i believe in this novel represents life. The road is portrayed as life because not only can some say, “no” they are physically on the road traveling, yes that also is true, but life in a way is like a raod. As we go down this road we learn new things and meet new people along it. Our views and decisions are altered as the road continues. As he is on the road, Sal meets people such as Dean and Carlo Marx which impact him as a individual who is still trying to find himself, on the road of his life.