Gender Discrimination in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Book Analysis)

📌Category: Books, Gender Equality, Social Issues, The House on Mango Street
📌Words: 1362
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 15 February 2022

In the novel, The House on Mango Street, author Sandra Cisneros introduces audiences to the character of Esperanza who resides in a neighborhood of Chicago known as Mango Street. This coming-of-age novel challenges ideas of tragedy, loss, poverty, and oppression. In this novel readers feel both similarities and differences in their personal connection to Esperanza and the culture in which she lives. As a reader, I noted the similarities in how Esperanza is discriminated against and taken advantage of because of her gender, influenced by the culture she grew up in. She feels pressured to conform to her culture’s gender roles, and it is ultimately damaging to her self-worth. On the other hand, one of the main differences I noted from the novel was how Esperanza comes from a place of poverty, with little opportunity due to her circumstances. Esperanza was raised in a poor family with little, whereas I come from a state of great privilege. I have never had to worry about my financial status, and she experiences quite the opposite.  Overall, readers are impacted by the theme of the novel which is; Cultural norms dictate behavior in certain parts of society. 

Gender discrimination and roles are prominent motifs throughout the course of this novel. Esperanza and the other women who live on Mango street are taken advantage of because of something they cannot control, their biological gender. Women of all ages are abused, looked down upon, and expected to act the way their culture has decided for them. Even though I was raised in a culture separate from theirs, I am still influenced by these societal standards as a young woman growing up in suburban communities in America. Cisneros describes cultural standards applied to young women in Esperanza’s culture. Esperanza, who has fallen victim to societal abuse, decides to rebel. “I have begun my own quiet war. Simple. Sure. I am one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate” (p. 89). Cisneros describes Esperanza’s frustration with the pressure she feels being born a woman in her culture, as a Mexican American. She has had enough of the strict “rules” placed on her and decides not to comply anymore. Even something as simple as leaving the table, and not picking up her plate, seems to her as something unthinkable for a woman to do. She leaves the table “like a man”, and feels as though she has done something groundbreaking. Young girls in my culture feel pressures similar to those Esperanza struggles with. In my own culture, women are to be quiet, soft-spoken, and compliant. I understand Esperanza’s frustrations. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had someone assume I was doing something for the approval of a man. It seems as though women of all ages in society are looked at as if they are for men, not for themselves. I feel trapped. I can’t wear a dress without being asked who I’m trying to impress. The vignette “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays” illustrates the kind of abusive relationship this culture promotes.  “And then Rafaela, who is still young...gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at” (p.79). This shows that Rafaela, a young woman, is taken advantage of by her husband. Her husband has complete control, and she can’t rebel against him. She isn’t allowed to leave their house. Rafaela is stuck. There is no way for her to safely leave her situation, and she most likely doesn’t want to. In their culture, misogyny is the norm. Esperanza sees this, and in part by her innocence, doesn’t see anything wrong with it. Cisneros describes themes of sexual assault many times in this novel. Both times, Esperanza was taken advantage of by boys, because they knew they could get away with it. They knew that Esperanza would not fight back. “...just as I was about to put my lips on his cheek, he grabs my face with both hands and kisses me hard on the mouth and doesn’t let go” (p.55). The sexualization of young females is a huge issue in today’s society, and it diminishes the self-esteem of already vulnerable children. Gender roles and discrimination are very prevalent in today’s society, not only on Mango Street but also in the communities I’ve grown up in. Overall, the gender discrimination experiences between Esperanza and I are both influenced by the cultures we were raised in, and it has damaging effects on young self-esteem. 

 One motif I found particularly hard to relate to was poverty. Esperanza’s family lives in a run-down apartment on Mango Street, a poor neighborhood. Esperanza states many times throughout the novel that she wishes her family had more. “I don’t tell them I’m ashamed- all of us staring out the window like the hungry. I am tired of looking at what we can’t have” (p. 86). She expresses that she wishes she could have more, and she wishes she could be like the other kids, with fancy, big houses. Later in the book, she describes the cycle of poverty, and how it’s very tricky to get out.  “I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks in the threshold waiting for the ball and chain” (p.88). She sees the cycle and makes the decision she isn’t going to let it take over her. Due to their poverty, most young women will marry young on Mango Street, and not go to college or get a job. Esperanza makes the decision that she is not going to let that happen to her, and she will have her own home one day. She lives in a state of poverty, whereas I live in a state of privilege. Personally, I have never had to worry about my family’s financial status. My parents don’t tell us about our finances, we’ve never struggled to eat or to have human necessities. In fact, my parents just took us on a lengthy vacation to Disney World, something that someone in Esperanza’s situation would only dream of being able to afford. A few weeks ago, my sister and I’s bed broke. Instead of just making us sleep on the floor until we could afford a new one, my parents hopped on the internet and ordered me a new one like it was no big deal. I have two parents with college educations, a mom who’s a teacher, and a dad who works for an accounting firm. Not everyone is lucky enough to have two parents- let alone two parents who work. I am engaged in a long list of extracurriculars, most of which cost me to join. Piano lessons, cheer practice, OM, we have disposable income for my interests. For those living in rough financial situations, disposable income is rare, or nonexistent.  Reading this novel made me realize how privileged I was as a middle-class white American, and it forced me to think about the harsh realities of those living in poverty.

Overall, I learned from Esperanza and her journey in The House on Mango Street that culture has huge effects on the way people live. The people of Mango Street don’t live that far away from I do, yet it seems like a completely different atmosphere because of their culture. Esperanza grew up in Mexican culture, where women marry young, and many live in poverty. I grew up in a completely different atmosphere, in an area where women don’t have to marry or have kids, which would be unheard of in Esperanza’s culture. Even if you are raised in a strict culture like Esperanza, you should evaluate your beliefs and stand up for what you believe in, even if it goes against the culture you were raised in. This story teaches us not only about cultural restrictions but also about cultural norms. The women in Esperanza’s culture are raised with the goal of marrying young and creating a family. This is normal in her culture, but it would most definitely turn heads if a girl in my grade got married, moved out, and had children. When I first read this story I thought it was just about childhood in a midwestern suburb similar to my own, but now that I think more deeply about it, I realize that it is really about the struggles of growing up a young woman in Mexican culture, something I had never been exposed to. Something that’s true in this story that’s also true in the real world is the harsh realities of young women being sexualized and assaulted. Esperanza shows us that circumstances don’t matter, no matter what culture you were raised in, you can leave those circumstances, and live out your dreams.

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