Theme of Identity in The House on Mango Street Essay Example

In society it can be difficult to fit into society because of how it influences people. In the House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Cisneros uses the character of Esperanza to illustrate the struggles of identity. Throughout the text the reader is shown how Esperanza's identity plays a monumental role in her character and how she fits into society. Esperanza has trouble fitting in at school and making friends because of it.Through the endeavors of individuality, Cisneros reveals to the reader that individuality is important for a person to fit into society. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is about identity and reveals how Esperanza is struggling with fitting into society because of it. 

To start off in this text  it is revealed that Esperanza struggles with accepting her identity.In the House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, it is shown that she doesn’t like  certain aspects of her identity like the name"I have inherited her name, but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window”(Cisneros 10).  In the House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros it is displayed that she has a hard time making friends because of her identity“At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth”(Cisneros 10).She doesn’t like her name because it reminds her of her grandma. Her grandma was a woman with ambitions and goals but then gave up on them because she was forced into a marriage. Another reason she doesn’t like her is because when she is at school the kids make fun of it. This shows how she struggles to accept her name “...I don’t want to inherit her place by the window”(Cisneros 10) She doesn’t want to become a person with no aspirations or intentions in life like her grandma.  Her identity also makes it hard for her to fit in and make friends “At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin”(Cisneros 10). If her name were different she would have an easier time fitting in and making friends. This is why in the text Esperanza has a hard time accepting her identity. 

In addition, in the text it is demonstrated that Esperanza has trouble with her identity and how it is formed by other people’s perceptions. In the text it is divulged that part of Esperanza’s personality or identity is shaped by how people view her in her society “Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood sacred”(Cisneros 28).  In the text it conveys to the reader that Esperanza is bothered how her identity is perceived because of her environment “They think we’re dangerous….They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake”(Cisneros 28). Esperanza doesn't like the fact that her identity is viewed differently because of her neighborhood. This makes it harder for her to create an identity that is not in the image that people view her neighborhood. Esperanza’s neighborhood has a tremendous impact on her identity“Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood sacred”(Cisneros 28). Because of where she lives people automatically have assumptions and ideas of her character. This can make her struggle to break free of the identity of her neighborhood. Making the neighborhood's identity and her’s one and the same. Esperanza is shown to detest the preconception that the neighborhood has on her identity“They think we’re dangerous….They are stupid people”(Cisneros 28).  If she lived in a different neighborhood then people might not have had these ideas about her character. This indicates why Esperanza grapples with her identity. 

To sum up, in the text it is shown that Esperanza's identity can be influenced by the people around her and struggles to make her own. Throughout the text Esperanza’s identity can be persuaded by other individuals “We will never go back to wearing the other kind again”(Cisneros 41). In the text it is an endeavor for Esperanza to create her identity“We are tired of being beautiful”(Cisneros 42). Esperanza talks about never wearing any other type of shoes again. After getting all those compliments from the people in her neighborhood she has decided to change her appearance as a part of her identity to wear those kinds of shoes. Later on in the chapter Esperanza changes her mind about wearing beautiful shoes all from one deplorable experience with the bum man she doesn’t want to be beautiful. This shows how fickle her identity can be. The people around Esperanza have a dominant impact or influence on her personality “We will never go back to wearing the other kind”(Cisneros 41). She decided she was going to keep wearing the shoes because of all the positive feedback she was getting from the people in her neighborhood. Esperanza then after a horrible encounter with a bum man she would never take them off states “tired of being beautiful”(Cisneros 42). Esperanza doesn’t know how to adhere to an identity. Thanks to the neighborhood she lives in, it is hard for her to form her own identity with it being influenced by other people. Throughout the text Esperanza is shown to struggle with her identity because of how it is influenced by the people in her society and around her. 

In summation Sandra Cisneros’s novel The House on Mango Street is about Esperanza's struggle to fit in with society as a result of her identity. In society not having a secure grasp on identity can make it  hard for people to fit in society or community. Throughout people's lives many of them struggle with their identity. Even to this day it is hard for people to form their own identity. Having a strong identity is important to a person's character; it keeps a person unique.