Lit Analysis #3

The House on Mango Street

General

1. I had seen this book analyzed by someone else in the class (Alex Ramirez!) and was happily surprised. I'd had this book for a few years and never really gotten a chance to read it. I'm so glad now that I have. The House on Mango Street focuses on a young girl named Esperanza, who lives with three siblings and her parents on a house that she is unhappy with. The story is told in short chapters, and it shows how Esperanza changes and matures emotionally and physically. She makes friends, loses family, and deals with obstacles along the way, from her discontent with her name to being kissed by an older man at her job. With the many experiences that she has to go through, this story was very touching and I enjoyed reading it.
2. I think the main theme is discovery of one's self. Throughout the story Esperanza is struggling to determine who she truly is. She doesn't like what her name means and wishes to change it so she can say who she is, and there also other events in her life that make her question herself, such as her choice of a friend like Sally. Not until the end does she truly know who she is: a writer.
3. The story is told in Esperana's point of view. She sounds young and innocent, but at the same time the way she describes things are very artistic. For example, in one of the first chapters called "Hairs" she describes her mother's hair:
     "...like little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, is the warm smell of bread before you bake it,.." pg. 6
Sometimes when she talks it seems like she says things in such a factual, nonchalant way, even though what she's saying could be considered quite sad or terrible
      "Most likely I will go to hell and most likely I deserve to be there. My mother was born on an evil day and prays for me." pg. 58
      "I am an ugly daughter. I am the one nobody comes for." pg. 88
4. The first technique I noticed was that the author did not introduce herself at the beginning of the story, which made me curious and interested as to who was telling me these things. I guess the way Esperanza speaks, her diction, is another technique that influences the story. Her voice is pure, and also gives a good look inside of Esperanza's mind, how she longs for a friend, a change in her name, and how she wants to leave this neighborhood. Pretty much the way Esperanza tells her story is the biggest literary technique to be noticed.

Characterization

1. We get most of the indirect characterization of Esperanza by the way she talks about things. She reveals how she feels about her house on Mango Street: "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." (pg. 5). Also, she talks about she wants to be when she grows up, beautiful and cruel: "I am one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate." (pg. 89) I didn't really notice a lot of direct characterization, nothing that the author Sanda Cisneros puts out there that is obvious for the reader to see. We can only figure out the characters through Esperanza's eyes and mouth.
2. Esperanza's syntax and diction do not stray much from its original type. Despite some traumatic experiences that she dealt with at such a young age, she seemed to retain her pureness of voice. She had been assaulted, and felt ashamed of how she lived, but towards the end the only thing that truly changed was her view of herself, and how she feels about her home on Mango Street.
3. The protagonist is dynamic and round. She went from being unhappy with who she was and where she came from to being more accepting towards it. It took her quite a few events to finally come to those realizations.
4. I feel like a met a person and connected with her. Esperanza reminded me of myself at a much younger, more scary time in my life, when reality hits you hard and fast. A lot of the time I wished I could've been that person she could confide in, that friend she desperately wanted. Sandra Cisneros created a wonderful voice for this young girl, and I can see why many people love this story.