The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The first section of the book is about Esperanza, the main character. She comes to live in a house where she does not feel comfortable. Esperanza loves her mother and father and understands that they work very hard to give their family the little bit that they have. She meets friends in her neighborhood and soon starts a short-lived but very important friendship with Cathy the queen of the cats (her next door neighbor). Later on, she meets Rachel and Lucy who like her, are poor and Hispanic, therefore she fits in and continues to learn more about her new neighborhood. Rachel and Lucy are sisters and they have promised Esperanza they will take turns riding their new bicycle. They are "raggedy as rats" (12) but Esperanza seems to like them because they are like her. She also meets a man named Gil, he has a junk store where Esperanza and her little sister Nene go into one day. Esperanza goes on to explain that this junk store is full of old, antique items. Nene is more adventurous and speaks to the old man, but not Esperanza. She rather just be quiet, because the music box is not for sale. In other words, they have no business at this junk store and at the end of this scene they flee back up Mango street. 

The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Cisneros' use of poetic devices throughout this narrative really add to the tone of this novel's structure. Her mother's embrace "is the warm smell of bread before you bake it" (6). This lets the reader understand the simplicity of Esperanza's nature. The novel's humble roots are portrayed in the very beginning pages of the book. Esperanza is a troubled, young Hispanic girl with major identity issues. It seems that she isn't comfortable with her name because it sounds as if the "syllables were made out of tin" (11), thus she places a negative connotation on her name. I believe she does this because at this point in the book she has a low-self esteem. Additionally, hating her name indirectly proves that she is putting herself down. Throughout this first section, she also meets Rachel and Lucy who like her, are poor and Hispanic. Therefore, she fits in and continues to learn more about the neighborhood and the significance and magic of Mango Street, "...down Mango Street we go. Rachel, Lucy and me. Our new bicycle. Laughing the cooked ride back" (16). The prevalent theme in this section of the book is acceptance of identity. Through different experiences Esperanza is slowly coming to terms with her own lost identity. Furthermore, Cathy's friendship causes her to realize the truth about Lucy and Rachel. Although the girls appear to be "raggedy as rats" (12), Esperanza likes them and she confides in them. Cathy says she'll have to move "...a little farther away every time people like us keep moving in" (13).  I think she does this because unlike Cathy, the girls and Esperanza are a part of the "us" (13); Hispanic, poor, underprivileged and just plain 'different', just like her.