Analysis of "House on Mango Street" and its Characters
"House on Mango Street" is a novella that uses poetic language and simple word choice to depict the life of a young girl, Esperanza, in a crowded neighborhood. The structure of the story reflects the unfinished nature of women's lives. The characters, including Esperanza, her mother, and acquaintances like Sally and Sire, each have their own struggles and aspirations. Through the plot pyramid, we see Esperanza's journey from childhood to maturity, as she navigates relationships and her desire to break free from her surroundings.
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House on Mango Street Analysis and Review
I. The Storys Structure (Setup): Mango Street is a novella (short novel) Uses poetic language, but fairly simple word choice and sentence structure (fragments, simple sentences). Why?? 1) Reflects a young girl s short attention span 2) Imitates the neighborhood s setup (lots of people, not any one person has very much space on the page or in the neighborhood) 3) Unfinished vignettes remind us that women s lives were often left unfinished as well.
II. A Few Characters: Esperanza- wants to escape the neighborhood, but knows she will return Mama- loving to her children, but lives with regrets of her own Alicia- works hard at home, goes to college Sally- a girl in the neighborhood who kisses boys in the Monkey Garden; very mature Sire- a male in the neighborhood who watches Esperanza; she s attracted to him.
II. A Few Characters: Aunt Lupe- the aunt who was sick; Esperanza played charades and mimicked her Rachel + Lucy- play friends; they ride bikes together and play dress up Elenita- a fortune teller whom Esperanza asks about her chances of having a home The Three Sisters- older women who are wise, but disappear one day Geraldo- a man in the neighborhood who dies without getting the hospital help he needs
III. Parts of the Story (Plot Pyramid): EXPOSITION: Esperanza shares her personal information with us- her house, family, difference between the boys and girls, and what her name means, and her desire to leave RISING ACTION: Esperanza starts out as very childlike, but as the story progresses, she matures, sees differences in herself, and is increasingly attracted to males
III. Parts of the Story (Plot Pyramid): CLIMAX: Sally leaves Esperanza in the Monkey Garden alone, she is attacked FALLING ACTION: Esperanza realizes a boy is not her way out of the neighborhood; writing her story is her only way out. RESOLUTION: The reader circles back to Esperanza telling us about her house on Mango Street, with an added determination to leave, but peace of mind because now she has written down her story.
IV. Symbolism + Motifs (Reocurring Ideas): The Trees- Esperanza admires the four skinny trees in her front yard- they grow through concrete in the ground, like she would like to succeed despite tough circumstances (Determination, Resilience, Independence). Shoes- Esperanza describes how she is feeling about herself and growing up through describing her shoes (Self-Consciousness, Maturing). Balloon + Anchor- Esperanza has familial responsibilities (Freedom vs. Responsibility). 1) 2) 3)
IV. Symbolism + Motifs (Reoccurring Ideas): 4) The Sky: Characters watch the sky, reference God, and look for wisdom (Freedom, Wisdom) 5) Women By Windows: Esperanza s grandmother watched life go by , and Esperanza does not want that for herself (Women s Limitations) 6) Names: Most people in the neighborhood have a proper name, and then a nickname (Mixed Ethnicity, Changing Identity)
COLORS WHAT DO YOU THINK?? When (or for what?) is the color red used? So, what might the color red symbolize?? When (or for what?) is the color yellow used? So, what might the color yellow symbolize?? Any other colors?
V. Themes (Universal Idea/Lesson): If you were to create 2 theme statements for House on Mango Street , what would they be? 1) __________________________________ 2) __________________________________
