Identity in the House on Mango Street - Essay Sample

Introduction

The book, "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros tells about the life of a girl, Esperanza, over the cause of a year. Esperanza is twelve years when her family moves to a new house in Mango Street. Although the house is an improvement from their previous house, it is not what the family desires, and it is in a bad state as seen in the book." Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is swollen you have to push hard to get in." (Bloom4) the age of Esperanza is significant because people develop their identity at this age. During the cause of the year, Esperanza develops her identity influenced by her ethnicity, gender, cultural inheritance, and the place of residence. This paper discusses how Esperanza's identity is defined by her community and surroundings.

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The Influence of Place of Residence on Esperanza's Identity

Esperanza's dilapidated house is located in the center of a crowded Latino neighborhood in a racially segregated area. The location and state of her home influences many aspects of her identity. The house is a symbol representing the dreams of a family and the dream of an individual like Esperanza. The state of her family's house reflected on her identity. She was ashamed of where she lived, therefore causing her to have low self-esteem.

Esperanza hopes that one day they will move to a real house, redefining her identity to a proud independent person with a stable life, "they always told us one day we would move to a house, a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn't have to move each year" (Bloom 4). Esperanza's identity is affected by her place of residence, and she hopes to one day move from Mango Street and own a place of her own where she is not ashamed of.

Gender Roles and Identity Development in the Mango Street Community

Gender is among the aspects that define a person's identity. Gender plays a role in the development of Esperanza's identity. Gender qualities are defined by the community a person lives in. in the case of Mango Street, the lives of boys and girls are in different universes. Esperanza cannot talk to her brothers when they are out of their homes. This alienation of boys and girls makes in that community makes Esperanza lack friends making her lonely.

The lack of friends as a result of the community's culture makes Esperanza feel that the community is holding her back,"...until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor" (Bloom 9) and hopes that she will one day leave that community and move to a place where she could have a better social life giving her a new identity as an asocial person.

Cultural Inheritance and Its Impact on Esperanza's Identity

Esperanza's identity is also affected by the gender roles in the Mango street community. Her identity is shaped by the community, which expects Esperanza to be submissive and dependent on men. The submissive role of women in that community is shown by Esperanza's friend Marin who hopes to meet a boy in the subway to marry her and hopefully move her to a big house. For Marin, what matters "is for boys to see us and for us to see them" (Bloom 27). This view of gender role places barriers for girls growing in that community, making them dependent on men to change their life circumstances. The identity of a person growing in that community will be tied to their gender and the gender roles assigned by the community.

Esperanza's identity is affected by the culture of the Mexican people living on Mango Street. The culture she inherits is symbolized by her name, which she inherits from her great-grandmother. She hopes that she does not end up like her grandmother, who was not able to do what she liked because the culture held her back. She thinks that her future is dull because of the culture she grows up in. This view is demonstrated by how she claims her name means. She thinks her name in English means hope, while in Spanish, it means sadness. She hopes to change her name "I would like a new name, more like the real me, the one nobody sees" (Bloom 10). Esperanza's true identity is hidden by her name and culture, and she hopes to change her name in order to reveal her true identity.

The Year on Mango Street: Exploring the Development of Sexuality and Lasting Identity

Esperanza lives in Mango Street for a year. This is a critical year in the development of her identity since it is the year she finds her sexuality a crucial part of her identity. Even though she lived in mango Street for only a short period of time, she developed many aspects of her identity while living there. Moving to Mango street changed her identity permanently because when she was ready to move out of the neighborhood, she discovered that she would never fully leave Mango Street.

Conclusion

In conclusion, an individual's identity develops as they grow up from childhood to adulthood. Teenage years are crucial in the development of an identity. The identity one develops influenced by many aspects of their life. These aspects include ethnicity, gender, cultural inheritance, sexuality, religion, place of residence, as well as events in one's life. These aspects later define a person's identity. In the case of Esperanza, as seen in the book "The house at Mango Street," her identity is shaped by her place of residence as well as the community in the mango street and the stated aspects.

Works Cited

Bloom, Harold, ed. Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street. Infobase Publishing, 2010.