The book, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros was difficult for me to relate to. Esperanza describes the various people in her community. It is evident by her writing that she is constantly striving for and wanting more than what is offered to her. Esperanza's descriptions are evidence of her resentment and frustration with her family and friends. Despite her feelings, she does seem to feel at ease with the people and the community around her. It was interesting to read where Esperanza talks about people who come into their neighborhood by mistake. She states, "Those who don't know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we are dangerous....All brown all around, we are safe. But watch us drive into a neighborhood of another color and our knees go shakity-shake..." (33-34). So even though Esperanza strives to be someone other than who she is, she is scared of the people who have the lifestyle she desires. She evidently sees herself as different and inferior to people who are a different color than she is.
The chapter "Linoleum Roses" is a chapter about how Sally marries into an unpleasant lifestyle. Esperanza has always looked up to Sally becasue she was pretty and therefore, Esperanza believed she had more experiences. It is evident in this chapter that Esperanza knows that the lifestyle Sally has choosen is not right because she was too young and was not ready to get married; however, Esperanza is willing to justify Sally actions becuase she is so desperate for a lifestyle other than her own. It appears that it is not just the house that Esperanza desires, it is a stereotypical lifestyle of the suburban community. Esperanza attempts to justify Sally's marriage because she can escape her current situation and have her husband and house, "her pillowcases and her plates" (124). She points out that Sally is afraid of her husband, but goes on to lighten the situation by describing the things inside the home she can look at. The idea of a house is such an important concept for Esperanza; if she only had a home everything would be perfect. This belief was so strong for Esperanza that she did not concern herself with her friend's unhappy lifestyle.
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The ideas you brought up in the second part of your post struck me as well. In class we discussed the concept of space, and how important it is to a writer. I agree that Cisneros has made it equally important to her protagonist. In the chapter "Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water" Elenita, the fortune teller tells her that she sees Esperanzas desperation for a house, but that she's see a house within in her heart. This is interesting because esperanza already does have the house on Mango street, but she says in the final chapter that it is a house that she does and doesn't belong to. I think maybe the house is a metafore for the displacement chicana women feel, stuck between two clsoe nations, but never comfortable in either culture.
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