She feels she doesn't really belong to that house because that is not the house of her dreams. That is what prompts her to start writing. Her creative pursuits help her stay sane so she doesn't feel so trapped by the "ghost" of the sad red house. "I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free" (p. 101).
It is highly interesting that house in this novel doesn't only represent the physical house but also the imaginary dwelling in the mind that Esperanza escapes to in order to alleviate the anguish. The house is thus a place of escape for her. When the reality becomes too unbearable, Esperanza seeks another dwelling. This dwelling exists in her mind and produced by her creative skills. Writing then provides her with the solace and comfort that she had hitherto desired from having a house of her own. As she becomes more interested in writing, the reality becomes much easier to bear. This signifies her departure from the house on Mango Street to pursue her creative dreams: "They will know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot get out." (p. 102)
As Esperanza turns to writing, her desire for a house attains a more mature flavor. She still wants a house similar to the one her father worked in but she wants that house to affirm her social thinking. People who lived in bigger houses had always humiliated Esperanza; so she naturally feels that if she once had her own house, she would treat others with respect. For her, this new house would help her teach people a lesson in how others, especially underprivileged, should be treated. "One day I'll own...
" Thus, although she is not aware as such of her position in society, she realizes however that the house they moved to does not correspond to what her family had been dreaming about. The small and crammed house offers almost as little space as the other places they lived in. When describing the small house, the author introduces the single metaphor in the speech of the child narrator, saying that
The frequency of window imagery in the novel highlights both the importance of expectancy ("Esperanza) and houses. Esperanza's namesake was said to always be looking out of a window, after she was 'carried off' by a man, symbolizing Esperanza's fears of maturity. Esperanza is ashamed when people point to her house through windows, like the nun at her school points at the house from a window to indicate why
However, there is also danger to the sexuality that lies behind sweetness, as when a girl Sally, marries a marshmallow salesman to escape an abusive father, entering a union that seems as bad as the home she is leaving. A final symbol of the novel is that of play -- few adult women, except for the insane Ruthie, are seen enjoying themselves over the course of the novel. Girls can
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Ignorance Bliss? A Comparison and Contrast of the Characters and Themes of Sandra Cisneros' "The House on Mango Street" and "Araby" by James Joyce Plot Summary Character Summary Ignorance, although comfortable is not bliss at all. Character Gender Age Difference Culture Catholicism and sexuality in Joyce Catholicism and family in Cisneros Home Significance of home in Cisneros Significance of leaving home in Joyce Both the protagonists of Sandra Cisneros and "Araby" by James Joyce are young adolescents, poised upon the brink of
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