Never-ending Dreams

3 Pages 769 Words

In The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros,
Esperanza’s dreams and desires are not prevented despite her
poverty. The vignettes ‘The House on Mango Street’, ‘My
Name’ and ‘Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes’ best show the
position she is in and the way she deals with all of the
experiences that come her way. Poverty is a set back for
Esperanza, but it will not hold her back from obtaining her
ultimate dreams.
It was obvious to everyone that Esperanza was poor, “You
live there? (5). The deteriorated tiny house on Mango Street
belonged to Esperanza. She lived in the poor part of her
neighborhood. She couldn’t wait to get out of it. The role
models in her vicinity were just as bad too. All of
Esperanza’s role models were women. All of the women she
looked up to were unhappy. They were all stuck in a place
they didn’t want to be, stuck behind “a window.” These lives
did not hold a fortunate future for Esperanza. She didn’t
see any women with a good life, but she was still determined
to get somewhere on her own, “I have inherited her name, but
I don’t want to inherit her place by the window” (11).
Esperanza received her grandmother’s name. Her grandmother
was a strong lady, but her life ended when she got married.
She was unhappy and sad, and so she “sat her sadness on her
elbow”, watching everything go by out the window. She was on
the inside looking out, and that was not how Esperanza
wanted to live her life. Her poverty and role models may be
a set back in her life, but Esperanza’s positive outlook
leads her to a better future.
Esperanza’s poverty changes the way she looks at herself
and the way she acts, but it does not change her dreams.
Esperanza sees herself at first as insignificant, as though
a lot of money and a decent house would make her a better
person. Though her poverty is an impediment, it also makes
her more optimistic on what is to come of her l...