The House on Mango Street

bySandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street

• is set in modern-day Chicago• is about the Hispanic culture in

America• is a book of short stories/poems—

and sometimes not even full stories, but character sketches and vignettes

• is narrated by a young Mexican–American girl named Esperanza

Mango Street is set in the Pilsen area of

Chicago

PILSEN

Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood

• Located in the Lower West Side• In 19th Century it was inhabited by Czech

immigrants who named the district after Plzeň the fourth largest city in what is now the Czech Republic.

• Beginning in the mid 1960s Pilsen became increasingly Mexican. In the 1970s Pilsen became predominantly Mexican.

The subjects of many of these vignettes are Esperanza’s family,

neighbors, and friends.Minerva

Who Writes Poems

Kiki with Hair Like

Fur

Gil, the Furniture

Store owner

Cathy Queen of

Cats

Edna’s Ruthie

Alicia Who Sees Mice

Meme Ortiz Aunt Lupe

Geraldo No Last Name

The Earl of Tennessee

Sire The Family of Little

Feet

Note the interesting names and titles.

Character Map

The main character is named Esperanza. Her dreams, frustrations,

and hopes are also the subjects of some of

these vignettes.Do you know what the English

translation of esperanza is?

HOPE

Esperanza has hope in a seemingly “hopeless”

world. Like her character

Esperanza, Sandra Cisneros, the author, remained hopeful about her future, despite growing up in a neighborhood “that appeared like France after World War II – empty lots and burned-out buildings.”

You can never have You can never have too much sky. You too much sky. You can fall asleep and can fall asleep and wake up drunk on wake up drunk on sky, and sky can sky, and sky can keep you safe when keep you safe when you are sad. Here you are sad. Here there is too much there is too much sadness and not sadness and not enough sky. enough sky. Butterflies too are Butterflies too are few and so are few and so are flowers and most flowers and most things that are things that are beautiful. Still, we beautiful. Still, we take what we can take what we can get and make the get and make the best of it.best of it.

This children’s book was the inspiration for The House on Mango

Street.

Virginia Lee Burton’s book, The Little House, is about the

survival of the house despite the disappearance of the

country surrounding it as it is replaced by skyscrapers and

factories. In the end, the house is moved back to the countryside. Cisneros’ loved

this book because it described the stable family home she

desired.

Main Ideas

• self-definition & identity• friendship, neighborhood, home • freedom vs. entrapment• growth & maturity / sexuality• gender roles & expectations• fitting in• future opportunities vs.

limitations• finding one’s home

Cisneros’ Life• Her father is Mexican and

her mother is Mexican-American.

• Her family moved between Chicago and Mexico City often.

• Due to the loneliness as a result of the constant moves, she retreated into books, which became her “adolescent companions.”

• She began writing in secret in grade school.

• In high school she wrote poetry and edited the school literary magazine.

• She now lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Cisneros’ house in San Antonio

The writer came under attack from the historical community of King William when she chose to paint her house “periwinkle purple.”

Reading Alerts strategic use of

Spanish throughout

“Cold frijoles.”

“Esta muerto.”

“Los espiritos are here.”

unconventional use of grammar and syntax

“Bum man says, Yes, little girl.”

Reading Alerts (cont)

“adolescent/childlike” perspective of the world

“Everything is holding its breath inside me.”

beautiful, poetic language – figurative language

“You can never have too much sky.”

a long list of characters (chapter notes while reading are helpful in remembering them)

“Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, Nenny, and me.”

About her book, Cisneros says, “I

wanted• to write stories that

read like memoirs,• to tell one big story,

each story contributing to the whole—like beads in a necklace,

• to change the way someone thinks about my community, or my gender, or my class.”