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Mauricio Mejia
Humanities
12 October 2013
Tough Times on Mango Street
Mahatma Gandhi once said, You must be the change you wish to see in the world. This
quote really applies to Esperanzas experience on Mango Street. The House on Mango Street is a
novella written by Sandra Cisneros about the challenges the main character, Esperanza, has to
overcome to be a successful person. While Esperanza lives in a poor neighborhood, she learns
from the mistakes and lessons of other women in her neighborhood and uses these lessons to
succeed.
Sally influences Esperanza in many ways throughout the novella The House on Mango
Street. For example, Sally leaves Esperanza with an unknown man and Esperanza gets raped.
She tells Sally, It wasnt what you said at all. What he did. Where he touched me. I didnt want
it Sally (Cisneros 99). Esperanza, in this passage, is raped because of Sallys negligence. This
incident lowers her self-esteem, even further. Therefore, Sally influences Esperanza with her
negligence. Beside this example, there are many other ways Sally influences Esperanza. For
instance, Sally marries a man to get away from Mango Street. Esperanza says, She is happy,
except when he is angry (Cisneros 101). Sally, in this passage, is trapped in her marriage.
Esperanza learns from Sallys mistake, that she cannot rely on a man to get out of Mango Street.
Esperanza, in The House on Mango Street, is influenced by Sally.
Alicia is a girl in the neighborhood that helps Esperanza and influences her a lot in the
book. One example is when she says, Like it or not you are Mango Street, and one day youll
come back too(Cisneros 107). In this passage, Alicia reminds Esperanza to come back to
Mango Street. She tells Esperanza this because she knows that Esperanza will most likely
become successful. Alicia reminds Esperanza that she has to affect her neighborhood in a
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positive way. This shows how Alicia has a positive affect on Esperanza by giving her good
advice. However, this is not the only example of Alicias positive influence on Esperanza. For
instance, Alicia is molested by her father. (Cisneros 31). Despite this travesty, her strong will
does not allow her feel sorry for herself; instead she continues to fight for her own existence.
This is why Esperanza feels inspired by Alicia. She overcomes her challenges and relies on no
one, but herself, to become a strong woman. This shows how Esperanza is inspired by her.
Esperanza is positively inspired by Alicia throughout the book.
Marin is a girl that affects Esperanza a lot in The House on Mango Street. One example
of this is when Marin is dancing in front of the street light, waiting for a car to stop, for a star to
fall(Cisneros 27). This quote shows how Marin is trying to get out of Mango Street with the
help of a man. After watching Marin wait for a long time, Esperanza realizes that she has to rely
on her wits and talents to be successful and help other people in her neighborhood. However, this
is not the only way Marin has an influence on Esperanza. For instance, What matters, Marin
says, is for the boys to see us and for us to see them (Cisneros 27). In this quote, Marin affects
Esperanza by telling her that boys are extremely important to leave Mango Street which, in
Esperanzas case, is not true. Marin does not become successful because she tries to get out of
Mango Street with a man. Esperanza wisely knows that she can only rely on herself to be
successful. Esperanza, throughout the book, is affected heavily by Marins bad decisions.
Through all the good and bad decisions and good advice Sally, Marin, and Alicia have
given to Esperanza, they affect Esperanza heavily throughout the book. Esperanza learns a lot of
lessons throughout the book, both good and bad, especially concerning her community. If she
never met Alicia, Marin, or Sally, she probably would have gone with a man to escape Mango
Street, or had not escaped at all, instead of using her skills to get out. Every young women,
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especially the girls with tough situations in front of them, can learn from The House on Mango
Street and Esperanzas ups and downs before becoming an inspiring figure in their community.
They can use their many talents to get out of their situations.