- This story is told in a series of vignettes that follow the growth of Esperanza , the main character. Her family consists of her mom, dad, her brothers Kiki and Carlos, and her sister Nenny. The novel starts off with Esperanza and her family moving to her new home on Mango Street. She now lives in a Latin neighborhood where she becomes friends with Lucy and Rachel. From the beginning of the novel Esperanza establishes that she wants to get out of the neighborhood that she is living in and live in a home that she is proud of. Throughout the course of the novel, the reader is introduced to various women that are examples of what Esperanza does not want to become when she is older. As time goes by Esperanza matures. She has her first crush, makes new friends, is sexually assaulted, and is by the end of the novel able to define who it is that she wants to be.
- The main theme is self identity. This is a coming of age novel that shows Esperanza's journey to defining herself and what she will become. Throughout the novel Esperanza sees examples of what she does not want to become. At the end of the novel, she is a much stronger person and knows who she is and what she will do in the future.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
- Each different vignette in the novel conveys a different tone.
- There are also times when the tone gets serious. In this part of the novel, Esperanza's dad has just told her that her grandfather has died. -"And I think if my own Papa died what I would do. I hold my Papa in my arms. I hold and hold him."
- Towards the middle of the novel when Esperanza is sexually assaulted, there is a more baffled tone to the chapter/vignette. -"The one who grabbed me by the arm, he wouldn't let me go. He said I love you, Spanish girl, I love you, and pressed his sour mouth to mine...Then the colors began to whirl. Sky tipped. Their high black gym shoes ran. Sally, you lied, you lied. He wouldn't let me go. He said I love you, I love you, Spanish girl."
- At the end of the novel, Esperanza is optimistic that she will leave Mango Street and become something better. This is a much happier tone than previously. -" One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away."
- One literary technique that I found to be the most important was personification towards Mango Street at the end of the novel. "One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever". Mango Street represents everything that was holding her back and making her feel embarrassed of who she was. She is not literally saying goodbye to the street but everything that was holding her back.
- Another literary technique I found was the usage of imagery. One important example of imagery I found was "Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor." This refers to how Esperanza feels as she waits to find a best friend. This suggests that she feels isolated because she has no one to talk to or someone that understands her.
- A literary element used throughout the entire novel is indirect characterization. The reader is able to pick up the type of person that Esperanza is through her thoughts. For example, " I'm about to tell her that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, but the more I think about it..." This though of hers lets the reader know what she is thinking at the moment. This shows us how she is a person who is not afraid to speak her mind and tell others what she feels.
- Another literary element I found was the use of motif. The motif I found in this novel was the idea of women looking out their windows. All the women are confined to their home for different reasons. Mamacita stays inside her home and only looks out her window because she is afraid of the world(she cannot speak English). Esperanza's grandmother was also confined to her window by her husband, "She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow...I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window." This constant idea of women being oppressed by men helps Esperanza to realize that she does not want to be like these women.
- The novel is told in first person point of view. In other words, Esperanza is telling the different stories. This has a much stronger effect on the theme than it would have if it were told in third person point of view. "There. I had to look where she pointed-the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldn't fall out. You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing." The fact that we get insight on what the protagonist is feeling gives a more profound impact.
