The House on Mango Street shows a year in the life of Esperanza, the main character, and how she grows as a person. One of the genres that Sandra Cisneros, the author, writes in is called Bildungsroman. Throughout this story, the reader can experience how gender and being a woman can determine how they interact with certain people and how it affects their relationships. The themes presented in the novel are women and femininity, family and friends. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Women have often been portrayed in a certain way throughout this novel. Her mother is a stereotypical image of what women were; In this era, women were nurturing, feminine, and domesticated. From the Hairs vignette, "But my mother's hair, my mother's hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles, all curly and pretty because she pinned it up in curls all day, soft to put your nose in when she holds you, holds". you and you feel safe, it's the warm smell of bread before she bakes it, it's the smell when she makes room for you on her side of the bed, still warm with her skin, and you sleep next to her, the rain outside is falling and daddy is snoring". Esperanza's neighbor is depicted as the children's caretaker while also being beautiful, which was a common role for women. Found in the vignette Louie, her cousin and his other cousin, “Louie’s cousin is older than us. She lives with Louie’s family. Her own family is in Puerto Rico.. She can’t go out – I have to watch Louie’s sisters.” Esperanza notices how important beauty is in her society and the power it holds, but instead she compares her intelligence. She knows that beauty is not synonymous with independence and therefore seeks other means of access. in power, she believes, can help women move away from their current position and offer more options. We find in the Sire vignette: “And then his girlfriend arrived. Lois, I heard him call her. She's small and pretty and smells like baby's skin. I. . . I saw her barefoot baby toenails all painted pale pink, like little pink seashells, and she smells pink like babies do.” In The House on Mango Street, the women often shared some similar characteristics. After moving into his new house, the main character makes new friends. Esperanza feels like she is being prevented from having true friendships because of her (her sister's) responsibilities. The balloon symbolizes its ability to fly; the anchor keeps her grounded, unable to reach new heights. Found in the Boys & Girls sticker, "One day I'll have a best friend of my own." The one I can trust with my secrets. The one who will understand my jokes without me having to explain them. In the meantime, I am a red balloon, a balloon attached to an anchor.” She builds real connections and makes real friends in her new neighborhood. Esperanza ultimately does not seem isolated. According to Our Good Day, “At the bottom we go down Mango Street. Rachel, Lucy, me. Our new bike. Laugh at the tortuous return.” Her new location allows her to connect with new people. Esperanza may not look like some of her family members, but they share specific traits. Even though Esperanza and her great-grandmother never met, they have another common attribute besides their name, their wild personalities. Found in My Name, “My Great-Grandmother.” I would have liked to know her, a wild woman, so wild that she didn't.2019.18