Transcript The House on Mango Street

Cultural Context
“I knew then that I had to
have a house. A real
house. One I could point
to…” (Cisneros 5).

“Told in a series of vignettes
stunning for their eloquence, The
House on Mango Street is Sandra
Cisneros's greatly admired novel of a
young girl growing up in the Latino
section of Chicago…Sometimes
heartbreaking, sometimes deeply
joyous, The House on Mango Street
tells the story of Esperanza Cordero,
whose neighborhood is one of harsh
realities and harsh beauty.
Esperanza doesn't want to belong -not to her rundown neighborhood,
and not to the low expectations the
world has for her. Esperanza's story
is that of a young girl coming into
her power, and inventing for herself
what she will become” (“Major
Works”).

Much like her heroine in The House on
Mango Street, Cisneros grew up in poverty
dreaming of a day when she could have a
home to truly call her own. But even after
achieving artistic success and financial
independence, Cisneros’ goals were still
hampered by society.

“Cisneros now does have a house of her
own--a bright purple house, no less, in San
Antonio. In July of 1998, The New York
Times featured an article describing the
furor raised by her neighbors--belonging to
the the King William neighborhood
association--who declared that the color is
‘historically incorrect.’ Arguing that purple
is indeed historically correct--that it is a
pre-Columbian color celebrating pride in
Mexican heritage,” Cisneros tried and failed
to defend her color choice. She was
allowed, instead, to paint her home a more
“traditional” pink (Juffer).

Though stifled by societal norms, Cisneros has
found a way to live in harmony within cultural
confines, “My house is no longer violet because
the sun faded it from violet to blue after a few
years. We painted it Mexican-pink so it can fade
into pink, then built my office in the backyard
and painted it Mexican-marigold. The colors
make me happy” (“About Sandra Cisneros”).

Though she has reached her own personal goals,
Cisneros still reaches out to those in need of
assistance and inspiration, “Much as the writer
Esperanza promises to return to Mango Street at
the end of that novel, Cisneros has continually
returned to her community, showing the
powerful connection between art, politics, and
everyday life” (Juffer). Through teaching and
activism, Sandra Cisneros makes Esperanza’s
closing words ring true, “I have gone away to
come back. For the ones I left behind. For the
ones who cannot out” (Cisneros 110).

Neither prose or poetry, The House on Mango explores
instead the linguistic borderlands in between, “Cisneros'
narrative style rejects traditional short story forms in favor
of collage, often a mosaic of interrelated pieces, blending
the sounds of poetry with oral story telling techniques. Her
ingenious use of language includes the rhythm, sound, and
syntax of Spanish, its sensibilities, emotional relationships to
the natural world and inanimate objects, and its use of
tender diminutives. She also uses the poetry of urban street
slang, children's rhymes, and song creating her own
innovative literary style at once musical, spontaneous,
primal, and direct” (Thomas).

According to the author, “The language of Mango Street is
based on speech. It's very much an anti-academic voice--a
child's voice, a girl's voice, a spoken voice, the voice of an
American-Mexican. It's in this rebellious realm of antipoetics
that I tried to create a poetic text with the most unofficial
language I could find. I did it neither ingenuously nor
naturally. It was as clear to me as if I were tossing a
Molotov” (Thomas).
“About Sandra Cisneros." Sandra Cisneros. 08 Oct. 2009. Web. 17 Nov 2009.
http://www.sandracisneros.com.
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Random House, 1984. Print.
Juffer, Jane. "Sandra Cisneros: Biographical Note.” Modern American Poet.
University of
Illinois, Web. 17 Nov 2009. http://www.english.illinois.edu.
"Major Works." Sandra Cisneros. 08 Oct. 2009. Web. 17 Nov 2009.
http://www.sandracisneros.com.
Thomas, Carol. "Cisneros, Sandra." Contemporary Women Poets. Ed. Pamela L. Shelton. St. James
Press, 1998. 63-64. Rpt. in Poetry for Students. Ed. David A. Galens. Vol. 19. Detroit: Gale,
2004. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.