Everything went according to plan until one of the nuns who knew all of the canteen kids pulled her aside. Esperanza wanted to feel special by having lunch with them, so her mom wrote her a note. The preppy kids who lived further from the school got to eat their lunch in the Canteen.
In the chapter “Rice Sandwich,” Esperanza asks her mom to pack her a lunch. All because of the humiliation I felt, in the same way a culminating point in Esperanzas is when she gets sent to Sister Superior’s office. To leave home to go to college seeking a new challenge and environment. This experience has stuck with me and it motivated me to get a higher education. I left with tears streaming down my face. She yelled, “Get Out!” as she pointed to the door. I was too shy to ask anyone what was happening she snatched my book and I pulled it back quickly. I stared back at her with a blank look as she repeated the words that to me sounded like a washing machine. I know now that she asked me to put the book away but I did not understand then. Confused about what was going on I reached for my book for comfort and in a matter of seconds, I looked up to an upset teacher in front of me. As I navigated class holding tight to a book written in Spanish, we stood for the National Anthem. My teacher did not know Spanish and I did not know English. The first day of school in America became a long-term memory for me. I learned this the first day of third grade when I felt so small for not understanding English. A person is not tied down to either/or, for being Mexican-American is a knit of both. Language manifested itself as a barrier as well as a bridge when looking for an identity.
#House on mango street free
She wants to be free to express her identity not in a specific language just on her own.
Her name, as soft as silk, is valuable as it connects her to her Mexican ancestors. It could have been “Hope,” the English translation, but instead it’s in Spanish. One that would be easy to pronounce and fit her dreams. Esperanza was the name given to the main character however, she felt like she needed a new name. It is the meaning our parents give us from birth and the foundation to living up to those expectations. Unfortunately, it can suggest gender, nationality, even someone’s personality. A name says a lot about someone’s identity as well as defining first impressions. But in Spanish my name is made out of a softer something, like silver.I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees” (Cisneros 11). We see this reflected in the chapter called “My Name,” where Esperanza says, “At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. I started to pronounce my name differently so people could say it with ease, just like Esperanza. When I started attending school I learned to assimilate within my environment. As I learned English I did not want to deny part of my culture. I wanted to find a place where I could embrace both my Mexican heritage but also my American pride as I was raised in a hybrid environment. I found myself in front of a language barrier as well as in the middle of an identity crisis. My family immigrated to America from Mexico when I was eight years old. I was able to connect to Esperanza and her internal development from beginning to end. She lacks a sense of belonging, leaving her confused about her identity as well as facing social class issues both in school and in her neighborhood.Įsperanza is characterized by her independent personality she aspires a brighter future for herself. She is given this home by her parents, resolving the main problem, but it doesn’t meet her expectations. A space far from Mango street where she can develop her hybrid cultural identity. In her coming-of-age journey, she longs for a home of her own where she can be herself. Esperanza Cordero is the name of a young Latina girl in the novel, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros. Esperanza: to want something to happen and be true, also known as hope.