Critique of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros - Book Report/Review Example

Book Report/Review, English Topic: Critique of “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is an autobiographical novel. It articulates the story of the tempestuous events in the life of a Latina girl Esperanza Cordero and her trials and tribulations in living in the house at Mango Street, Chicago. The author owns the benefit of her direct experiences to make her characters authentic. Writing about the unknown belongs to the imaginary world of the author and that imagination also adds to the merit of the novel. The reality of her life is depicted through narrations. The House on Mango Street turns out to be the witness to her expression of ethnic subjugation, economic oppression and expectations for independence from all sorts of challenges that one encounters with never-say-die attitude. For the Chicana women, it is like the prison within the house. There is a permanent patriarchal wall of dominance which women have to confront throughout their life. The women characters are confined in a domestic prison due to the fact that “the Mexicans, don't like their women strong"(10).Her comments about womenfolk, are painfully sarcastic and evoke sympathy. The author describes her great-grandmother as a “wild horse of a woman, so wild that she could not marry (11) However, once her great-grandfather made her to succumb to the institution of marriage, her only recreation for entire life was to peep out of the window like many other women, and sit in a fixed place head in hands brooding. She mentions about another woman Rafaela who was physically locked out in the house and the world outside was permanently shut for her as her husband was worried about her possible escape since her beauty was exceptional and she was highly attractive. With this character the author describes how women faced total confinement in the house and denied opportunities for the growth of their personality. For Rafaela, her beauty was her life-long curse. The author articulates that a girl-child suffers at every stage of her life. The male fraternity whether her father or her husband at the later station of her life torture her mentally in different degrees. Sally, another young girl was punished in the first instance by her father and her fault was her beauty. She was alienated by her father whose perverted ideology as for women was-- beauty invited trouble. Esperanza tackles this sociological issue by asking a psychological question to Sally "Do you wish your feet would one day keep walking and take you far away from Mango Street, far away and maybe your feet would stop in front of a house, a nice one"(82). Sally and the author both desire a home of their dreams where they will be free and can breathe fresh air in the real sense of the term. The author describes how women are dominated and they are expected to do just the domestic chores and nothing else. The author also gives the example of the rebellion that is brewing within the female fraternity, and she introduces Alicia, a victim of cultural beliefs, but she is fighting for an opportunity to escape the trap by attending college and working to lookout for a world other than her kitchen at home. The society, in which women are oppressed, ipso facto, means half of the human population is exploited. Psychological exploitation is more severe than the economic oppression. The author suffered from both. She was born in a poor family. To be born as a girl and in poverty was her double tragedy. For good or bad, the house is equated with the value of the woman. Houses represented the social status of the family and it was the barometer of the standards of poverty. Her house on Mango Street was like the symbol of dubious economic status that adversely impacted her life. Esperanza seeks the right of self-definition for women. She gives the example by simple actions that she, as a woman she would not like to do. She desires to leave the table like a man after the dinner without arranging the chair properly to its original position or picking up the plate. These small issues are the symbol of liberty she craves for to hail glory of womanhood. She wants the woman to be the creator of her destiny, not the victim. She resents the humiliating patriarchal homes and would like to be free. She wants to be a rebel against all procedures that subjugate the spirit of women. She wants to own every little asset in her dream house to discover their real beauty. It is possible only when she is free from all the societal restrictive practices. The author has the candid expectation and she writes, “One day I’ll own my own house, but I won’t forget who I am or where I came from.”(87)The gist of the novel, in short, is about presentation of Latino culture from the perspective of a young girl with indomitable courage to challenge the societal persecution all around women. I entirely agree with the author and her articulation about the acute problems faced by the Latina girls. We have, perhaps, never heard a discussion or discourses on the topic, ‘Men their role in the society’. The discussion is always about women and men perhaps have no role in building the society! The never-ending talk of giving equal rights to women goes on at every national and international forums but nothing tangible happens in the real sense of the terms. What women have achieved is due to spread of education amongst them, and the relentless struggle of the women organizations. The various enactments have also lent a helping hand, as provisions of law have stood by them to deliver justice. In fine, the author has given a stunning novel with the solid advice to women to fight for their rights, by boldly transcending all the barriers that check their social, psychological and economic progress. The novel examines threadbare the everyday life of women, the day to day impediments, problems, the silent cries of heart, their efforts for growth and the occasional interludes of laughter and happiness in their life. Works Cited Cisneros, Sandra. The House On Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books (A Division of Random House Inc) 1984. Read More