The House on Mango Street

I love this book. I love how it shows me a whole different culture--a whole different way of life. I relate to some aspects of the book and feel intrigued by others. The ambiguity of the disjointed vignettes create an atmosphere of creativity and mystery. It felt like a puzzle I pieced together. It is like a puzzle that each reader pieces together, but in a different way every time. Every reader comes to the same conclusion for the plot, but the holes are filled by each readers imagination. That takes talent.

Relating to Esperanza may be easier for myself than some of the class because I am a female as well. Some of her experiences are experiences that every girl has. Playing dress-up, running around outside, refusing to grow up, the first time you have a crush, etc. Being able to relate to a storing makes it more interesting.

Also, the format of the story reminds me of how I think. I am a scatterbrain. If someone lived inside my head they would feel like they are on a crazy roller coaster going 80mph with twists and turns everywhere. I do not think there is a human being alive that can follow my thought processes. Relating to her writing style makes me feel connected to Sandra Cisneros. Her amazing talent to put together a puzzle before your eyes is impressive.

Another part of the book I enjoy is being connected to her culture. I find learning about other cultures intriguing. Growing up, my mother told me stories about my Native American heritage. Her grandmother had many mystical beliefs that the white man never purged from the Indians. They passed them down through generations. Now my mother tells me the silly stories and beliefs. They sound funny now, but I still like hearing them because that is a part of my heritage. For this reason, I love hearing about other people's cultures, even if they are "out of date." Sandra Cisneros's desire to pass down her heritage is beautiful. There's the saying, "you don't know where you're going until you know where you've been." She embraces this by sharing her culture in the past as well as Esperanza's view of the current Mexican culture.

During class we discussed Sandra Cisneros's original dream to be a poet. I found it ironic because the whole time I read the book it reminded me of poems and the ambiguity of their meaning. I enjoy reading some poems because of the challenge of figuring them out. I face the same challenge when I read The House on Mango Street. I love trying to piece together all the vignettes.

Overall, The House on Mango Street is one of my favorite stories. It is a real and colorful portrayal of one girls coming of age story. She embraces her heritage and makes some rules of her own.