The Golbin Market

Cisnero's acclaimed work The House on Mango Street explores a variety of themes in her photographic stories which capture everything from the seemingly banal triumphs of a small child to the tragedies suffered at the hands of cultural and social prescripts and finally to the mature introspections of a confused but wildly talented young woman. The short novel is essentially a coming-of-age story, one that depicts landmark events of Esperanza's life in the heavily stylistic vignettes that form the novel all while retaining a regular chronology that divides her juvenile and mature life into sections.

The tale begins with a snapshot of Esperanza's home on Mango Street; the home which is viewed under the critical gaze of the perceptive child who struggles with the home as a representation of several failures. First is the failure of her parents to provide the idyllic future that they promised, the future that was to unfold in the white-picket-fence suburban dream-house they described as they moved from apartment to apartment.

However, the house is more frequently seen as symbolic of the potential failure of never escaping Mango Street and not being able to realize the dream through her own agency. If her parent's incapacity to fulfill the fantasy was disappointing, Esperanza understands the degree of disappointment that awaits her if she is to take responsibility for her own happiness and fall short. Thus begins the narrator's battle to define herself and align her sense of self with the socially dictated identity appropriated to her. Cisnero's choice to open with this piece effectively impresses the moment of Esperanza's disillusionment and sets into motion the story of her understanding the issues and eventually resolving them.

Esperanza's identity crisis is multi-faceted, making it even more difficult for her to settle both her internal and external conflicts. One of the many faces of the crisis is her confusion surrounding her cultural role as a female. She paints the picture of the stereotypical Mexican woman as physically submissive yet psychic powerhouses of patience and more importantly, resilience. For example, she recounts the story of her grandparent's union in which her grandmother was literally dragged off into marriage and punished her husband by never conforming to be happy in a matrimony that was never based on egalitarian standards or even a reciprocated affection. Esperanza learns of the subtlety of a woman's strength and resolves not to repeat her grandmother's mistakes.

Another episode that deals with this role is in her memories of Sally coming to school with the faded purple and blue evidence of her father's physical abuse. The girl's beatings are explained away by her father's supposed concern and desire to protect the girl from danger and dishonor; however, they are the exact representation of the patriarchal realities that are prevalent in Esperanza's culture. Nevertheless, the tale is punctuated with an undertone of hope, albeit completely symbolic--Sally's enduring beauty that is not hidden behind the

...