Hopes and Dreams

In “The House on Mango Street” Esperanza describes several hopes and dreams she has for herself. The main dream she has is to live in a house she can call home. She has a feeling she does not actually belong in the places she lives. Her house on Mango Street is an actual house, but because it is not the house she had envisioned, she felt disappointed. The vignette  “Hips” describes her dream of becoming a woman, and the stereotypes she associates with that. Her desires to grow up are evident throughout several vignettes, similar to many girls when they are young. they want to have a purpose, and the one set in her mind of being a mother seems the most popular. Finally, in the vignette “Born Bad,” she reads one of the poems she had written:

 I want to be

like the waves on the sea,
like the Clouds in the wind,
but I’m me.
One day I’ll jump
out of my skin.
I’ll Shake the sky
like a hundred violins.

This poem is the best example of Esperanza's yearning to be someone greater than who she is at this moment. She knows for a fact that she is destined for greatness, and although she may have dreams of becoming a mother, she aspires for more than just that.

Several dreams of Esperanza's friends also appear throughout the vignettes that have a way of influencing her. For example, a majorly influential person to Esperanza was her Aunt Lupe, who inspired her to continue writing. Aunt Lupe had a successful dream, of becoming a swimmer, before the disease took her. Aunt Lupe made Esperanza realize there is more to life for a woman than simply becoming a housewife, and wants to follow similar footsteps to become a successful writer.

Death and Growth

Death: A simple, one-syllable word, yet a difficult concept to grasp, especially in the mind of 12-year-old Esperanza. The vignette “There Was an Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn’t Know What to Do” may have a lengthy title, but her explanation for Angel’s death very sudden. Esperanza’s awe for this moment seems to override her actual understanding for what happened. This viewpoint alters in “Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark” from awe to confusion. The news of her grandpa’s death from her own crying Papa makes her think more about the situation, how to act, how to tell her siblings, and even what life would be like if her Papa died. This realization of death alone explains how much Esperanza has matured already in the book. She has gone from innocent, child-like thoughts to being more mature and coming to know her morals and values.

How are boys and girls different socially in the House on Mango Street and in our society? In what way do they live in separate worlds?

In the time era of The House on Mango Street, gender roles were very specific for boys and girls. Boys generally did the tougher work, owned businesses or worked at jobs which required more labor, they would gain higher education easier and make more money. Generally, girls became housewives, with a stereotypical slogan “barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen” where they did not have as much of a need for higher education. Compared to today, gender roles have changed dramatically in the past 100 years, and there is a more leveled playing field. Overall, more women are enrolling to higher education facilities and joining similar work forces as men as well as joining the military. However, girls and boys do still tend to live in separate worlds, where it is still normal for boys to play in the dirt and girls to play with dolls. But nowadays even this is changing.

How do apps portray race and culture?

Everyone with a smart phone understands the significance of apps, and are aware of the several free or paid gaming apps such as Words With Friends, Temple Run, and thousands more. What you may not often realize are the racial stereotypes portrayed in some of these apps. Take Temple Run for example—the default character “Guy Dangerous” is a white male described as “just your average explorer.” As you gain more coins, you can unlock “better” characters, such as “Barry Bones” a black “city cop with an attitude” and Asian “Karma Lee” dressed up in traditional Chinese clothing and described as the fastest character. Notice anything weird about this? They are not the most negative stereotypes, however still evident. This is not even the worst one; there are several generator apps that transform a picture of you, showing what you would look like if you were old, fat, a zombie, and even different races. There has been much controversy about these apps, especially those that portray ancient culture stereotypes of Asians, Native Americans, etc. Petitions have pulled a few of these apps from the market, and the developers will never hear the end of it.

This is one of my favorite quotes from my favorite book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"