The House on Mango Street

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The House on Mango Street

• Ortiz Cofer, Judith, An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio (1995)
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• Rice, David, Crazy Loco: Stories (2001)
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• Santiago, Esmeralda, When I was Puerto Rican (1993)
  Growing up in Puerto Rico, Esmeralda learned the proper way to eat a guava, the sound of the tree frogs in the mango groves at night, the taste of the delectable sausage called morcilla, and the formula for ushering a dead baby's soul to heaven. But when Esmeralda is taken to New York City the rules - and the language - become bewilderingly different. How Esmeralda succeeds, is a truly remarkable story.
• Santiago, Esmeralda, Almost a Woman (1998)
  This book continues the life story that Santiago began in When I Was Puerto Rican (LJ 9/15/93). After her family's arrival in New York City, Santiago faced the difficult process of assimilation. Santiago's memoir traces her personal growth through her teenage years; she describes her relationships with her family, her early dating experiences, and her first sexual encounters. We are reminded of the pains and pleasures of adolescence and becoming an adult.
• Thomas, Piri, Down These Mean Streets (1967)
  This is the autobiography of a young man growing up in Spanish Harlem. We follow the harsh world he experiences and his descent into a life of crime. Despite the gutter language, the book has an undeniable power. Eventually he transcends his harrowing coming of age to self acceptance and survival. This book has become a classic.

Major Character List

The House on Mango Street

• Esperanza Cordero: Esperanza records impressions of the world around her. Her perceptions range from humorous anecdotes pulled from life in the barrio to more dark references to crime and sexual provocation. Through Esperanza's eyes, the reader glimpses the other characters in Esperanza's neighborhood.
• Magdalena Cordero variant: Nenny Cordero: "Nenny" is Esperanza's younger sister. Esperanza sees her little sister as childish and unable to understand the world as she does
• Papa Cordero: Esperanza's father is portrayed as a man burdened with the obligation of providing for his family.
• Mama Cordero: Esperanza's mother is typical of the women in Latin American communities whose life is defined by marriage, family, children, and traditionally female activities.
• Carlos Cordero: Carlos is Esperanza's younger brother. The brothers have little interaction with Esperanza and Nenny outside of the structure of the household.
• Kiki Cordero: Kiki, "with hair like fur," is Esperanza's younger brother.
• Cathy: Cathy, "Queen of Cats," as Esperanza calls her because of her motley collection of felines, is one of Esperanza's neighborhood playmates.
• Marin: Marin is a Puerto Rican neighbor, an older girl with whom Esperanza and her friends are fascinated.
• Rosa Vargas: In the story, "There Was an Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn't Know What to Do," Rosa is portrayed as a woman left in the lurch by a husband who abandoned her and their unruly kids.
• Alicia: "Alicia Who Sees Mice" is a young woman burdened by taking care of her family while attending college in order to escape her way of life in the barrio.
• Lucy: Lucy is a neighborhood girl whom Esperanza befriends even though her clothes "are crooked and old."
• Rachel: Rachel is Lucy's sister, a sassy girl according to Esperanza, with whom Esperanza and Lucy parade around the neighborhood in high heel shoes in the story "The Family of Little Feet."
• Elenita : Elenita, "witch woman" who tells fortunes with the help of Christian icons, tarot cards, and other accouterments, tells Esperanza after reading her cards that she sees a "home in the heart," leaving Esperanza disappointed that a "real house" does not appear in her future.
• Rafaela: Rafaela stays indoors and observes the world from her windowsill, "because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at."
• Sally: Sally wears black clothes, short skirts, nylons, and makeup. Esperanza looks upon her with fascination and wonder, and wants to emulate her, but the dark side of Sally's life is revealed in her relationship with her abusive father.

Discussion Questions

The House on Mango Street

1. How does Cisneros’ use of many very short chapters effect the overall narrative? Do you think it enhances or detracts from the story?
2. From the very first chapter and throughout the text, Esperanza longs for her very own home. How does the actual house on Mango Street differ from her idea of a perfect home?
3. In “Boys and Girls” Esperanza states that, “The boys and the girls live in separate worlds. The boys in their universe and we in ours.” Give examples if you agree or don’t agree.
4. In many ways Esperanza’s neighborhood is also a world apart from the rest of Chicago where she and her family, friends, and neighbors feel safe. In “Those Who Don’t” Cisneros writes, “All brown all around, we are safe.” Do you feel the same sense of community where you live?
5. Why do you think that Esperanza is so eager to get her “Hips”?
6. Did “The First Job” spur any memories of the first time you were gainfully employed? What do you think Esperanza will remember most about her first job? Why?
7. “Elaina, Cards, Palm Water” and “The Three Sisters” deal directly and indirectly with the supernatural. How important are magic, miracles, and mysticism in Esperanza’s life? Do you believe in the paranormal?
8. Many of the female characters are dissatisfied with their lot in life. What are some of the ways that Esperanza, Amanita (“Speak no English”), Rafaela, and Sally cope with their disappointments?
9. It seems that Sally trades in an abusive, controlling father for an abusive, controlling husband. What do you think of this trade-off and how common do you think this is today?
10. In “The Red Clowns” Esperanza rails against Sally, “Why did you leave me all alone? I waited my whole life. You’re a liar. They all lied. All the books and magazines, everything that told it wrong”. What lie is she referring to? What did she expect? Is her anger justified?
11. What is your overall take on the book? Would you consider reading more titles by Cisneros?