Name someone who doesn’t have an identity. It is not possible because everybody has an identity and everybody’s identity is completely unique to who they are. Identity is what shapes people and it can be anything from looks to traits. The House On Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, is about a girl named Esperanza and her journey through life. Esperanza desperately wants to move off the street she lives on and in doing so she realizes many things about herself as well as who she is as a person. Identity is the most important theme in the novel because Esperanza’s identity change s, identity shapes who she is, and Esperanza discovers her cultural identity. The first reason why identity is the most important theme is because Esperanza’s identity changes. Alicia states, “ Like it or not you are Mango Street, and one day you will come back too,” (Page 107). Esperanza responds with, “ Not me,” (Page …show more content…
Cultural identity is feeling belonged to a social group. Esperanza explains, “She sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission,” (Page 102). In her community, it is normal for men to dominate which is what has happened to Sally. Esperanza proclaims, “I have begun my own quiet war. Simple. Sure. I am the one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate,” (Page 89). Esperanza reveals that she does not want to go down the same path that many women follow. She believes that if she acts masculine she won’t have to have a controlling husband and she can prevent herself from having an unwanted future like most women on Mango Street face. Identity is the most important theme in this novel. Esperanza’s identity shapes who she will become. Her identity also differs throughout the novel and she discovers her cultural identity. As she grew, she was able to find her identity which made her into the person she is