Nuong Nguyen

Professor Renee Gaines

English 102 - #3300

9 November 2014

Paper #1- Resubmit edition

The struggles to achieve the American Dream in The House on Mango Street

Sandra Cisneros is the author of several books including The House on Mango Street. She has been writing for more than forty-five years, publishing for more than thirty-five years. The House on Mango Street was first published in 1984, and has sold over two million copies since its initial publication and is still selling strongly today. The book tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, whose neighborhood is one of harsh realities and natural beauty. The house on Mango Street is not the house, which Esperanza has been dreaming about; however, it is symbolical of the struggles to achieve the American Dream. That dream of the young girl depicts a reality.
The house on Mango Street has much better quality than the third floor on Loomis, which is where the Esperanza lived before. That improvement shows that Esperanza’s family is trying to make their dream come true, little by little in changing their lives. It also proves that her family can achieve the dream of the real house. The house on Mango Street depicts a house in which the family resides. In any event, the place on Loomis is merely a third floor that Esperanza cannot proudly admit that it is her house to the nun passing by. Esperanza describes the gloomy third floor as, “The house on Mango Street is ours and we don’t have to pay rent to anybody or share the yard with people downstairs or be careful not to make too much noise and there isn’t a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom” (3). When the family live on Loomis, they did not have their own washroom either. In order to use the washroom, they have to carry water from next door. Nevertheless, the house on Mango Street has a washroom, which is more convenient than the floor on Loomis has to offer.
Not only Esperanza, but also her parents always dream about a real house and everything begins from a dream. Through the narration of Esperanza, her parents never stop dreaming about a real house because they strongly believe that a house is achievable. Esperanza says that her dream house is “the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket,” (4) and it is “the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told” them before bedtime (4). Parents are always the first teachers and are the closest people of children. Parents have the huge influence on the way the children think and grow up. Therefore, when the parents have a strong belief in their dream, they will pass down to their children likewise. They always tell their children that one-day they will move into a house – a real house. Even though Esperanza’s parents might not achieve their dream, she is believed to continue building up that dream.
Esperanza is aware of their dream of a house and a peaceful neighborhood, which is once considered an American dream. That dream will be performed in the future of the young girl. Esperanza not only dreams about the house, but also pictures how the house will be. She states, “Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without the fence” (4). This states that the young girl doesn’t belong to the rundown neighborhood and to the low expectations the world has for her. The color white also reveals her determination of her future that she will become. The young girl in the story is a brave girl because she is not afraid of facing the harsh realities. The way Esperanza answers the nun is very impressive. She is not shy at all. She points to the third floor and describes clearly “the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bar” (5). She admits, “I knew then I had to have a house” (5). She also states at the end of the story: “One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away” (110). That power of the young girl makes the readers believe that she can change the realities and better her way of living in rough conditions.
The House on Mango Street is a story of a young girl growing up in the poverty. Nonetheless, the young girl has a brave heart, which can make her biggest dreams come true. Although the story is mostly about the misery of Esperanza’s family, it reveals a beautiful side and a strong belief of the narrator. Esperanza is a heroic character in which she makes her dreams a reality by doing everything necessary to achieve her goal. Moving place to place, she always looks to brighter side of things. By putting all efforts into an achievable goal despite all setbacks, Esperanza proves that anything is possible if work is put into it, which makes readers believe dreams are not just dreams, but rather a reality.

Work Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 1st ed. New York: Vintage, 1991. Print. Vintage Contempararies Edition.