Women and Abuse in Sandra Cisneros’ Story

“In the story The House on Mango Street written by Sandra Cisneros, a young girl named Esperanza had many goals set in like, but with ever different neighborhood she moved to, she was blinded by male attention. One of her biggest goals was to have the house of her dreams which she described as a place that her family could call “theirs”. While moving from place to place, Esperanza met many strong women who each had different affects on her life.

Some of these women went through troubling times with their partners or males around them. As Esperanza grew older, she witnessed the unfair male treatment women received in her different neighborhoods. The theme of the story is women and domestic violence, as Esperanza begins to grow and mature physically and emotionally from the tragic events in her childhood.

As Esperanza begin to get use to the new house, she meets many different female figures with somewhat jobs. Each female had either a common job for a women or no job at all; Marin was one of them. She was related to Louie and babysitter his little sisters throughout the day. When she was not babysitting, she sold makeup that she received free from Avon for an extra amount of money. Marin made a big impact on Esperanza life because she felt like she explained the world to her. In the story, Esperanza states “But next year Louie’s parents are going to send her back to her mother with a letter saying she’s too much trouble, and that is too bad because I like Marin. She is older and knows lots of things” (Cisneros, 26-27). All Marin wanted was money and for a good man to come and sweep her away from the crazy world. She even let Esperanza know that male attention was okay and that she should stunt everything she had. Marin was a young girl, so many older men found her so beautiful. Being the young minded child she was, Esperanza believed that this was the right thing to do. No matter what Marin did it said, Esperanza seemed to like it a lot and it impacted her in a certain way.

As years pass by, Esperanza witnesses the physical abuse women received in her neighborhood. She even experienced some physical and sexual abuse from a neighborhood kid named Tito. Tito would push Esperanza into doing things she did not feel comfortable with doing. One day, he stole Sally’s keys and pressured her into kissing him and his friends. Tito was not the only male who actually showed abusive behavior towards Esperanza. With the help of her Auntie Lala, Esperanza was offered her first job but there was a catch. In the story The House on Mango Street Esperanza stated “Auntie Lala said she found a job for me at the Peter Pan Photo and Finishers on North Broadway where she worked, and how old was I, and to show up tomorrow saying I was one year older, and that was that” (Cisneros, 54). Her job was not much, but she accepted it because she was making a little money to put into her pocket. As she continues to work, she realizes that she is alone until she meets an older Oriental man on her lunch break. Being a young minded high schooler, Esperanza did not notice what the older guy was doing when he asked for a birthday kiss until he kissed her and did not let go. Throughout the story, Esperanza matures from physical and sexual abuse around her neighborhood. It seems like the older she gets, the more negative male attention she receives in the house on Mango Street.

Moving from place to place as a child showed Esperanza friendships met a lot to her. She would make friends and then forget them once she moved away. Sometimes they would cross her mind but that was always a rare thing. She met many female friends on Mango Street that were actually becoming adults at a very young age. Esperanza’s friend named Minerva was a wife and a mother of two. She was only two years older than Esperanza but was rushed to grow into a woman. Esperanza liked her a lot because they would share their poems with one another. But during this time, Esperanza would notice that Minerva’s husband was not always around. But when he did come around, he would get a little violent with Minerva. Instead of letting him go like she tells Esperanza, she takes him back every time he says the word “sorry”. During this situation, Esperanza shows how mature she was by stating “I don’t know which way she’ll go. There is nothing I can do” (Cisneros, 85). By stating this, Esperanza knew she could not help her friend because she would end up falling for her husband for the hundredth time. The longer Minerva took her husband back, the more trouble he will bring every time he would return.

Throughout the story, many women were treated unfairly and Esperanza began to notice that. Some of the women she met were being abused but continued to let it happen even though it was not right. She even experienced her own abuse but she moved forward and matured from it. In the article Post-Abuse Boundary Renegotiation: Healing and Reclaiming Self After Intimate Partner Violence it stated “The courage needed to escape an abusive relationship is often compromised by the very abuse itself” (Czerny, p211). Esperanza realized that Minerva had trouble when it came to trying to leave her violent husband. Even if she wanted to help her, Esperanza did not know where to start. It was like Minerva was searching for love from her husband even though he did not want to stay. But through all the troubling times, Esperanza was still a great friend to Minerva. Esperanza’s maturity level increased as she dealt with more abusive situations and relationships at the house on Mango Street.”

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