The work of literature from this course that has had the biggest impact on me is The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. I don’t just say that because this would be the story easiest to reflect on from memory. I wholeheartedly enjoyed Cisneros’s writing. I was a bit disappointed when I realized I had read the very last vignette and I would never know the conclusion to Esperanza’s fate. Does she ever get the house she wanted? Does she become that fiercely independent woman she planned on becoming? Does she ever escape Mango Street? Does she come back for the ones who can not leave? So, many questions were running through my head.
I also loved Cisneros’s writing style. Her writing felt like an art, very flowery and lyrical as if she were writing poetry. However, her writing doesn’t come off as pretentious. It is accessible and easy for most to understand. I love that she was able to keep the integrity and craftsmanship of her work, while also making the vignettes a breeze to read.
It was very easy to place myself on mango street and see things from Esperanza’s eyes. I have grown very fond of the character. She reminds me of my younger self. I also moved around a lot as a kid. In 6th grade, I went to 4 different schools due to how often I moved. And I can say with confidence, by the age of 12 I had lived in every borough in NYC. Like Esperanza, I often feel like I have no real home at times, just places of dwelling. As a child, I also dreamed of escaping the places where I lived and having a home of my own. Not an apartment that I would rent and eventually have to leave, but a house that I could call mine. It’s hard to find the words to explain the way this book made me feel. The best way that I can explain it is that after reading this coming-of-age story, a part of me that I haven’t thought about for a very long time felt seen.
