In “The House on Mango Street” written by Sandra Cisneros, the vignette that connected most with me and the other readings we have read this semester is “Alicia Who Sees Mice”. It discovers the theme of: lack of equality in gender relations. We learn that Alicia’s mother died recently and left her feeling the responsibilities of the house since that was the order that was expected. Her father, in a very old fashioned way, warns her of the mice around her (I imagine they symbolize success). But, Alicia takes “Two trains and a bus, because she doesn’t want to spend her whole life in a factory or behind a rolling pin”. She is afraid of that life. I found the wording of “four legged fur” interesting, it made me think of cleaning on your hands and knees, 4 limbs towards the floor. I don’t know if that was intentional but I found it interesting.
As a woman, I can relate to this vignette easily. The limitations based on gender identity are still common in the present day.
