The vignette that stuck out the most to me was Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water in House on Mango Street. It stood out to me because of what we learned about Esperanza. While this chapter mainly introduces and sets up the new character of Elenita, I think that we gain a lot of insight into Esperanza’s character, her motivations, and what pushes her. She lives with her large family, as she has to because she is a young girl at this point. And while her family is something that is obviously very important to her, we also see her wanting distance. And we see Elenita trying to provide an immediate and less expensive solution for Esperanza, in finding her own home within herself. I think that this chapter is a good look into the formative years of Esperanza’s life. In the previous chapter, when her grandfather died, Esperanza was forced to mature fast and take over her father’s part in the leadership role. While she is mature enough for that Esperanza is having a harder time being able to understand her emotions enough to create a space within her own heart, like Elenita is trying to advise her to, where she can go to just be her..
Daily Archives: December 7, 2022
On page 108, “A House of My Own” is the story I can relate to the most because Esperanza envisions a home not owned by anyone else but her and she can do whatever she wants to it. Esperanza focuses more on the contents of inside the house that make it her own and not the size or area. When I used to visit my grandparents out in Utah, I always tell them this is my dream home and somewhere where I feel at peace. The inside of the home is very simple and organized, just as Esperanza describes “clean as paper before the poem”. I remember reading out in the backyard once and it was completely silent which made me wonder if I was dreaming because of how much I’m used to noise living in the Bronx. My grandparents’ home is a representation of who I am and how I want to live. In this vignette, a home is a symbolic image representing independence, pride, and a stable life to Esperanza, the same feelings I want to have when I own a house.
The vignette on page 56 of “The House on Mango Street” made the strongest impression on me. I really enjoy that whenever I read this book, I can always make a connection to my own life. This helps me to better understand the character’s thoughts and actions in the story. When I was around the ages of five-seven, my family and I flew to Bangladesh because of my grandmother’s, my father’s mother’s, death. I remember being in Bangladesh and my dad sitting in the middle of the couch crying so much. All my other family members surrounded him and were crying as well. We flew to Bangladesh from America. I was so little but seeing him cry made such a great impact on me and made me realize what death is. I was standing across the room from him because I did not know what to do or what to say. “I have never seen my Papa cry and I don’t know what to do. I know he will have to go away, that he will take a plane to Mexico, all the uncles and aunts will be there…” (Page 56). I felt the same feeling as the character because I have personally gone through this situation myself. I was able to picture and remember everything again.
