For this week’s discussion board “The House on Mango Street”, I found that the vignette “Papa who wakes up in the dark.” resonated with me the most. My mother passed away in 2010, this was the worst experience of my life. Between getting the call that she had to go to the hospital to when she did pass was a terrible feeling. It broke my heart when she passed, and I got that call that morning. Being a teenager and losing your parent or just being any age and losing your parent will have you feeling lost and alone in the world. My family still expected me to continue with my life as if nothing happened and it was very difficult. But till this day I try to make her proud. And the phrase I feel like Esperanza used to indicate she feels more American than Mexican is “They will have a back-and-white photo taken in front of the tomb with flowers shaped like spears in a white vase because that is how they send the dead away in that country”.
Daily Archives: December 10, 2022
The vignette from this weeks assigned reading The House on Mango Street that I chose was 62 Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water. I liked this reading because I actually really enjoy astrology, tarot and little rituals in my life. Elenita is called a “witch woman” in the vignette and it seems like she does brujeria rituals and is a psychic. Esperanza is disappointed in her message from Elenita.” Ah, yes, a home in the heart. I see a home in the heart. Is that it? That’s what I see, she says,” Esperanza wants a home but Elenita only see’s a home in heart not an actual material home. Esperanza is rightfully feeling disappointed and skeptical. The part that made me laugh was “Then she takes my hand and looks into my palm. Closes it. Closes her eyes too. Do you feel it, feel the cold? Yes, ) lie, hut only a little”. It reminded me of when we read Salvation by Langston Hughes and he lies and says he sees the holy spirit.
The vignette I related the most to form this week’s reading is “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes”. In the beginning Esperanza talks about how she likes to tell stories, she says: “I make a story for my life, for each step my brown shoe takes”. (109) That reminded me that as kids we create these phantasy worlds which are fun and entertaining and we would spend hours creating a perfect, little universe in our head. When she talks about her feelings about the house: “The house I belong but do not belong to” I understand because I had a similar feeling growing up at some point. My family had to move across the country and the house we ended up living at raised very similar feelings for me. It felt at times too cramped and it was on the busiest street and noisy. Now looking back I have fond memories of us living there regardless of it being far from perfect. And the last two closing sentences: “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out.” (110) I think show that Esperanza does feel that she belongs to Mango Street after all.
The vignette that made the strongest impression on me is “Minerva Writes Poems”. I chose this one specifically because I can closely relate to it. Growing up without a father figure puts a lot of stress on the mother. My mom when I was growing up gave me the best life she could have under the given circumstances. Reading this vignette I can sympathize with Minerva because she is trying her best. As much as she wants to resent her husband she still has to take care of the kids that she had brought into the world. “But when the kids are asleep after she’s fed them their pancake dinner, she writes poems on the little pieces of paper that she folds over and over” This quote specifically drew me into the story because although she does not have much she still hopes that her children do good and prays for hers and their success.
There is a story in The House on Mango Street “Elenita, palms, water” by Sandra Cisnerosn that made a big impression on me. At times we want to see what the future holds for us or at times we try to find our own identity. Sometimes people will pay these called future tellers or witches so they can be able to see their future or what holds for them. We at times want to see an easier solution for everything. I believe that we need to just have faith and hope for the future, and make the right choices. I can also see the frustration that Esperanza has that she wants to see if she is going to have her dream house she always dreamed of but how Elenita tells Esperanza that she will definitely find a home at her heart. She might not find her dream house, but would have a house that she will find comfort in.
