The House on Mango Street is a collection of vignettes written by Sandra Cisneros. Of these stories, the one with which I connected most strongly is titled “Born Bad.” In “Born Bad,” Esperanza remembers her Aunt Guadalupe, once a beautiful swimmer, “Aunt Lupe of the photographs,” who Esperanza knew only in her days of sickness (Cisneros, 58). Regarding her aunt’s disability, Esperanza says, “Sometimes you get used to the sick and sometimes the sickness, if it is there too long, gets to seem normal” (Cisneros, 59). Having grown up watching my father battle cancer and treatment, this observation really resonated with me. For Esperanza and the other children in her family, Aunt Guadalupe’s disability defines her when it came to a game where they impersonated their aunt. Though she is blind, Aunt Guadalupe overhears the children mocking her, and soon after her passes away. Esperanza feels guilt and shame (the main theme of this particular vignette) over her actions and realizes that her aunt was much more than her disability — she was the person who truly saw Esperanza through her poetry.
Works Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Vintage Books, a Division of Random House Inc., 1991.
One thought on “Discussion 5 – Corille Fisher”
Hi, Corille you did a great job with your response, I’m sorry you had to experience that with your dad. You spoke on the themes of guilt and shame in “Born Bad” but I would to add to your point. I think there are more themes here like grace and compassion. Esperanza had it when she was reading stories and poems to her aunt but cast it aside for a game. She spoke about her aunt and her disease but she couldn’t put herself in her shoes to truly understand. You’re right about her only seeing the disease and not the person. Maybe if Esperanza took the time to know her aunt’s life before the sickness, she could imitated her as the swimmer than the sick lady.