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Which one of the vignettes from pages 58 – end of The House on Mango Street made the strongest impression on you? In a post of at least 150 words, identify the vignette and discuss its theme or central idea, explaining why it resonated for you.
Please be sure to include your section number at the end of your response.
44 thoughts on “Week 6 Discussion”
I very much enjoyed the readings from the second half of “The House on Mango Street.” The selection of individual experiences that illustrate the protagonist’s development as she moves into adolescence was interesting and unexpected. I also enjoyed the sketches of the various characters that inhabit Esperanza’s neighborhood. Among these, “The Earl of Tennessee” particularly stood out for me. As an adult reader, you understand that the woman with varying physical descriptions who visits Earl’s house but never stays long is probably not his wife. That Esperanza does not yet grasp what is going on illustrates that she is still somewhat naive to the ways of men and sex. In another year or two, she would probably look back on the memory and realize what was actually going on. I also enjoyed the line from the vignette “They don’t walk like ordinary dogs, but leap and somersault like an apostrophe and comma” (71). This simile, in comparison to punctuation, seems particularly appropriate, knowing that the young protagonist will develop into a writer.
As this is our final discussion board entry, I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for sharing your thoughts, insights, and experiences over the past several weeks. Best wishes to each of you on your continued academic journey.
Hi Karl, I enjoyed reading your response. I like the same line in this vignette too; “They don’t walk like ordinary dogs, but leap and somersault like an apostrophe and comma” (71). The poet applies the simile in this line made me think about my energetic Thai ridgeback dog that would always leap and and walk circularly, chasing his tail, when I took him for walks. I agree with you that the writing skill of the young protagonist in this outstanding poem is profoundly fundamental to being a great writer. Beside the liveliness in this story, I’ve learnt a lot of literary devices from “The House on Mango Street” which was written in simple modern English and includes American-Mexican culture. The poet uses a chronological technique to tell the story that leads the reader through the development from a child to adolescence. At first, I actually thought Earl had a legit wife but I realized at the very last line that he might just have a casual relationship with different women. I assume Esperenza learnt and developed these writing skills from the observations like the heavy sound of Earl’s keys or the leaking dampness from Earl’s basement when the door is opened etc.
The vignette that made the strongest impression on me is “Four Skinny Trees” from The House on Mango Street. The message of this particular vignette is to keep fighting and aiming for the goal that you desire. The poet sends a message to encourage her readers to be strong and keep fighting for what you want even though you will struggle with lots of challenges in life. The story of Young Esperanza who had a rough day, was seeking for a spiritual anchor in which she believed could help her get through a challenging time. The poet utilizes metaphor in the story to depict the four trees as Esperanza’s imaginary friends. Esperanza imagines the four trees that she claims only understand their language, have an appearance like humans as her in order to personify the trees into her friends: “Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine” (74). Besides the utilization of the repetition that emphasizes the main idea, Rhyme and rhythm can be noticed periodically in the story: Keep, keep, keep,/ trees says when I sleep./ They teach/” (75). The poet applies the personification when the girl describes the strength of four trees: “They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit anger” (74). The narrator describes the trees which are non-human things, fearlessly grow and face with all the hinders. Likewise, the girl compares herself to the brave and pleasant four trees which she thinks don’t belong in the unpleasant Mango Street, but never give up her goal and keep fighting to get it. It reminds me of when I had a bad day and prefer to take a moment with nature. A month ago I fell from the stairs and got a sprained foot. I could barely walk which made me so frustrated. Seeking things to lift my soul during the dark day, I loved watching roses in the garden and appreciated that they kept blooming on the heavy rain. In fact, they look even more fresh and more durable after the rain. I told myself I had to be patient and kept walking with the crutch till the day that my foot fully healed.
Kannikar, thank you for these observations about the literary devices used by the author in the “Four Skinny Trees” vignette. Yes, the metaphor of the striving trees is central, but you’ve also noted some very effective use of personification and some of the alliterative language used by Cisneros. It’s Interesting how even simple writing can make use of these devices.
Thank you for your comment Professor Conway, I loved studying literary devices through “The House on Mango Street” which was written in simple modern english and consistently used the explicit utilization of literary devices. I’d say this poem makes the literary devices less complicated for me. Since this is our last discussion board entry, I want to thank you Professor Conway for thoroughly organizing this course and all my friends for making my first full online course experience so lively. I wish everyone a great academic journey and to be healthy through 2020.
Kannikar, thanks for the good words about the course. I’m also grateful for the thoughtful and original contributions of students in his discussion forum.
Hi Kannikar — Thank you for your thoughts on Four Skinny Trees, I think it has a similar message as A Smart Cookie which, I believe her mother was disappointed with her own life choices and wanted to encourage her daughter to pursue her dreams, no matter how difficult it seemed to obtain them.
Thank you for your comment Lisa, I totally agree that Esperenza’s mother got concerned about her daughter’s wish to leave school so she intervened. Mothers are in a unique position to see the skills of their children better than anyone else. In the vignette of “born bad”, even though Esperenza’s aunt is blind and disabled, still can observe natural writing ability, prompting the encouragement of Esperenza to continue writing.
Kannikar, “Four Skinny Trees” is one of the vignettes from “the House on Mango Street” that made impression on me. Esperanza compares herself to the trees. She thinks that both she and the trees are stuck on Mango Street. The trees reminds her not to forget her reason for being. They inspire her because despites the concrete that tries to keep them in the ground they have still grown. “Four who grew despite concrete” (75). The secret of the trees are their strength which Esperanza also has. Yes, this is really a message of encouragement.
Hi Daniel, thank you for your comment, I agree that young Esperenza’s willingness to maintain her writing pursuit is inspired by the trees. Likewise, the four trees in the concrete jungle enthusiastically keep growing upward in the air and downward in the ground without giving up to inappropriate social surroundings. I found this vignette is so encouraging and relatable too.
There were many vignettes that stood out to me for the second part of the book, however “Bums in the Attic” is the one that explains it all. Much like Esperanza, I had moved to a place I did not initially want to go to, ironically it was here in New York. I moved here from New Jersey almost 8 years ago. The beginning of my story was much like Esperanza’s, except I went from a house to a small apartment. I dreaded each day here and never thought I could stay for long…yet here I am! In “Bums in the Attic” the family goes to look at the houses on the hill near her dads’ job on his day off, however Esperanza stopped going after a while. Her family assumed that Esperanza was “too grown” and did not care to go on these trips with them, however she was the only one that was tired of staring at the window “like the hungry” (86) or hearing her mother state false claims like “when we win the lottery” (86). “I am tired of looking at what we can’t have” (86) I used to say this a lot to my sweet parents who used to take me back to visit my old town and convince me that soon enough I can return.
I would also like to mention the vignette “Alicia & I Talking on Edna’s Steps” Esperanza and Alicia are talking about the house on mango street and again Esperanza does not claim this home as her own until Alicia says “Like it or not you are Mango Street”(107) and I couldn’t agree more. Although it was not entirely my choice to move to New York, after the 8 years of living here I absolutely love it. I still wonder in thought of my dream house that I will own someday, much like Esperanza. However, I am not saddened by it anymore, it does not affect me so deeply. I’ve grown with my new environment and learned so many valuable lessons that I may not have had in New Jersey. If there is one thing that I believe in, it’s that everything happens for a reason. So, wherever life takes you, good or bad, you were meant to learn from that experience. Which I think Esperanza can already see when she mentions coming back for the people who may not have left like her, she has grown with her environment!
It was a pleasure reading everyone’s discussion posts for this class, I hope you all have a great summer!
Florijana, it’s wonderful to me how you can relate so well to this book because it resonates with your own experience. It makes me think of the whole idea of “completing a poem,” which we explored in Week 3. As difficult as your experiences must have been, I think they are enriching. I have always been in awe of immigrants who come to this country. Their lives are so much harder and yet they seem to be more appreciative, more committed to improving their lives, and more understanding of others. I always find Esperanza’s fixation on a house so interesting. Yes, it is symbolic in a way, but she has formed so many pictures of a physical place in her imagination, as well. And all those features of the house she imagines are revealing too of what matters to her and what she longs for. And she is determined not to wait until she wins the lottery! Thank you for your many in-depth and reflective posts to these discussion boards. Enjoy the summer. You deserve it!
This week’s discussion board is about the end of the book, the house on Mango Street. At the ending of the story, there is one scene I like the most. The seen is when the narrator goes out of her hometown, she never forgets the town that she lives on when she was little, and she achieves her promise that she helped the people that cannot or not able to get out of this small town. It reminds me because I come from a small village too. It teaches me a lesson about what I should do when I grow up and get successful. I also think that is a lesson for every reader who is reading this book. The message is, no matter how successful you are. Please don’t forget your home country and your hometown. They mate your who you are. One last thing is that I like this book even though it’s long.
Jiang Hua, but what is the name of the vignette you like?
The vignette from the second half of “The House on Mango Street” that made the strongest impression on me is “Alicia & I Talking on Edna’s Step”. This story reminds me of what my grandmother used to say; ” there is no place like home, home sweet home”. Esperanza feels that Alicia is lucky because she has a town to call home, and one day she will go back. She is ashamed of the house and the community where she lives and will not call the place home. To her, she does not have home and never ever had one. She declares she will never come back to Mango Street until someone makes it better. Alicia reminds her about the house where she lives by pointing at it and says to her, ” like it or not you are Mango Street, and one day you’ll come back too” (107). She then asks her, who is going to make it better, the Major? The thought of the major coming to Mango Street makes Esperanza laughs out loud. Although she does not say it, she realizes that if Mango Street can improve and becomes better, it will have to be through the efforts of people like her who will leave and become successful then return home to help. What interests me is that, we do exactly when we travelled from Africa to America or other developed countries. We work hard and send money back home to help our families improve their way of living. Most communities have developed as a results of the investment made by people like us who escaped to America. Esperanza likes Alicia who is working hard to attend college, though she has a difficult family issue, and she plans to returns home one day. Alicia instils in Esperanza the sense of responsibility.
Daniel, Thank you for your thoughts on the vignette “Alicia & I Talking on Edna’s Steps,” as well as for sharing some of your own life experiences. I think this story very much sums up Esperanza’s feelings of not feeling at home on Mango Street and realizing that she will never be fully satisfied if she stays there. She realizes that her destiny lies elsewhere, even if a part of Mango Street and the people there will always be a part of who she is. I think many people can relate to this feeling. It is not necessarily a matter of distance, like another country or continent. Distance can be psychological as much as physical. I grew up in Brooklyn, but I too could relate to Esperanza’s feeling of not fitting in, and knowing personal fulfillment could only come if I managed to escape the confines of the neighborhood where I grew up. Growing up, people would talk about “going to the City,” as if Manhattan were thousands of miles away – and in a way, it was. I “escaped” when I was 17 (many years ago now). Still, there is always a part of that place that is with me; in my accent and the handed-down memories of the many generations of my family that lived there. Over time I’ve grown more comfortable with the memories of that place, even if I still have little desire to return. Perhaps Sandra Cisneros’ writing of “The House on Mango Street” represents her journey back and coming to peace with where she grew up.
Karl, your comment about leaving Brooklyn made me smile. I left a little island in the Bronx many years ago to live in “the city” as if Manhattan were, as you write, “thousands of miles away.” And it’s true that in many ways it is!
Daniel, thanks for the thoughtful response to the vignette. I think you make a good point. Although Esperanza desperately wants to escape Mango Street, it is clear that her experiences there ultimately make who she is. Interestingly, this novel-memoir about a girl yearning to escape her neighborhood is all about the people and experiences of that neighborhood. I think we can say a similar thing about James Joyce and his feelings about Ireland. He couldn’t bear living in that stifling culture, yet all his writing is about that very world.
Hey Daniel! I really enjoyed reading your response. I used that vignette as an example for my discussion as well and I understand the difficulty of having to send money back home. My family thinks we can always send money, however it is never that easy, especially when you are trying to build a life for yourself here at the same time. I admire your view on this, I agree that Esperanza realized that it will be people like her who eventually come back to change things. I had mentioned her growing with her environment like I did in my experience. By the time she is all grown up, successful and ready to come back her mindset will have changed and she can look at it from a different point of view like Alicia.
This is for everyone in the class Hi I think for this whole story it is about a childhood who want to change she’s life and how she observes this world as a woman. It is also showing how important is the life in childhood. One thing I want to read emergency over here is that when a child was turtle it can easily affect how they are thinking and how they are feeling in their heart and mind. It’s very difficult for them to forget or not remember what happens when you’re young you’re very difficult for you to avoid the stuff you’ve been through in your childhood why do that is happening welcome to comment on it
Jiang, I appreciate your comments, but it’s hard to know what you are referring to without the name of the vignette and the name of the person to whom you are responding!
Reading “The House on Mango Street” was very adventurous to me as it takes you from one story to another, introducing me to Esperanza’s world, her friends, her neighbors, and her family. The House on Mango Street is very rich in vibrant events. Most of the vignettes in this novel resonates to me like “The Family of Little Feet” , “A Rice Sandwich” and many more. When I read the vignette “Sally” once my eyes came to the word Egypt and Cleopatra I felt attached and what topped it over was Sally’s interest in doing her eyes like Cleopatra and taking care of her hair. I saw myself in the character of Sally as my ancestors are originally from Egypt and the Egyptian history is something I did study. Cleopatra is a symbol of femininity and beauty. As I went through the vignette of Sally more and more it rolled back some childhood memories. As Esperanza mentioned that Sally’s father was very strict in his religion they were not supposed to dance, she always went straight to home after school and wasn’t allowed to go out and play. I felt Sally’s sadness. Although I resonate with Esperanza in most of the vignettes but in this specific vignette I personally resonate with Sally.
Aiyah, thanks for this very personal response to “Sally.” I think it’s so true that sometimes readers relate strongly to one of the characters who is not Esperanza. For example, I always feel for the woman called Mamacita in “No Speak English,” who always pines for her home country and a pink house with the hollyhocks. It’s not that I miss any particular place, but I feel for her absolute lack of say in where she will live and with how pervasive and persistent her memory is.
Aiyah, I like that you pointed out the vignette, “The Rice Sandwich,” it is one that used a more unique but powerful tool of imagery using tasting as a sense. When we are growing up, some of the strange but wonderful meals/snacks my parents and grandparents made me stick out in my own childhood memories to this day. Additionally, food is emotionally linked, and food is culture and I think this vignette gives interesting insight. I agree that “Sally” and all of the vignettes surrounding her are very memorable. I also find Sally and Esperanza’s perception of Sally to be especially interesting and even heart breaking. On one end, Esperanza sees how beautiful Sally is and wants to be like her, but she also sees the hardship that her beauty brings her. She sees how she tragically escapes one life she is trapped in just to be trapped in another.
Hi Aiyah, I also enjoyed reading “The House on Mango Street” All were great vignettes in which I was able to resonate in some. When I read Sally, I also resonated when she mentions that when she does her makeup, especially her eyes, she makes them look like Cleopatra. Which what I try to do but doesn’t come out that way. I also resonated the fact that Sally had a strict father, and so did I., but I get the sense that Sally’s father was way strict than mine, as he had an issue for the way she dressed and was scared for her to get involved with a boy (too late).
The last vignette of The House on Mango Street is something remembered since the first time I read this book in seventh grade. I’ve always been amazed at the way in which Sandra Cisneros crafts such an alive and complex character in such few pages. In only a couple of hours, readers come to know Esperanza deeply and care about her. “Red Clowns” also stuck out to me and was something that definitely was shocking to read when I was 11, but Esperanza’s rise and growth is something I think Esperanza, who came to feel like a friend as real as any of my own and in some sense, I think she would rather me remember her this way, in what she wanted to do and be. In this vignette, entitled “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes,” the narrator beautifully ties together many themes and ideas introduced earlier in the story. Some of these include the idea of home literally and otherwise and what it means to be a part of a community. She seems to reach the conclusion introduced in the vignette on page 103, “The Three Sisters.” Esperanza by the end of the story has developed a clearer sense of identity. She begins to see not just who her community is to her but what she can do for her community, as an individual. She explains, “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out” (110).
Kassandra, I’m impressed that you read this book in seventh grade, and I can certainly understand how terrifying “Red Clowns” must have been at that age. It terrifies me even now. I think much of the meaning in these stories would have been lost on the seventh-grade me, but it is remarkable that a book can span such vast age group in terms of readership. I like your comments too about the evolution of Esperanza and how by the end, she still wants to escape but not to abandon those she loves and wants to help.
The vignette that I am discussing is A Smart Cookie. In this vignette, Esperanza’s mother reveals her sadness because she did not follow her dreams. She is an intelligent woman that speaks two languages, sings opera, can fix a T. V. but cannot figure out how to travel on the subway. Esperanza comforts her mother as they wait for the train. Her mother encourages Esperanza to pursue her dreams but also lets her know that she is not the only one who has a desire for more or goals. She says, “she could have been somebody.” (91); she continues to remind Esperanza that there are no female role models for her as an example and that she should not be like her friends Izaura whose husband left her or Yolanda her husband died. Esperanza’s mother is telling her not to depend on a husband like the woman of her generation did. Her mother said that shame comes out of nowhere and that she quits school because she did not have clothes, but she had the brains. In the end, I believe her mother was disappointed with her own life choices and wanted to encourage her daughter to pursue her dreams, no matter how difficult it seemed to obtain it.
Lisa, yes, “A Smart Cookie” is a very affecting vignette. I think many women of this time and culture—maybe most—had capabilities far beyond the expectations for their lives. For some that translates into a deep sense of regret and longing for what can never be at a certain point.
Hi Professor Conway — Thank you for your comments. I appreciate your guidance during this semester and wish everyone the best success in their academic and personal pursuits.
Lisa, I think it’s interesting how you point out how smart and talented Esperanza mother is but she can’t figure out how to do the simplest stuff. This is funny to me because my mother is the same way. I find myself doing the same things Esperanza has to do to comfort her. I like this vignette because it shows a health relationship between mother and daughter. The dynamic between these two is very positive and nurturing. I agree with your analysis on her mother being disappointed with her own life choices, and wanting to encourage her daughter to do better than she did. That is true statement for many parents today. Parent want their children to do and have more than they had and kids. This was a really good one for me. Thank you for sharing.
Lisa, I agree with you point of view of this vignette, I also think that her mother has regret of the choices she made and tries to remind her daughter and encourage her to never be ashamed of what she has, where she comes from, to chase her goals like she wished she did. She does not want her daughter to end up with a life full of regret like she has and she also, like you mentioned want her daughter to rely on a man. She should be able to support herself.
The vignette from the second half of “The House on Mango Street” that made the strongest impression on me is “No Speak English”. Mamacita is the wife of one of Esperanza’s neighbors, that lives across the street from her. Mamacita’s husband works very hard to bring her and her child to Mango Street, but once she arrives, she never leaves the house. Some say, is because of her weight that it would be hard for her to go up and down the stairs. Esperanza describes her as, “huge, enormous, beautiful to look at.” (77). Esperanza believes the reason she doesn’t come out is that she doesn’t speak English. Her father explained to her how hard it was to live in the US without knowing English and how the only thing he knew how to say when ordering food was “hamandeggs”, so he ate that three times a day. This vignette stood out to me because just like Mamacitas’ husband, I’ve known many people who worked hard to bring their family in the US. Also, I’ve known many that have come to the US and were scared to get a job because they didn’t know English. Luckily, my community majority speak Spanish, so they were able to work and learn English at their own pace. Knowing that Mamacita lives in an area like mine, I wouldn’t think it would be hard for her to find a job, but I understand the fear of like entering a new world where you don’t know anyone and don’t speak the language. It breaks her heart, even more, when she has realized that her son is starting to speak English.
Christie, I feel sorry for Mamacita too. She wants to be back in her own country. Have you ever met someone who immigrated to a new country but never really adjusted or accepted the new home?
Hi Professor Conway, I haven’t. At first, they probably felt how Mamacita did, but then later, they adjusted. I wonder if Mamacita would be looking for a job now, where technology had advanced so much with a translator application on her phone, would she had felt more confident to go out to look for a job? I remember when I went to China, I was scared of the unknown and how am I able to communicate with everyone over there. Good thing for google translate!
Christie, you are an adventurer! You’ll never end up like Mamacita!
Hey Christie, I really enjoyed your reading. I could relate a lot to your experience. I think most of the immigrants in USA have faced this language issue probably once in their lifetime. I myself have experienced this. I am an international student and because of English proficiency, many universities rejected my application. I used to feel bad about that. I also know many friends who were in the same boat. Coming back to the vignette, the saddest and heartbreaking part of this story is when a Mamacita says to his baby boy “No Speak English” and starts to cry. This shows how language can have an impact on someone’s life intensely.
While reading the second half of the “House on Mango Street”, a few of the vignettes resonated with me. The one that impacted me the most was “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes”. This particular vignette was about Esperanza finally leave Mango street. She talks about the stories she would make up to keep her mind occupied and not thinking about her hatred for the house on Mango street. It seems throughout this story, she references her love for writing and telling stories, this made her feel free. Esperanza live in a lot of places before Mango street, but this house seems to have the most character and she admits to remembering this one most. She felt out of place, a feeling we can all relate to from time to time, but I got a sense that there were lots to love in her neighborhood. The different scenes she painted gave a great depiction of the people and the environment she was in. At the end of the vignette, Esperanza writes “one day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too stronger her to keep me here forever” (110). This was powerful for me because it seems as though her leaving Mango street is a form of liberation. Like a bird flying from the nest to continue its growth. The best part to all of this is her willingness to come back for those she left behind. Esperanza plans to use her writing to create a better life for herself and others.
Stuart, I agree that this vignette was a pleasure to read. Esperanza has many stories to tell, she is ashamed of where she lives but not ashamed of the people from that neighborhood, who all had a hand in her growing up. At one point she never wanted to return to mango street and in the good bye she stated that she isn’t a prisoner of mango street and when she leaves she will return for those who couldn’t find their way out. She has grown through out the these pages and it was a pleasure reading them watching her frame of thinking change through out the process, never being to judgmental but open to possibilities.
The vignette which made good impression on me is the “No Speak English”. This vignette is about one of Esperanza’s neighbors name Mamacita, who never leaves the apartments because of her own insecurities. The theme of this vignette is the importance of a language and understanding its words. Her neighbors think she doesn’t come out due to her appearance but Esperanza thinks that its because of language, not her weight. Esperanza and Mamacita have something in common. Both of them spend much of their time dreaming of a house that they can’t have yet, unlike Mamacita, Esperanza wants to try to make her dream come true one day. The last heartbreak for Mamacita is when her baby boy starts to speak English and sings a commercial tune. Mamacita starts to cry and goes on to say, “No Speak English.” The baby’s song reveals that Mamacita can’t stop the influence of the English language.
i appreciate your response, and the way you described this vignette. I didn’t get this from the reading, and it is quite interesting that you pointed this out. when i read this vignette, i took the crying at the baby to mean something along the lines of mamacita being upset that she doesn’t know english or will not speak it. looking at it through your scope i can see how her anguish could’ve came from the progression of the english language in her life. Sometimes im amazed how some stories can give multiple meanings.
Anthony, please address comments to others by name so we can all follow along.
I must admit, many of the vignettes of the story has been a bit difficult for me to grab hold on to, i would have to reread and reread again to ensure complete understanding, however one of the few vignettes that held my attention is called “Monkey Garden”. This selection stood out to me because of it’s symbolic use of the garden and what happens there, to illustrate a sense of growth or growing up for the character. The main character, at first, see’s the garden as a wonder, almost like a magically enchanted playground, which i took to represent childhood and innocence. As the story progresses a friend of hers had her glasses stolen by some boys and was told to give a kiss to get them back. although the main character sought out to protect said friend, she was somewhat dismissed and turned away. Indicating to me that esperenza’s friend and the boys were entering a newer stage of life and in her reflecting, the main character realizes that her own feet and the garden which she once admired, all looked differently to her. sometimes when growing up things that appear blissful usually fade away or appear dull.
The House on Mango Street is such a good read, I will have my children read it as part of their summer reading. Esperanza is such a lucky girl to have met so many different talented people who left an impression on her. From the second half of the book the vignette that resonated with me was Minerva Writes Poems. This young woman has a difficult life, she watched her mother raise her and her siblings alone. Now that she is an adult, she has a husbands and kids which most women want. However, in Minerva case, her story is very sad, she cries every night and is physically abused by her husband, despite her sad story she is able to hide her emotions from her kids and raise them. And allows her emotions to flow with tears as she expresses herself on paper while they are asleep. The reason this vignette resonated with me, is because a lot of women end up in abusive relationships, and for many different reason’s they remain in them. It is hard for them to see their true worth and value, some stay out of fear of being alone. Many different reasons. My mother was in an abusive marriage and with the support of family, she was finally able to leave, raising all four kids on her own in a new country. She was brave and lucky enough to have a supportive family. Therefore, this vignette resonated with me.