The House on Mango Street | The House on Mango Street

At a glance:

Author: Sandra Cisneros
First Published: 1984
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
Time of Work: The mid-1960’s
Setting: A Latino neighborhood in Chicago
Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Social realism, Bildungsroman
Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, 1960’s, Self-discovery, Class conflict, Racism, Sexism, Adolescence, Abused persons, Yards or backyards, Class consciousness, Writing, Chicago, Ethnic groups, Violence, Women’s issues, Multiculturalism, Mexican Americans, Mexico or Mexicans, Bilingualism, Latinos
Locales: Chicago, IL

Esperanza Cordero (ehs-pehr- AHN-sah), a preteenage girl and beginning writer who narrates a chronicle of her Latino neighborhood in Chicago. She describes how some women are victimized by men, and how others resist traditional roles. Briefly, as she begins to develop sexually, she idolizes Sally, a pretty girl whose father beats her for seeing boys. Esperanza is raped when she accompanies Sally to a carnival. To become a writer, she seeks guidance, friendship, and encouragement from Alicia, a struggling student; her friend Minerva; and her Aunt Guadalupe....

The House on Mango Street | The House on Mango Street

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