In the second chapter of "The House on Mango Street," Esperanza begins to describe her new neighborhood and the people who live there. She is immediately struck by the diversity of the community, noting that there are people of many different races and cultures living on Mango Street.
Esperanza's first impression of the neighborhood is not entirely positive. She feels that the houses are small and cramped, and that the streets are dirty and crowded. She also notices that the people who live on Mango Street seem to be struggling financially, as many of the houses are run-down and in disrepair.
Despite these initial negative impressions, Esperanza also begins to see the beauty and value in her new community. She observes that the people of Mango Street are friendly and welcoming, and that they work hard to make the best of their circumstances. She is especially drawn to the older women in the neighborhood, who she sees as wise and strong.
As the chapter progresses, Esperanza begins to form relationships with the people around her. She meets a girl named Lucy, who becomes her first friend on Mango Street. She also encounters a boy named Meme Ortiz, who she finds intriguing but also a bit intimidating.
Throughout the chapter, Esperanza grapples with the complexities of her new home. On the one hand, she is excited to be living in a diverse community and to be making new friends. On the other hand, she is also aware of the challenges and struggles that many of the people on Mango Street face, and she feels a sense of responsibility to help and support them in any way she can.
Overall, the second chapter of "The House on Mango Street" serves as an introduction to the neighborhood and its residents, as well as to Esperanza's own feelings and experiences as she begins to navigate her new home. It highlights the richness and complexity of the community, as well as the challenges and opportunities it presents to its inhabitants.
The House on Mango Street Chapters 1
He says it's a music box, and it fills the cramped store with wonderful sounds, but when Nenny reaches for her money, he says it's not for sale. It means sadness, it means waiting. Our Good Day Esperanza is sitting with Cathy when they are approached by Rachel and Lucy, the girls from across the street. Though the title of this vignette is not mentioned anywhere in the story, it is especially apt: For Esperanza, who got two new friends and part ownership of a bike, it was indeed a good day. On the one hand, houses can represent a place of physical, psychological and moral restrictions, and on the other, they often serve as a metaphor for economic freedom and social acceptance. The relationship between women and houses has always been complex.
Creating Your Own Space: The Metaphor of the House in Feminist Literature
In her native language, it means sadness, waiting—a longing or yearning for something past or missing rather than a hope for something yet to come. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. She explains how houses can represent a place of physical, psychological, and moral restrictions for women on one hand, and a metaphor for economic freedom and social acceptance on the other hand. . Neither she nor they belong here on Mango Street, but they are stuck here.
The House on Mango Street Chapter 2: Hairs Summary & Analysis
The monkey garden becomes a symbol of the Garden of Eden in the Bible — a magical, perfect place where everything is innocent, but where something happens that causes a loss of innocence. She lives with her parents in Chicago, and they change apartments often as their family grows. The three girls ride the bike together around the neighborhood. Before that, the family of six—Mama, Papa,. Her mother's hair comforts Esperanza, just like the rest of the memories of her family: her father's snoring, the rain outside, and her mother's fresh-smelling, artificially curled hair. The book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a collection of stories, the first of which is titled "The House on Mango Street.
Notes on Chapter 2
She can find inspiration even in these skinny, ugly trees, and is able to empathize with them a sign of writerly maturity just as she earlier empathized with her father. While Cathy refuses to associate with Rachel and Lucy because of their poverty, Esperanza is drawn to them because of it. Her Papa's is like a broom, Carlos's thick and straight, Nenny's is slippery, Kiki's is like fur, her own is lazy, while her mother's is like candy circles and smells like fresh bread. Sally and the boys all laugh at Esperanza and tell her to go home. .
