Name _______________________________________
Period ________
The House on Mango Street
Part Six
Literature Focus: Referential Texts – The Bible
The Bible is one of the most widely read texts in the world. It is an important religious text
for many religions, and the first part – the Old Testament – is shared by those who practice
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Consequently, even if you are not a believer in one of
these religions, knowing and understanding the most popular stories from the Bible will help
you comprehend references to them that appear in your reading and listening.
You have probably noticed that The House on Mango Street does have references to
Christianity: some of them appear in “Chanclas,” “A Rice Sandwich,” and “Elenita, Cards,
Palm, Water.” However, there is an extremely strong connection to the story of the Garden
of Eden in the vignette “The Monkey Garden.” Read a summary of “The Garden of Eden”
below and identify any parts where it reminds you of the monkey garden with a star.
The Garden of Eden
Summarized from the King James edition of Genesis 2 – 3
God created man from the dust of the ground and he breathed life into the man. God
planted a garden east from Eden and he put the man there. In that area, he grew every beautiful
tree, and he also put the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of
the garden, with a river running through it.
God told the man to eat from any of the trees in the garden except the tree of knowledge
of good and evil. If the man ate from that tree, God warned, he would surely die. Then, God
decided the man should not be alone, so he created beasts and birds, and he brought them to
the man, Adam, to be named. Adam named every creature he saw, but he did not have a
helpmate.
God put the man into a deep sleep, and he broke off one of Adam’s ribs. God made a
woman with the rib, and he brought her to Adam. The man recognized the woman as bone of
his bone and flesh of his flesh and they became man and wife. The man and woman were both
naked, but they were not ashamed.
The serpent was more cunning than any creature that God made. He asked the woman
if she was allowed to eat from every tree in the garden. She responded that she was allowed to
eat from every tree except the tree in the middle of the garden.
The serpent insisted that the woman would not die if she ate from that tree. Instead, he
suggested the fruit would open their eyes and they would be like gods, knowing good and evil.
The woman evaluated the tree and decided to pick a fruit and eat it. She gave some to her
husband, too, who also ate the fruit. Their eyes were truly opened, and they knew they were
naked, so they sewed fig leaves into aprons to cover their nakedness.
Soon after, they heard God’s voice, but they hid from him among the trees. God called
for Adam and asked where he was. Adam replied that he was hiding in the garden because he
was naked. God asked if Adam had eaten from the forbidden tree, and Adam said he had
because his wife had given him the fruit. God asked the woman what she had done, and she
said the serpent tricked her, and she ate the fruit.
God punished the serpent by forcing him to slither on his belly all his life. He swore that
the serpent and the woman would be enemies, as would their children. God also punished the
woman by causing her sorrow in childbirth and giving the man control over her. Additionally,
God said the man would toil on the earth for his food until he died and returned to the earth.
Then, God made clothes for the man and the woman so they would not be naked
anymore. He banished them from the garden before they ate from the tree of life, which would
allow them to live forever.
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The House on Mango Street Literature Guide
Name _______________________________________
Period ________
Directions: Answer each question below in complete sentences. Use specific details from
the summary and “The Monkey Garden” to support your responses.
1. What are some of the similarities between the settings of the monkey garden and the
Garden of Eden?
2. The serpent is the creature that begins the chain of events in the Garden of Eden. Who is
the character in the monkey garden that changes the climate? How do the events begin?
3. The woman, Eve, and Sally are both tricked into creating trouble in their gardens. How
are their objectives, or goals, for their choices different?
4. Adam and Eve have a moment when their innocence about their lives changes. What is
the realization they come to, and what causes the realization?
5. Esperanza has a similar experience in the monkey garden, when she can no longer feel
innocent. What causes this realization? How do her feelings about the incident
compare to Adam and Eve’s feelings?
6. How does each garden story end? Do you see any similarities or major differences?
7. Review the style of the summary of “The Garden of Eden” and “The Monkey Garden.” How
are the styles – language, structure, formality – different? Which do you prefer? Why?
©2013 Secondary Solutions
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The House on Mango Street Literature Guide