Brandi Christensen
Ms. Nguyen
English 9/Honors
CASTLE
SAVE
THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET
Sandra Cisneros
This packet will be your guide for the vignette The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
Each section of the packet is important to understand, as it ties to the story.
This packet may serve as your notes and/or you can take notes in the “notes” section of your
binders. This packet will be your study guide for your test as well as the mid-term exam. DO
NOT LOSE THIS!
Make sure to note page numbers for easy reference
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
*What is a “vignette?”
A short very detailed story is a vignette. There is usually a series
of vignettes that all connect together in a bigger story.
*Why is this written from a young child’s point of view (1st person)?
It emphasizes the idea of innocence.
narrator.
It show us the age and maturity of the
*How does socio-economic status affect Esperanza’s, the protagonist, life? How does money
affect the story, as a whole?
Esperanza comes from a low socio-economic status which means that her family
does not have a lot of money. Her family has no choice but to live in a poor
neighborhood where crime happens frequently.
*Why does the protagonist not se any quotation marks and often omits (leaves out) punctuation?
The protagonist is Esperanza and her writing reflects how young she is
because of her writing abilities.
THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & THEMES, MOTIFS, AND DICHOTOMIES
“The House on Mango Street”
1. Compare and contrast Esperanza’s family’s current house to the family’s dream home. What
are some major differences?
Esperanza's dream house would be big and white with real stairs and a
yard with trees. Esperanza's real houses actually red and tiny with
narrow steps and no yard, only pavement.
2. What does the following quote tell you about where or how Esperanza, the protagonist, lives:
“The Laundromat downstairs had been boarded up because it had been robbed two days before
and the owner had painted on the wood YES WE’RE OPEN so as not to lose business” (5).
The neighborhood is poor with lots of crime.
Dichotomy: Dreams vs. Reality
Esperanza dreams of a house where she wished she lived, but in reality... she
lives in a house she is not proud of.
“Hairs”
3. Who are the different members of Esperanza’s family and how do all of their “hairs”
differ?
Esperanza tells us about her family including their hair. Papa had hair
like a broom. Her hair is lazy and doesn't do what it is supposed to.
Carlos' hair is thick and straight. Nenny's hair is slippery, and Kiki
has hair like fur. Mother's hair is like candy circles.
4. Why do you think it’s significant (important) that Esperanza uses a lot of simple
sentences? In what way does that affect the mood or the tone of the vignette?
The simple writing represents Esperanza's age and how young she is.
It demonstrates innocence.
5. What do you think the significance is of the protagonist using lots of repetition of
phrases? How does it affect the vignette?
Esperanza uses repetition when she is describing something or
someone very important to her. This vignette shows us how much
her family really means to Esperanza.
Theme - INNOCENCE.
Esperanza uses repetition to show her young age and innocence.
“Boys & Girls”
6. Based on the first few lines and the vignette’s title, how old do you think Esperanza is ?
And, what are some clues which gives this away (8)?
Esperanza is probably around the age of 7 or 8 because she says "boys and
girls live in separate worlds.". This show us that Esperanza is still at a
young enough age where the opposite sex has cooties.
7. Identify the following characters:
Carlos, Kiki, Nenny, Vargas kids.
Esperanza's brothers
Kids from the neighborhood
Esperanza's little sister
8. What does Esperanza mean when she says, “Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied
to an anchor” (9). Interpret this quote.
Esperanza wants a best friend to tell all her secrets to, but all she has is
her little sister who tags along and is too young to understand.
“My Name”
9. In this vignette, Esperanza makes a number of cross-cultural connections to the meaning of her
name. Discuss the significance (importance) of this connection. What’s your opinion about the
way she does this in the first few lines of the vignette?
Even though Esperanza's name means a lot of different things including her great
grandmother, it doesn't determine who she is or what she will become.
10. Theme: The role of females is portrayed in a negative way. Women are often seen
as weak and are often like prisoners trapped in their lives.
Find at least one quote which supports this theme and cite it correctly. What does this quote
mean? Analyze its meaning.
"She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow"(11).
Women stare out the window, and think about a different life that they wish they had
because they are sad and living a life they did not want.
“Cathy Queen of Cats”
11. In the beginning of the vignette, Esperanza is talking about a few different types of
people that live in her neighborhood. What can you conclude or notice about what she’s
saying? What type of people live around her?
The neighborhood is stricken with poverty and crime. It seems like people move away
from the crime which makes it so more criminals move into the neighborhood.
12. Who is Cathy, and why is she only Esperanza’s friend until next Tuesday?
Cathy is girl who lives in the neighborhood and has lots of cats. She can only be
friends with Esperanza until next Tuesday because she is moving North of Mango Street
because the neighborhood has become crime stricken and unsafe.
13. Why do people keep moving out of the neighborhood, out of Mango Street?
The neighborhood is becoming more poverty and crime stricken because people move
away to get away from the crime, and then more criminals will move in.
“Our Good Day”
14. Again, why does Esperanza NOT use quotation marks to show dialogue among
characters? How does this affect the dialogue as you’re reading it?
Esperanza, the narrator, does not use quotation marks because it symbolizes how
young she is. The characters are being described through Esperanza who is a girl
7-8 years of age.
15. Who are Lucy and Rachel?
They are two sisters from the neighborhood that chipped in their money with
Esperanza and Nenny to buy a bicycle. They are all friends.
“Laughter”
16. Identify and describe at least one of the metaphors Esperanza uses to compare different
types of laughter.
Esperanza describes her laughter with her sister Nenny as a sudden
surprise... like a pile of dishes breaking.
17. What is the significance of the last few lines between the girls’ conversation? Why is
Nenny’s response important to Esperanza?
Esperanza made a statement that Lucy and Rachel thought sounded to be a
bit crazy. Nenny confirmed the statement making Lucy and Rachel
believe Esperanza.
“Gil’s Furniture Bought & Sold”
18. In ways is Gil’s furniture store different from stores we have around here? Superstores
like Circuit City and Walmart? Cite one example from the text.
The store is a used thrift store that sells a bunch of used items that may or may not
work. It is different than stores we are used to because it is cramped, dirty, and
full of used things. We are used to big, bright, and spacious stores filled with
brand new items for sale.
“Meme Ortiz”
Meme is a boy whose real name is Juan.
He lives in Cathy's
19. Who is Meme Ortiz? house, and he has a dog that has two names, one in English and
one in Spanish.
20. what’s their house like and who built it?
Cathy's father built Meme's house. It is wood and has slanted floors. There are
21 steps crooked steps out front that were made that way, says Cathy, to help the
rain slide off the stairs.
21. What happens to Meme Ortiz at the end of the vignette?
There is a big gnarly tree in Meme's backyard.
Jumping Contest, but he broke both his arms.
He won the first annual Tarzan
“Louie, His Cousin & His Other Cousin”
21. Who is Louie? What nationality is Louie and his family?
Louie is a friend that lives on Mango Street in the basement apartment of Meme's house. Louie's
cousins also live with him and his Puerto Rican family because their parents still live in Puerto
Rico.
22. What happens to Louie’s cousin’s car, though it’s not bluntly state or said outright? How
do you know? Choose a quote to show what happened in the latter part of the vignette.
Louie's cousin stole the car. He is arrested, but it is unclear because it is told from a young and
innocent perspective. "They put handcuffs on him and put him in the backseat of the cop car"(25).
23. What do you think Esperanza means by, “…and we all waved as they drove away” ( 25).
They were all waving because they are all young and innocent and don't really
understand what Louie really did as well as know what it means to be arrested.
24. Theme: Serious, mature issues are described in an innocent manner, which enhances
the idea of childhood innocence.
How can you tie this theme to this particular vignette? Consider the events which take place to
help you
Esperanza is the narrator of this story, so she explains it in her words which are those of a 7-8
year old girl. She is young, so she doesn't have any experience of crime. This is why Esperanza
is so casual when telling the story because she doesn't realize what it means to be arrested.
“Marin”
Marin talks about what her life is
going to be like, but in reality the
life she dreams of will most likely
not happen.
25. Who is Marin, and what’s her situation?
Marin is Louie's cousin who lives with his family because her family is still in Puerto Rico.
26. Find 2 quotes which exemplify the dichotomy Dreams vs. Reality.
Who are the speakers? What’s the significance?
"Marin says that if she stays here next year, she's going to get a real job downtown because that's
where the best jobs are, since you always get to look beautiful and get to wear nice clothes and can
meet someone in the subway who might marry you and take you to live in a big house far away"(26).
27. Find 1 excerpt which exemplifies “stream-of-consciousness.” How does this affect pace?
How does this quote show Esperanza’s childhood innocence vs. Marin’s teenage-aged knowledge
about teen issues (i.e. boys, clothes, myths)?
"She is the one who told us how Davey the Baby's sister got pregnant and what cream is best for taking off
mustache hair..... And lots of other things I can't remember now"(27). It's fast paced because Everything
“Those Who Don’t”
Marin says is important to Esperanza.
28. “Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood scared…They think we will
attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who get lost and got here by mistake…All
brown all around, we are safe” (28).
This quote shows racism because it
says that people only feel safe
MOTIF(S): Segregation, racism, fear. around their own people of the same
color.
“There Was an Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn’t Know What to Do”
MOTIFS: Death/suicide, poverty, innocence
29. Who’s Rose Vargas, and what is her issue? Find a quote and explain it to support
your answer.
Rose Vargas is a sad woman who has many children and the father left all of them with absolutely
nothing and never heard from again. She has a hard time raising and taming all of her children.
"Rosa Vargas' kids are too many and too much. It's not her fault you know, except she is their
mother and only one against so many"(29).
30. At the end of the vignette, what does Angel Vargas do? What does innocence (from
Esperanza’s perspective) and use of a simile, enhance the event?
Angel Vargas is one of Rose's kids who is one of many and doesn't really have a lot in life. No
one seemed to care when she jumped to her death. Esperanza uses similes to describe this event
which shows her age and innocence.
"Nobody looked up not once the day Angel Vargas learned to fly and dropped from the sky like a
sugar donut, just like a falling star, and exploded down to earth without even an "Oh""(30).
“Alicia Who Sees Mice”
MOTIFS: Role of Females
"Alicia, who inherited her mama's rolling pin and sleepiness, is young and smart and studies for the
first time at the 31.
university"(31).
Alicia is quite different from other female characters depicted in The House on Mango
Street. In what way is she different? Find a quote and explain it to support your answer.
Alicia is the only female on Mango Street that is going to school to get an education, so she doesn't
ESCAPISM - Alicia knows that getting an education will
end up like all the other females.
help her have a life away from Mango Street. "Two trains
“Darius & The Clouds”
and a bus, because she doesn't want to spend her whole
life in a factory or behind a rolling pin"(32).
MOTIFS: Limit vs. Limitless, Symbolism of clouds
32. In what ways do the sky and clouds represent/symbolize “happiness?”
Find a quote and explain.
Clouds and sky represent happiness, and that is why there is not a lot of happiness on Mango
Street because there is not a lot of sun and sky when you live in a city.
"You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can
keep you safe when you are sad. Here there is too much sadness and not enough sky"(33).
“And Some More”
33. EXTRAPOLATE—In this vignette, how does Esperanza extrapolate information based on
what she knows? Esperanza gets her information from reading books, and then she
shares facts with her friends.
Give an example/quote and explain
"The Eskimos got thirty different names for snow, I say.
I read it in a book"(35.)
“The Family of Little Feet”
34. on pg. 40 what’s a sign that the girls are growing up, beginning to grown out of
childhood into adolescence?
Even though they are playing dress up, the girls notice that their bodies
are changing and they are beginning to grow up.
35. “Your mother know you got shoe like that? Who give you those?...Them are dangerous. You
girls too young to be wearing shoes like that.”
Identify the speaker Mr. Benny from the corner grocery.
What’s the significance? What do the shoes symbolize?
THEME:
COMING OF AGE- Esperanza is growing older and wanting to be more grown up.
“A Rice Sandwich” MOTIF: POVERTY
35. On pg. 44 Esperanza talks to herself—inner thought—about how she does not feel
appreciated. Who is she talking to? Find a quote and explain.
Esperanza is talking to her mom because she wants to eat lunch at school.
36. Discuss Esperanza’s experience with shame. Why does she feel shame in this vignette,
toward the end?
Esperanza feels ashamed when the nun points out that she lives on Mango Street
which is too close to be able to eat lunch at the canteen. She knows that
coming from Mango Street is not really a good thing.
Esperanza feels self conscious because she is at an age where she cares about
what she looks like. She is wearing a brand new dress to a party, but her
mother forget to get her new shoes, so she has to wear her crumby old shoes.
“Chanclas” This makes it so she won't dance because she is embarrassed, so sits at the
table hiding her shoes under the table.
37. At this point in the story, Esperanza is clearly coming into pre-pubescence or early teen
years. What is she self-conscious about? COMING OF AGE
“Hips”
38. In this vignette, “they” refers to what?
They refers to hips. The girls are talking about how hips get wider when
girls get older.38. Use one quote to show a simile or metaphor, and explain
"One day you wake up and they (hips) are there.
Buick with the keys in the ignition"(49).
Ready and waiting like a new
39. What effect do sing-songy childhood rhymes have on this vignette?
Consider the juxtaposition between innocence/childhood vs. corrupt/growing out of childhood
The sing songy rhymes while playing jump rope shows the innocence of the girls, but
they are also talking about growing older and getting hips. This shows the
transition into puberty.
Coming of Age
40. “She is too many light-years away. She is in a world we don’t belong to anymore.
Nenny. Going. Going” (52).
Who’s the speaker? Esperanza
What’s the significance?
This shows that Esperanza is growing up and entering into a new world of puberty,
while Nenny is still young and will still be young for awhile.
“The First Job”
41. What is coming of age?
Coming of age means getting older and starting to do more grown up things.
of age is the experiences or milestones that you hit as you grow older.
Coming
41. How does coming-of-age compare to the end of the previous chapter (52)?
Esperanza innocence is shown because the girls are playing jump rope and singing songs.
In the next vignette she seems older because she has her first job.
42. Where is Esperanza’s first job? Where does she eat lunch, and why?
Esperanza's first job was at Peter Pan Photo Finishers. She eats her lunch in the bathroom stall
because she was scared to eat alone in the company lunchroom with all those men and ladies looking.
43. Give two examples of “coming-of-age.” Use at least one quote and explain.
First job and getting kissed by an old man. "Just as I was about to put my lips on his cheek, he
grabs my face with both hands and kisses me hard on the mouth and doesn't let go"(55).
“Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark”
44. In the opening paragraph, what simile does Esperanza use?
She says, "crumples like a coat and cries"(56).
emotions had taken over him.
He fell into a heap on the floor because his
45. Why does her dad cry? And, how does this affect her or change the way she views her
father (father figure)?
He is said because his father died ( Esperanza's grandpa). Esperanza is stunned because
she has never seen her father cry before. She realizes he is human like her and not
superman like every little girl thinks of her father. She is growing up.
COMING OF AGE
“Born Bad”
46. Who’s Aunt Lupe? What’s wrong with her?
She is Esperanza's Aunt.
She is sick and bed ridden dying a slow death from disease.
47. How does Esperanza use PERSONIFICATION when sharing her thoughts on disease?
Use a quote to show your answer and explain.
She uses personification to explain how people get sick because she doesn't understand why her aunt,
who was once a healthy swimmer, is sick and dying. "But I think diseases have no eyes. They pick
with a dizzy finger anyone, just anyone"(59).
48. Why does writing free Esperanza? Explain.
Writing allows Esperanza to pretend, imagine, picture, and describe a life that she wants that is
far away from Mango Street. Writing is also a good career that will provide a good life for her.
“Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water”
49. Who is Elenita? And, what is Esperanza doing in this vignette?
She is a mother at home with two children. She is known as the witch woman
(psychic). Espranza goes to her house to get her tarot cards read.
50. “What about a house, I say, because that’s what I came for,” Esperanza says. Tie this
quote to the first page of the book. How does a “new home” idea compare to the
ESCAPISM beginning of the book?
In the beginning Esperanza was talking about a new home for her and her family.
vignette a house means a whole new life unlike her life on Mango Street.
In this
“Geraldo No Last Name”
51. Who’s Geraldo? What happens to him? Use a quote to show the answer.
He is someone who Marin was dancing with one night at a club. There was an accident and
he died. Marin felt bad because he was unknown and never identified or claimed.
"The ones he left behind are far away, will wonder, shrug, remember,
Geraldo... he went north... we never heard from him again"(66).
MOTIF: RACISM
Geraldo is just some unknown guy who died in an accident.
No one knows who he is or who to contact. He is from
another country so nothing will ever come of it.
“Edna’s Ruthie”
52. Ruthie is a mentally unsound, intellectually-challenged woman. Esperanza doesn’t say
this directly, but USE A QUOTE to show this.
"Ruthie, tall skinny lady with red lipstick and blue babushka, one blue sock and one
green because she forgot, is the only grown-up who likes to play. She takes her dog
Bobo for a walk and laughs all by herself"67).
53. Who’s Edna, and what is she like?
Edna is Ruthie's mother. She is a landlord of an apartment building where a lot of people don't pay
rent. Ruthie lives with Edna.
54. Find from the text (quote) at least one example of a simile Esperanza uses to describe
Ruthie. Explain (what is she comparing Ruthie to)?
Angel Vargus is teaching Esperanza and her friends how to whistle. Ruthie started whistling,
and that is how they met. "Then we heard someone whistling... beautiful like the Emperor's
nightingale... and when we turned around there was Ruthie"(68).
“The Earl of Tennessee”
MOTIF: Role of Women
55. Who is Earl, and what does he do for work?
Earl lives in the basement of Edna's building. He is a jukebox repairman.
He is from the south with a southern accent, and he always wears a felt hat.
56. Considering the role of females motif, what does Esperanza mean by “The word is that
Earl is married and has a wife somewhere…We never agree on what she looks
like….” (71).
Nobody ever agrees on what his wife looks like because it is always someone different.
He is not bringing home his wife. He is bringing home prostitutes who do not stay long.
“Sire”
57. Who’s Sire and what’s his girlfriend’s name?
Sire is a boy that looks at Esperanza whe. She walks by. Esperanza likes the way it makes her feel,
but she knows he is not a good choice. He has a girlfriend named Lois.
58. What does Esperanza’s mother mean by, “But Mama says those kinds of girls, those girls
are the ones that go into alleys. Lois who can’t tie her shoes” (73).
Esperanza wants to be a girl that boys would like...
Consider the motif ROLE OF FEMALEs kind of like Lois. Esperanza's mom explains that Lois
is a girl who doesn't know any better and is easily
taken advantage of because she wants to please the
boys. She will probably remain on Mango Street.
“ Four Skinny Trees”
59. READ THE FIRST OPENING PARAGRAPH; how does Esperanza compare to trees,
physically?
Esperanza describes herself to the trees
Use a quote to show your answer. because they are tall and skinny like her.
"Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine.
not belong here but are here"(74).
60. “Four who grew despite concrete. Four who reach and do not forget to reach. Four
whose only reason is to be and be” (75).
Who’s the speaker?
Esperanza
Four who do
What’s the significance (importance) of the quote? Explain how the trees symbolize Espy’s life in
some aspect/way.
The trees still grow despite the concrete and lack of sun.
grow and flourish despite her living conditions.
Esperanza will also
“No Speak English”
61. big
Whomama
is Mamacita?
Mamacita is the
of the man that lives across the street. Shoe brought her and their baby
from another country. She is big, beautiful, with pretty things, but she never comes outside and
she doesn't speak English.
62. How is Mamacita an example of the Role of Females motif? Consider her living
situation.
Mamacita is with a man that controls her life. He moved her from a different country and put her in
an apartment on Mango Street. He yells at her because she is home sick, and he wants her to speak
English and forget about her old ways. She is sad and stuck in an apartment with a man who does not
respect her. 63. “And then to break her heart forever, the baby boy, who has begun to talk, starts to sing the
Pepsi commercial he heard on T.V…No speak English, she says to the child who is singing in the
language that sounds like tin. No speak English, no speak English, and the bubbles into tears. No,
no, no, as if she can’t believe her ears” ( 78).
Who are the speakers?
Esperanza is talking about
Mamacita with her baby boy.
What’s the significance ? Consider the motifs of IDENTITY and how language affects identity.
Mamacita is really sad and depressed because everything she used to be is now
Americanized. She does not know English, and is extremely upset when her baby is
also being inning to speak English instead of her language. She feels like she is
losing her identity.
“Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays”
64. From “No Speak English,” how are Mamacita and Rafaela similar? Consider the Role of
Females motif
Mamacita and Rafaela are both women stuck with men who control them. Mamacita's man does not
let her talk about her country and won't ever let her go there again. Rafaela's man won't let
her leave because she is soooo beautiful that someone might take her away from him.
“Sally”
MOTIF: Escapism,
65. In the first, opening paragraph of the vignette, how does Esperanza use an “extended simile”?
Find one quote
Esperanza uses similes to describe how beautiful Sally is. "Sally is the girl with eyes like
Egypt and nylons the color of smoke. The boys at school think she's beautiful because he hair
is shiny black like raven feathers and when she laughs, she flicks her hair back like a satin
shawl over her shoulders and laughs"(81).
66. What’s Sally’s life situation?
Sally lives with her father who thinks that because she is beautiful, she will get in trouble.
He never lets her go anywhere but school. Sally is a completely different person when she is at
school. She wears dark clothes and lots of make up and she laughs.
67. Find one quote to compare how Sally and Esperanza are alike in a way. How are they
similar?
They both want lives away from Mango Street. "Do you wish your
“Minerva Writes Poems”
feet would one day keep walking and take you far away from Mango
Street, far away and maybe your feet would stop in front of a
house, a nice one with flowers and big windows and steps for you
to climb up two by two upstairs to where a room is waiting for
you"(82).
MOTIF: Role of Females
68. “…Then he is sorry and she opens the door again. Same
story.
Next week she comes over black and blue and
asks what can she do” (85)?
Esperanza talking about Minerva, a lady only a little bit older
Who’s the speaker? than her with kids and a husband who beats her and leaves but
always comes back.
What’s the significance? Consider the role of females
Minerva is stuck in a marriage with a man who treats her poorly. He beats.her up and leaves
her. Minerva always forgives him and let's him come back, so it is a vicious cycle.
“Bums in the Attic”
MOTIF: Identity
69. “ One day I’ll own my own house, but I won’t forget who I am or where I came from.
Passing bums will ask, Can I come in? I’ll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because
I know how it is to be without a house” ( 87).
Identify the speaker: Esperanza
Even though Esperranza is determined to
What’s the significance? Consider the motif of identity haver her own home, she will never forget
where she came from
or ever be ashamed.
“Beautiful & Cruel”
Role of Females
OPPOSING ROLE OF FEMALES
70. How does Esperanza contract (oppose) the motif of the role of females? How is she
different than other women in the story?
Esperanza is not going to be like the other women or girls because she is not going
to wait for a man to come and take her away. She is going to get out on her own.
71. “I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold
waiting for the ball and chain…I have begun my own quiet war. Simple. Sure. I am the
one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the
plate” (90).
Identify the speaker: Esperanza
She is going to be the role of the
man in terms that she is going to
What’s the significance? Consider the motif role of females work her own way out of Mango
Street.
“A Smart Cookie”
72. Compare and contrast Esperanza to her mother. How are they similar and how are they
different?
Esperanza and her mother are both smart. The difference is that Esperanza will succeed in living a
life away from Mango Street while her mom has and will live on Mango.
73. Why did her mother drop out of school?
Esperanza's mom had shame about the way she looked. She did not have nice
clothes, so she dropped out. She could have done it because she was smart.
“What Sally Said”
74. Sally, the same girl from a previous vignette, is very confined to her environment. Her father
is strict and does not let her grow, in a number of ways. What is the main problem in this
vignette?
Sally is physically abused by her father.
keeps happening over and over.
ROLE OF
FEMALES
She continues to forgive him, so it
75. How is Sally either similar or different than other female characters in this vignette?
How is she similar or different to Alicia (31), Mamacita, Rafaela, or Minerva (85)? Use previous
notes/answers from packet to help you.
Sally is different then Alicia because Alicia is going to school and getting away
from Mango Street. Sally is like Mamacita, Raphaela, and Minerva because she is
trapped in her life with an abusive man.
“The Monkey Garden”
MOTIFS: Escapism, innocence being corrupted, coming-of-age (growing up)
76. What is the “Monkey Garden,” as Esperanza refers to it? Give one specific detail about
the garden
The monkey garden is the yard of an abandoned house. It is overgrown with flowers and weeds as
well as abandoned broke down cars. Esperanza and friends go there to escape and play.
77. “Your son and his friends stole Sally’s keys and now they won’t give them back unless
she kisses them and right now they’re making her kiss them, I said all out of breath from
the there flights of stairs” (97).
Esperanza is mad that Sally is giving into the boys and playing their game.
She is encouraging the cycle of men
overpowering women and making them do things that they don't have to do.
Speaker? She is falling into the role of females.
Esperanza
What’s the significance? Consider the motifs listed above for this vignette.
78. why do you think that this particular vignette is longer than the others? Why does the
narrator go into more extensive details and use less simple language in this one?
It shows a transition of time. Esperanza is growing up. She is becoming more
opinionated and educated as you can see in her more detailed writing.
“Red Clowns”
MOTIFS: Coming-of-age (from childhood to early adulthood)
79. In the opening paragraph, what is Esperanza talking about, though it’s not directly stated
(explicitly stated)? What happens to her and where?
She went to the fair with Sally, and she was waiting for her by the red
clowns. While Esperanza was waiting, she was raped.
80. Explain how this vignette is different than the others; consider the content (what
Esperanza is talking about).
Esperanza has realized that not everything is always as perfect as she thought
it was or would be when she was little. She is mad and thinks that Sally and
even the story books and magazines have lied to her.
“Linoleum Roses”
motif: Role of females
Sally got married to a marshmallow salesman
that she met, and she married him in a
81. What happened to Sally when she got older? different state where it's legal to marry as
young as 8th grade.
82. What type of man did she marry, and how is this seen before in her life?
Find one quote to reinforce your answer.
She married a man to escape from being trapped by her father, but she ended up marrying a man that
traps her as well. "Except he won't let her talk on the telephone. And he doesn't let her look out
the window. And he doesn't like her friends, so nobody goes to visit her unless he is working"(102).
“The Three Sisters”
Lucy and Rachel's baby sister died and they had a service in their
house for anyone and everyone. Esperanza felt weird seeing someone
MOTIF: death, identity dead for the first time in someone's house. Three old sisters came
and gave Esperanza a wish.
83. what is Esperanza’s first real, close experience with death?
84. “When you leave you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, understand?
You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t erase what
you know. You can’t forget who you are” (105).
Esperanza must help others on Mango Street to break the cycle. She will always be
from Mango Street, but that doesn't always have to be a bad thing.
“Alicia & I Talking on Edna’s Steps”
MOTIF: Identity
85. “No, this isn’t my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I’ve
lived here. I don’t belong. I don’t ever want to come from here” (106).
Identify the speaker: Esperanza
What’s the significance?
Esperanza is breaking down because she knows it is going to be really hard to get a
life away from Mango Street as well as make it a better place to live and be from.
“A House of My Own”
MOTIFS: Ownership, fantasy vs. reality
86. Refer to page 64. How does the idea of home and settled feel now? Compare to the
beginning?
Esperanza has finally gotten her idea of a dream home.
place all of her own, independent and on her own.
It will be a
“Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes”
MOTIF: identity, coming of age
87. “I like to tell stories. I am going to tell you a story about a girl who didn’t want to belong.
We didn’t always live on Mango Street…”
Speaker?
Esperanza
Significance?
Esperanza began and ended her book with this same line except one is from the perspective
of when she was young, and she remembers moving the most. Now she is grown up and she has
found herself and where she is from, so what she remembers most is Mango Street.
88. Do you think she’ll leave Mango Street and be successful?
YES. She is very determined to do what it takes,to be successful and work for the
life that she wants. It also seems like the last two vignettes have transitioned
into the future explaining her life after she has made it.