The House on Mango Street

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I think that this novel works a young adult literature because the main focus of the novel is the physical and mental development of the main character that is similar to what many adolescents go through on a daily basis. I had a harder time connecting with this book than the others that we've previously read in class, but one aspect I heavily relate to with Esperanza is the desire to move out of your house and make it on your own. The novel is much more than the story of Esperanza wanting to be independent but it seems to be the force that drives her. Many young adults find the need to try and make it on there own for a multitude of reasons, many being the relationship with their parents or the desire to move to different area and see the world. I don't feel that Esperanza hates where she is but recognizes that she wants to leave, "Those who don't know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we're dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives." (28). She also explains that she's not scared to be where she is because she knows everyone that lives around her. She's not afraid of the scary looking many with the crooked eye because she knows who he is. But, she still posses that desire to leave. In the later chapter "Beautiful and Cruel", Esperanza has decided that she wants to become a femme fatale, "I have begun my own quiet war. Simple. Sure. I am one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate." (89) This is the point in the novel when Esperanza realizes that she wants to break out of living a life just like the other women in her family.

The other theme that stuck out to me in this novel is the growth that Esperanza goes through during the course of the novel. She is changing due to puberty and is having to deal with the physical changes that come with it. It is first mentioned in the section "Hips" as the girls jump rope and talk about the importance of having hips. This also leads into Esperanza's first job since her family wants her to stop playing in the streets all day during the summer. This is a simple idea since everyone has to get their first job eventually but it leads into the confrontation with the "Oriental" man. "he said it was his birthday and would i please give him a birthday kiss. I thought I would because he was so old and 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) It's moments like this in the novel that show that not only is Esperanza having to grow up, but it shows that she's being forced into maturity at a arguably young age since she also lied about how old she was in order to get the job. This is also reinforced by the deaths in the novel and the abusive relationship that Esperanza witnesses and is asked to give advice on. In the section "Red Clowns", Esperanza narrates what she is think after she has been sexually assaulted and calls for Sally. This section, along with the section regarding Sally being beaten by her father show the struggle and how they are being forced to mature before they're really ready.

I think this is an important book to teach teenagers, especially teenage girls, because of the tough subject matters and the societal norms that every teenager has to struggle to adapt to. I think this novel will resonate with many students due to the physical and emotional development that the character undergoes throughout the novel.

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