Sunday, July 20, 2008

House on Mango Street, a novel in vignettes by Sandra Cisneros

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York, Random House, 1984, 110 pp.

Awards: American Book Award (Before Columbus Foundation) 1985.

Genre: Coming of age story, Latina experiences, Chicago life/neighborhoods, girls' issues, short stories, verse, female narrations

Here's what Miss Martha Says about The House on Mango Street ...

Summary
Adolescent Esperanza ("Hope") Cordero introduces herself and the tenants of her new neighborhood over the course of this book. She reveals the neighborhood secrets, dangers, heroes and villains. Although Esperanza is happy to have moved to a house, after living in a series of slum-like apartments, she is disappointed with the cramped, unattractive conditions of the house on Mango Street. She wants to divest herself of the house, the neighborhood and everything that seems to tell her that, as a Latina girl in a working class family, she is destined to live out her days in a Mango street neighborhood by that or any other name. Esperanza is a dreamer, and at times she shares her fanciful ideas about people, places and things. But she is also a pragmatist, and holds back very little when observing the dangerous actions of other girls in the neighborhood. Esperanza faces many tough times during her first year on Mango street. She confronts violence, crime, rape, and the death of a child, to name a handful. Ultimately, Esperanza's strength of conviction leads us to believe that she will rise above her circumstances and achieve whatever goals she sets for herself.

Review
I loved this book. I loved this little girl, and all of the strange and wonderful characters who people her life. It is difficult to believe that I could not drive to this neighborhood right now and see the children playing in the street, the shopkeeper sweeping the walk, and the teenage shut-in sneaking a smoke out her second story bedroom window. Alas, it's just fiction. But what wonderful fiction it is.

Sandra Cisneros deftly uses everyday language (mostly English with a little Spanish) but elevates it at times to a mystical level by infusing her words with the imaginative whims and uncertainties of an adolescent girl. I am grateful that she chose to tell Esperanza's story in a series of short stories, vignettes and free verse poems, because the material is so heavy at times that I think I would have had a very difficult time coping with all of it if the book had been a more traditional novel (for that matter, it probably would have been over 500 pp long!) Because Cisnero's short writings give us just a glance of a leg, a bruise, an emotion or a location, we are forced to put the remainder of the puzzle together in our own minds. In addition to this style pixillating difficult scenes (such as those of child abuse or rape) it immediately pulls us into the story and we become lost in Esperanza's world. Without actively responding and engaging to the words by finishing out the images in our own minds, we wouldn't be able to comprehend what we are reading.

There is enormous potential here for classroom lesson plans. I can see this book as a read aloud -- the teacher could pick and choose from Esperanza's many observations about people and life. There could be a recurring introduction of this book into the classroom, as a bridge to other writings on a variety of themes and topics. Esperanza could become a member of the class, so to speak, her observations inspiring students to write reflections on their own houses, neighborhoods and community members.

It is particularly exciting to me that Esperanza is a Latina adolescent. She is a great person and a terrific role model for both girls and boys. Her cultural heritage is a bonus because, when we listen to her ideas and dreams, she sounds just like the rest of us. Her insides are similar to those of many many adolescents. In our communities in NWA, it is important for us to build bridges of understanding and shared experience between people of different cultures. The House on Mango Street can help do just that. And once we realize how much we have in common with Esperanza, we can respectfully learn more about her cultural heritage. (!)

Age appropriateness? Depending on the segments you choose to share, you could start as early as 5th grade with this one. The more mature topics would be appropriate for a high school classroom up to 12th grade. This is one of those tricky books to pigeonhole because of its breadth and depth. If it is not assigned as take-home reading, its use would be up to the discretion of the teacher, so age-appropriate material could be easily selected.

This was a real gem. If you're in need of a Latina heroine, Esperanza's your girl.

And that's what Miss Martha says.




2 comments:

G said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
G said...

Miss Martha,

I have enjoyed reading your blog since your first entry about Speak. Your critical analysis of that book was eye-opening to many in the class, myself included. I was hooked to find out, admittedly, if you were going to take anyone else down a few notches in my viewpoint. Kind of the reason I might leave a channel on NASCAR for more than a second.

Not so far.

Except maybe me. Though I have read your blog throughout the semester I only commented on your first entry. Of course, I did send the link to Speak to the editor of the ALAN Review and she commented (she really isn't my mother). Do I get some points for that? I sent it to at least two other outsiders.

I have probably commented on about ten blogs which is weak.

I assigned all of this and haven't made time to read all of the wonderful work produced by the students in Adolescent Literature.

I will say I am yet to be disappointed in anything I have read as part of this project. But I haven't read it all and certainly have not commented as much as I should.

I won't use the number of students in the class as an excuse for being the kind of teacher I won't let you or anyone else in the class become. I will say that 22 people in a discussion oriented class with a discussion oriented teacher is the kind of things that cause people to wake up in a cold sweat.

Your work here on the blog and in the panel discussion today on Mango is superb. I appreciate your insight into working with the littler kids. I admittedly don't have enough experience doing that and you balance out my radical high school persona well.

Thank you for your contributions and for your challenges. I hope they will continue throughout the year.

cg

ps: watch out for poison ivy.