The House on Mango Street shows a year in the life of Esperanza, the protagonist, and how she grows as a person. One of the genres in which Sandra Cisneros, the author, writes is called Bildungsroman. Throughout this story, the reader gets to experience how gender and being a woman can determine how they interact with certain people and how that affects their relationships. The themes presented in the novel are women and femininity, family and friends. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Women were often portrayed in a certain way throughout this novel. His mother is a stereotypical image of what women were like; during this time women were nurturing, feminine and domesticated. According to the Hairs cartoon, "But my mother's hair, my mother's hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles, all curly and pretty because she pinned it in curls all day, sweet to stick your nose in when you she holds you, holds you and you feel safe, it's the warm smell of bread before baking it, it's the smell when she makes room for you on her side of the bed still warm with her skin, and you sleep next to her, outside it's raining cats and dogs and dad is snoring.” Esperanza's neighbor is shown as the caretaker of the children while being beautiful, which was a common role of women. Louie's cousin and her other cousin are found in the vignette older than us. She lives with Louie's family, her family is in Puerto Rico.. She can't go out, I have to babysit Louie's sisters." who holds, however, instead confronts her intelligence that beauty does not mean independence and therefore seeks other ways to gain power. Beauty, she believes, can help women escape their current positions and offer more options. Found in the Sire cartoon, “And then his girlfriend came. Lois, I heard him call her. It's small and cute and smells like baby skin. I. . . I saw her bare toenails, all painted pale pink, like little pink shells, and she smells pink like children do.” In The House on Mango Street, the women often shared some similar characteristics. After moving to her new home, the protagonist makes new friends. Esperanza feels like she is prevented from having real friendships because of her responsibilities (her sister). The balloon symbolizes its ability to float away; the anchor keeps her hanging on the ground unable to reach new heights. Found in the Boys & Girls cartoon, “Someday I'll have a best friend of my own. One I can tell my secrets to. One who will understand my jokes without me having to explain them. Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor.” She makes real connections and friends in her new neighborhood. Esperanza finally doesn't look or feel isolated. According to Our Good Day, “Down, down Mango Street we go. Rachel, Lucy, me. Our new bicycle. Laughing at the crooked trip backwards.” Her new position allows her to make connections with new people. Esperanza may not look like some of her family members, however they share specific traits. Although Esperanza and her great-grandmother never met, they have another thing in common besides their names: their wild personalities. Found in my name, “My great-grandmother. I would have liked to meet her, a wild woman, so wild that she wouldn't marry." After observing two physically similar brothers, Esperanza compares herself to Nenny. Find similarities that are not physical but are deeper and more personality oriented. Quoted in Laughter,.2019.18