Ima Student
December 10, 2009
The Loss of Innocence
The dictionary defines the word innocent as one who is pure and guileless. In the novel The House on Mango
Street, by Sandra Cisneros, the main character, Esperanza, grows up in a rough neighborhood in Chicago. She has moved
from house to house for her whole life and has finally settled on Mango
Street. Innocence is a characteristic that Esperanza has lacked throughout her childhood. She has had some very difficult
experiences that changed her greatly as a person. Her life has been challenging and she knows and has seen too much for
someone so young. In this novel, the loss of innocence is a clear theme because of its frequent appearance and its
message: it is positive to lose innocence gradually, but to lose it through damaging experiences is destructive.
Esperanza beings to lose her innocence when she decides that it is time for people to notice her. Esperanza
wants to be seen and be appreciated, but in her rough neighborhood, those things lead to trouble. At this point in the
novel, Esperanza is trying to be seen by wearing garish shoes that are ill-advised. She struts down the street with them,
thinking that she will attract attention. She receives hostile attention, however, which is not something she wants. A
strange man approaches her and her friends and threatens them sexually. The man says to her: “You are a pretty girl...
'What's your name, pretty girl?”(41).Esperanza wanted to be noticed and make friends, but wearing such clothing was no
way to do so. She just wanted to look beautiful with no consequences, but on Mango Street, that was nearly impossible.
This event shows how Esperanza lost her innocence in a dangerous and unhealthy way. It is best to lose one's innocence
gradually, but Esperanza's surroundings made that nearly impossible for her.
The most obvious example of life losing its simplicity for Esperanza occurred when she was raped at a carnival.
Esperanza was just trying to be happy and to spend time with her new friend Sally, but Sally did not protect her from the
dangers that she, herself, had experienced. She abandoned Esperanza and put her life at risk. Esperanza was brutally
raped due to this and she was overwhelmed. She was furious with Sally and all of the people who told her about love, so
she yelled: “You're a liar. They all lied. All the books and magazines, everything that told it wrong”(100).This loss of
innocence was the most difficult for Esperanza and something that would haunt her forever. This quote shows how
angry she was about what happened to her and how she felt cheated by society. She had been told how beautiful love
was, but she did not feel that way at all because of what happened to her. This was an experience that she would never
recover from. Esperanza's second loss of innocence was her largest. This innocence was not lost gradually at all, but
taken from Esperanza harshly and quickly.
Losing innocence gradually can be a very positive thing and there are examples of Esperanza maturing in this way
throughout the novel. When she realized that she was on her own, and had to solve her own problems, she grew as a
person. This was a very important realization for Esperanza. She saw that if anyone was going to fix Mango Street, it
would have to be someone who had experienced the poverty. It would need to be someone who understood the street's
people and their ways. It needed to be her. She knew this and said jokingly: “Who's going to do it? Not the mayor”(107).
She realizes that she must make the changes herself and not wait around for someone else to do the job. The reason is
that the job would never be completed. The mayor did not care what happened to the people of Mango Street. He
probably assumed that they would not make it anywhere in life. He did not see the potential of the people living there,
and what they could accomplish, so he did not care what happened to them. This example is a much more positive and
subtle loss of innocence, but a loss nonetheless. Esperanza sees that she will not be helped out all of the time and she
needs to do some things for herself. This loss was very good for her because every person finds out at some point that
they have to take the initiative and do things themselves.
In this novel, the loss of innocence is a definite theme because of its numerous appearances and because Sandra
Cisneros wanted to let her readers know that losing innocence with age is good, but losing it by harmful experiences is
dangerous. There are several examples of Esperanza losing her innocence all through the novel. The first came when she
wore shiny shoes down the street and she was noticed for the wrong reasons. The second example occurred when she
was raped. This was very difficult for her and something that she would never recover from emotionally. The final
example was a positive one that was a necessary step for her to mature. She saw that she needed to save Mango Street
herself and solve her own problems. Sandra Cisneros used this as a theme to make people aware of the rough
neighborhoods and the tough lives that some people lead. She does not want people to sit back and not worry, but to do
something about it. She wants people to be like Esperanza when she realized that she needed to help Mango Street's
people and lead them out of poverty. She knows that some people in those areas have great potential, but are never
given a chance. This may be because she was once one of those people who was not given a chance and had to make her
own way. She wants everyone to have a chance to be somebody.
GHS Writing Rubric
For each section below, the scores 4, 3, 2, and 1 are reflective of the student’s Exceeding, Meeting, Partially Meeting or Not
Meeting the skill standard.
INTRODUCTION
The first paragraph clarifies for the reader
important information about the author(s),
work(s), and theme(s) you will be discussing.
It’s set up to “funnel” information from a
general, hook statement to the specific thesis
that will drive your paper.
4 3 2 1
THESIS
The paper provides a clear statement that
expresses a specific, supportable belief about a
topic around which the paper will be explicitly
based. If this statement is vague, unclear, or
off-topic, the entire paper will be in trouble.
4 3 2 1
USE OF TEXT AND DETAILS
The thesis needs to be supported by passages
and/or details from the text. Failure to offer
such support makes the points sound like
mere opinion.
4 3 2 1
4 3 2 1
FOCUS, ORGANIZATION
4 3 2 1
INTERPRETATION and ANALYSIS
The specifics used are accurate and lead to an
insightful understanding of the underlying
meanings in the text. The use of details takes
into account an entire text and demonstrates
strong critical thinking.
GRAMMAR AND SENTENCES
The writing has been proofread for clarity and
effectiveness. Writing avoids fragmented,
awkward, unclear, and run-on sentences.
Writer addresses problems with choppiness,
subject-verb agreement, pronoun use, and
parallel construction. Refer to the “Basic Guide
to English Language Conventions” for clarity.
4 3 2 1
CONCLUSION
4 3 2 1
Paper stays on topic throughout, without
repetition, and all points explicitly relate to
the thesis. Paragraphs are used to organize
and develop the support for the main idea.
WORD CHOICE AND SPELLING
The paper is not only proofread for correct
word usage – especially concerning
homonyms – and spelling, but also avoids
excessive, conversational, plain and vague
language. Refer to the Basic Guide to English
Language Conventions for clarity.
4 3 2 1
The last paragraph reminds the reader of your
thesis and its main supporting points as well as
finishes with an “outward” thought that explains
how a reader can apply your thesis’s idea to life
in general.
Total points:
Exceeds the standards: 28-32 (28,29=A-, 30,31=A, 32=A+)
Meets the standards:
21-27 (21,22=C, 23=B-, 24,25=B, 26,27=B+)
Partially Meets the standards: 14-20 (14-15=D-, 16-18=D, 19,20=C-)
Does not meet the standards: 8-13
(8=30, 9,10=60, 11,12=65)
***Work not written on the assigned topic will receive a classroom score of 0***
***Additional factors such as plagiarism or the work’s being late or incomplete will impact the classroom grade.***
Student Name ___________________________________Point Total ________ / 32_ Standard Grade
_______________ Class Grade ___________________