“House on Mango
Street”
Analysis and Review
I. The Story’s Structure
(Setup):

“Mango Street” is a novella (short novel)

Uses poetic language, but fairly simple word choice and
sentence structure (fragments, simple sentences). Why??

1) Reflects a young girl’s short attention span

2) Imitates the neighborhood’s setup
(lots of people, not any one person has very much space
on the page or in the neighborhood)

3) Unfinished vignettes remind us that women’s lives
were often left “unfinished” as well.
II. A Few Characters:

Esperanza- wants to escape the neighborhood, but
knows she will return

Mama- loving to her children, but lives with regrets of
her own

Alicia- works hard at home, goes to college

Sally- a girl in the neighborhood who kisses boys in the
Monkey Garden; very mature

Sire- a male in the neighborhood who watches
Esperanza; she’s attracted to him.
II. A Few Characters:

Aunt Lupe- the aunt who was sick; Esperanza played
charades and mimicked her

Rachel + Lucy- play friends; they ride bikes together
and play dress up

Elenita- a fortune teller whom Esperanza asks about
her chances of having a “home”

The Three Sisters- older women who are wise, but
disappear one day

Geraldo- a man in the neighborhood who dies without
getting the hospital help he needs
III. Parts of the Story (Plot
Pyramid):

EXPOSITION: Esperanza shares her
personal information with us- her house,
family, difference between the boys and
girls, and what her name means, and her
desire to leave

RISING ACTION: Esperanza starts out as
very childlike, but as the story
progresses, she matures, sees differences
in herself, and is increasingly attracted to
males
III. Parts of the Story (Plot
Pyramid):

CLIMAX: Sally leaves Esperanza in the Monkey Garden
alone, she is attacked

FALLING ACTION: Esperanza realizes a boy is not her
way out of the neighborhood; writing her story is her
only way out.

RESOLUTION: The reader circles back to Esperanza
telling us about her house on Mango Street, with an
added determination to leave, but peace of mind
because now she has written down her story.
IV. Symbolism + Motifs (Reocurring Ideas):
1)
The Trees- Esperanza admires the four skinny trees in
her front yard- they grow through concrete in the
ground, like she would like to succeed despite tough
circumstances (Determination, Resilience,
Independence).
2)
Shoes- Esperanza describes how she is feeling about
herself and growing up through describing her shoes
(Self-Consciousness, Maturing).
3)
Balloon + Anchor- Esperanza has familial
responsibilities (Freedom vs. Responsibility).
IV. Symbolism + Motifs (Reoccurring Ideas):
4) The Sky: Characters watch the sky, reference God, and
look for wisdom (Freedom, Wisdom)
5) Women By Windows: Esperanza’s grandmother
“watched life go by”, and Esperanza does not want
that for herself (Women’s Limitations)
6) Names: Most people in the neighborhood have a proper
name, and then a nickname (Mixed Ethnicity, Changing
Identity)
COLORS… WHAT DO YOU
THINK??

When (or for what?) is the color red used?
So, what might the color red symbolize??

When (or for what?) is the color yellow
used?
So, what might the color yellow
symbolize??

Any other colors?
V. Themes (Universal
Idea/Lesson):

If you were to create 2 theme statements for “House on
Mango Street”, what would they be?
1) __________________________________
2) __________________________________