The House on Mango Street Essay

House on Mango Street Essay

I think Sandra Cisneros is showing that the message of the story is that life is a rollercoaster and you need to live your life the best you can. At one point in the story, a kid tells Esperanza that she will be her friend for 5 dollars because the kid needs that much more for a bike. Esperanza has to choose between her friend Cathy who is moving and thinks buying friendship is wrong and having two new friends. She thinks "Cathy is gone like I knew she would be but I don't care. I have two new friends and a bike too." Although Esperanza had to initially "buy" friends, eventually these kids turned out to be real friends. The rollercoaster theme continues when Esperanza realizes that she is in desperate need of a job. She needs to help her family out and is at a loss of how to get a job when her Aunt comes along and offers her one. Aunt Lala said "I found a job for you at pan photo finishers." This means that when Esperanza worried about getting a job, her aunt solved the problem and therefore helped out the family. Another example is when Esperanza is moving and says "We didn't always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the 3rd floor, and before that it was Keller, and before that it was Paulina. But I'll always remember Mango Street the most, the sad, red, house, I belong but I do not belong to."