Franchesca Weaver

Ms. Shaffer
English 1 GATE
19 September, 2016

Have you ever been disappointed in what you have and do not have? Do you
ever get upset when you do not get what you desire? Esperanza feels that way
throughout the story, but she learns to make the most out of what she is given. In the
novel, The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros frequently talks about the
difficulties in getting what you want and how it is not always so easy. Esperanza is a
Mexican- American girl who moves into Mango Street with her family. Mango Street is
located in Chicago and it does not have the best reputation. It is seen as dangerous to
people who do not live there. Throughout the story, Cisneros brings up many possible
central ideas with a message and meaning. One of the possible central ideas is making
the most of what you have and learning how to cope with disappointments.
One of the central ideas in The Houses on Mangos Street is not getting what you
want and making the most of what you have or seeing the good in the situation. In the
story, Esperanza says, The house on Mango Street is ours, and we don't have to pay
rent to anybody, or share the yard with the people downstairs, or be careful not to make

too much noise, and there isn't a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom. But even
so, it's not the house we'd thought we'd get (3). This quote is saying Esperanza is not
fully satisfied with the house and it does not meet her expectations. However, she is
glad that it is something that she can rightfully claim as her own, rather than her
previous houses that they had to pay rent or share with. By examining this quote, I have
learned that Esperanza was expecting something bigger and better, but since she did
not get that, she focused on the good that is there, like having something to call their
own. She realized despite the size or quality of the house, it is their very own house.
She saw what she did have, focussed on that, and made the most of what she was
given.
Furthermore, Cisneros has many other pieces in this story that supports the
central idea. For example, as Cisneros writes in the story, Those who don't know any
better come into our neighborhood scared [] But we aren't afraid. We know the guy
with the crooked eye is Davey the Baby's brother, and the tall one next to him in the
straw brim, that's Rosa's Eddie V., and the big one that looks like a dumb grown man,
he's Fat Boy, though he's not fat anymore nor a boy (28). This quote means that the
neighborhood she lives on is not the finest on the market and the people living there are
not necessarily the best. The people who do not live there are scared to come to
Mango Street, while everyone living on it see it a whole different way. This relates well
to one of the central ideas because the street is not the best, but Esperanza sees the
good in it by thinking about how her community close and they know each other well,
unlike people who do not live there do.

The topic idea that you do not always get what you want and learning how to

cope with disappointment is supported here as well. Cisneros writes, I knew then I had
to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isnt it. The house on
Mango Street isnt it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know
how those things go (5). This quote means that Esperanza really wants a house she
can be proud of, but that is not what they get. She is not satisfied at what they do have.
Esperanza is used to not having a house for anything more than a short while, so she is
learning how to cope very slowly. By examining this, I have learned that this well relates
to one of the themes of this story, which is learning to cope with disappointments and
not getting what you want. Esperanza did not get what she wanted and she is starting to
lose hope, even when her father told her it was temporary. Esperanza knows that
people say things that they do not mean. For instance, her father. She still is
disappointed because she knows that temporary does not always mean that. She has
to cope with disappointment a lot in the story. Getting what you want is not always easy.
In conclusion, some of the central ideas of The House on Mango Street are
making the most of what you have by seeing the good in things and learning how to
cope with disappointments when you do not get what you want. To support this,
Cisneros wrote about how Esperanza was disappointed about the new house they got,
but she then sees the good in the situation, like having something they can call their
own. Also, Esperanza learns how to cope with disappointments because when her
father says, temporary she knows that is not all true. She learns over time that what
people say is not always true, so she learns how to cope with it. Lastly, Esperanza has

a sense of safety in the neighborhood everyone else sees as dangerous. This is

important because many of us face situations like this on a daily basis. From this story, I
have learned that sometimes you have to cope with disappointments and accept that
some things just do not go as planned. If that happens, I would say the best thing to do
is to make the most of what you have. See the good in things and focus on them, just as
Esperanza has done throughout the story.

Rubric rating submitted on: 10/2/2016, 12:25:49 PM by ashley.shaffer@salinasuhsd.org

2

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Comments:
M.U.G.: 10/10
Rubric rating submitted on: 10/13/2016, 4:36:27 PM by ashley.shaffer@salinasuhsd.org
2

Hook
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Your score: 2

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Universal Connection
Your score: 2

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Evidence
Formatted/Cited
Correctly
Your score: 2

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Evidence Clearly
Connects to Thesis
Your score: 2

Comments:
M.U.G.: 10/10

Present

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Absent