So far, I am seriously enjoying The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Not only is it a great story, but it really helps you understand the struggle of coming of age for yourself, others and makes you think deeply about it. Not everyone deals with growing up the same way. Everyone comes from different families, places, etc.
We all have different responsibilities and roles in our family, and life. But Esperanza's role in her family is a difficult one. Esperanza is like a mother figure for all of her younger sisters. She takes care of them, and makes sure that they're okay. Many kids have to grow up fast to take care of their younger siblings. Esperanza deals with this very well. One quote that really stuck out to me, and showed the importance of Esperanza's role was "Because I am the oldest, my father has told me first, and now it is my turn to tell the others." Esperanza has so much weight on her shoulders. I never had to deal with this, since I'm the youngest, but my sister has. However, it's a different situation with us. My sister never had to really take care of me, because fortunately we have such an amazing mother and father that was always there for us. But she did have to make sure she was being a good role model for me. And I could only imagine how hard this is, especially being a teenager and going through of a time of mistakes. But Esperanza, as well as my sister always managed to pull it off.
Another quote that made me think was "I wonder if she made the best of what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be." This is a good example of childhood and adulthood. When we're young, we have so much ambition. We have dreams of what we want to do, and the kind of person we want to be when we grow up. But as people get older, they start to see all of that changing. What we want and what we have are completely different. We may not always be the person we wanted to be, but we're stuck with who we are. And since it's all we have, we have to suck it up, and just accept our life for how it is and realize that everything happens for a reason. The way someone is brought up can also restrict them from being the person they want to be. And to break free from that person takes a lot of strength and courage, because all we know is what we were brought up around. Esperanza is brought up in a poor neighborhood, and although she has so many dreams and a clear view of who she wants to be, her childhood life is holding her back.
As I continue to read this book, the more I love Esperanza. She is such an inspirational character and handles adult tasks very well. She is facing some serious inner struggle, though. She feels trapped, and doesn't know how to get out. Not only is her life not the best, but she's a child, and can't really do anything about it. Esperanza inspires me to work hard, and try to never give up. She makes me realize that so many kids have it much harder than I do, and to take advantage of every opportunity I have. I can't wait to finish the book, and see how Esperanza deals with the problems she is faced with.
