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Mauricio Mejia
Humanities
12 October 2013
Tough Times on Mango Street
Mahatma Gandhi once said, You must be the change you wish to see in the world. This
quote really applies to Esperanzas experience on Mango Street. The House on Mango Street is a
novella written by Sandra Cisneros about the challenges the main character, Esperanza, has to
overcome to be a successful person. While Esperanza live in a poor neighborhood, she learns
from the mistakes and lessons of other women in her neighborhood and uses that to succeed.
Sally influences Esperanza in many ways throughout the novella The House on Mango
Street. For example, Sally leaves Esperanza with an unknown man and Esperanza gets raped.
She tells Sally, It wasnt what you said at all. What he did. Where he touched me. I didnt want
it Sally (Cisneros 99). Esperanza, in this passage, is raped by a guy because of Sallys
negligence. This incident lowers her self-esteem, even though her confidence was high before.
Therefore, Sally influences Esperanza with her negligence. Beside this example, there are many
other ways Sally influences Esperanza. For instance, Sally marries a man to get away from
Mango Street. Esperanza says She is happy, except when he is angry (Cisneros 101). Sally, in
this passage, is trapped in her marriage. Esperanza learns from Sallys mistake, that she cannot
rely on a man to get out of Mango Street. Esperanza, in The House on Mango Street, is
influenced by Sally.
Alicia is a girl in the neighborhood that helps Esperanza and influences her a lot in the
book. One example is when she says, Like it or not you are Mango Street, and one day youll
come back too(Cisneros 107). In this passage, Alicia reminds Esperanza to come back to
Mango Street. She tells her this because Esperanza is most likely going to become successful,


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and she has to affect her neighborhood in a positive way. This shows how Alicia has a positive
affect on Esperanza by giving her good advice. However, this is not the only example of Alicias
positive influence on Esperanza. For instance, Alicia is molested by her father. (Cisneros 31), but
her strong will does not make her feel sorry for herself, but she continues to fight on. This is why
Esperanza feels inspired by Alicia. She overcomes her challenges to become a strong woman.
This show how Esperanza is inspired by her. Esperanza is positively inspired by Alicia
throughout the book.
Marin is a girl that affects Esperanza a lot in The House on Mango Street. One example
of this is when Marin is dancing in front of the street light, waiting for a car to stop, for a star to
fall(Cisneros 27). This quote shows how Marin is trying to get out of Mango Street with the
help of a man. Esperanza realizes that she has to rely on her wits and talents to be successful and
help other people in her neighborhood. However, this is not the only way Marin has an influence
on Esperanza. For instance, What matters, Marin says, is for the boys to see us and for us to see
them (Cisneros 27). In this quote, Marin affects Esperanza by telling her that boys are more
important which, in Esperanzas case, is not true. Marin doesnt become successful because she
tries to get out of Mango Street with a man. Esperanza wisely knows that she can only rely on
herself to be successful. Esperanza, throughout the book, is affected heavily by Marins bad
decisions.
Through all the good and bad decisions and good advice these women have given to
Esperanza, Sally, Marin, and Alicia affect Esperanza heavily throughout the book. Esperanza
learns a lot of lessons throughout the book, both good and bad, especially concerning her
community. If she never met Alicia, Marin, or Sally, she probably would have gone with a man
to escape Mango Street, or had not escaped at all, instead of using her skills to get out. Every


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young women, especially the ones with tough situations in front of them, can learn from The
House on Mango Street and Esperanzas ups and downs and be an inspiring figure in their
community. They can use their many talents to get out of their situations; not just getting married
will get you out of a tough situation.























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Work Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York:Vintage Books 1984.