1. “House on Mango Street”
Study Guide & Review

2. I. The Story’s Structure
“Mango Street” is a novella (short novel)
Uses poetic language, but fairly simple word choice and sentence structure (fragments, simple sentences).
Some say the reasons for the poetic style
1) Reflect a young girl’s short attention span

3. 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.

4. 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

5. III. Parts of the Story (Plot Pyramid):
EXPOSITION: The House on Mango Street to My Name
RISING ACTION: Cathy Queen of Cats to The Monkey Garden
CLIMAX: Red Clowns
FALLING ACTION : Lineoleum Roses to A House of My Own
RESOLUTION: Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes

6. IV. Symbolism + Motifs (Reocurring Ideas):
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).
Shoes- Esperanza describes how she is feeling about herself and growing up through describing her shoes (Maturing).
Balloon + Anchor- Esperanza has familial responsibilities (Responsibility & commitment)

7. IV. Symbolism + Motifs (Reocurring Ideas):
4) The Sky: Characters watch the sky, reference God, and look for wisdom (Symbolizes ~ Freedom & Wisdom)
5) Women By Windows: Esperanza’s grandmother “watched life go by”, and Esperanza does not want that for herself (Windows symbolize - Women’s Limitations or being trapped)

8. V. Themes (Universal Idea/Lesson):
If you were to create 2 theme statements for “House on Mango Street”, what would they be? 1) The culmination of maturity is the understanding that the past doesn’t control a person or determine his/her destiny ) We all struggle to define ourselves and this underscores every action and encounter. (coming of age
3) Women to help each other in the face of the unchanging male world.
4) The concept of home evolves and changes. We must not let the image of perfection interfere with acceptance of love and family. We may move but will forever be impacted and connected to the people and places that contribute to our maturation.