Enduring Understanding

In her works, Sandra Cisneros often centers her bildungsromans, coming-of-age novels, around latina characters who feel out of place and are in search of their individualistic identity, in order to convey how societal expectations conflift with the value of herritage and individuality. 

In The House on Mango Street, the protagonist, Esperanza, constantly feels disconnected from her neighborhood and surroundings. She dreams of a better future, feeling trapped in gender expectations and poverty. As Esperanza grows, she observes the women in her neighborhood—trapped in their domestic roles. This comes in stark contrast to the fancy all-white neighborhoods that her family occasionally drives past to admire. Esperanza desperately wants her life to be different, expressing dislike for the rich and white because she is, “tired of looking at what we can’t have” (The House on Mango Street, pg. 107). Because Esperanza grew up as a Mexican-American woman, she found herself living a different lifestyle than the rest of the homogeneous mass of people. Consequently, she struggled with her identity, initially believing that removing what made her “different” would, in turn, remove her inner turmoil. However, through small moments, Cisneros built Esperanza’s character up. She consistently, while wishing for better, refused to conform to the societal expectations placed upon her, eventually becoming a beacon of independence and strength among her community. Thus, through Esperanza’s character, Cisneros was able to shed light on deeper issues of predefined roles and oppression for immigrants.

This same conflict between Mexican heritage and American upbringing is present in Cisneros’s book Caramelo. Here, Lala feels caught between her family’s strong cultural traditions and her “need” to assimilate. Lala’s character is shaped by her curiosity, stubbornness, and desire to understand as she moves between her family in Mexico and life in America. Her uncle had explained that for them, “it is no disgrace to be poor… but it is very inconvenient” (Caramelo, p. 10). Because he had acknowledged their disposition, Lala’s uncle subconsciously nudged her to become more aware of her situation. With their struggles being highlighted and embraced, Lala’s character is able to grow and blossom. Much like Esperanza, she is able to embrace her identity as a Mexican-American woman. While she often feels like she is both an insider and outsider in her own world, Lala’s curious, stubborn, and persistent desire to understand her identity ultimately brings solace. Thus, through Lala’s character, Cisneros yet again is able to portray not only the struggles multicultural individuals face, but also how those struggles can be redirected into empowerment.

Ultimately, Cisneros’s characters are powerful because they resist silently but persistently. While young and unsure, they are reflective and observant. In showing how their character pushes through their struggles, Cisneros is able to empower other women who often believe they are alone. Through her characters, Cisneros emphasizes the importance of giving the “outsider” a story—one that acknowledges both their pain and resilience. She proves that identity is not inherited, but chosen, shaped, and written through holding strong in one’s character.

Following this same notion, in her works, Sandra Cisneros  utilizes fragmented storytelling, rather than abiding to the traditional linear plot, in order to reflect the important role memory plays in personal growth. Through this, she focuses on the struggle of growing up in two different worlds and the resilience that comes with it.

In The House on Mango Street, the novel is composed of a series of short, random stories, some of which only last for a few pages at a time. The protagonist, Esperanza, recounts these moments from her life, peicing together the plot of her self-discovey. Having grown up in a “small and red,” home where, “bricks are crumbling,” (The House on Mango Street, pg. 5) one of her most powerful recollections is when Esperanza chooses a different life; a life where she will have “a house all my own”—a place that is, “not a man’s house. Not daddy’s,” but a place where there was, “nobody to shake a stick at. Nobody’s garbage to pick up after” (The House on Mango Street, pg. 132). This small memory captures the culmination of Esperanza’s self-identification. Because Cisneros employs random memories, she is able to use this instance to transform her protagonist's whole outlook. Consequently, Esperanza’s gradual self-awareness is portrayed in a relatable way. Thus, through her use of vignettes, Cisneros is able to organically show how identity is slowly formed through the most mundane instances.

Caramelo, while not following the exact style as The House on Mango Street, also utilizes a non-linear plot in order to create a more natural depiction of the character’s struggles. In Caramelo, Lala, the novel's protagonist, struggles as she matures to accept her multi-cultural families dynamic. Cisneros often circles back to past generations and experiences, in order to explore how Lala’s background may have brought her into her position. This fragmented approach mirrors the tension between memory and silence that presents itself throughout Lala’s story. Lala’s family often avoided addressing difficult topics because, “you’re not supposed to ask about such things. There are stories no one is willing to tell you. And stories you’re not willing to tell” (Caramelo, pg. 428). Lala’s whole narrative is shaped by uncovering family secrets and cultural roots. Consequently, it slowly becomes apparent how the past is never truly the past—it is only the stories told. Hence, it is up to the individual to interpret those stories to empower rather than hold back. Therefore, through the many gaps and jumps in the plot, Cisneros is able to demonstrate how identity is based off of memory. 

Ultimately, through her two novels, Cisneros uses nontraditional plot structures to emphasize how identity is formed through mundane experiences. Cisneros uses her fragmented storytelling to imitate the random, often conflicting experience of growing up as a Mexican woman in American culture. She shows how identity is never a straight and set road, but rather a twisting and turning road with many bumps along it.

In her works, Sandra Cisneros also puts a great emphasis on speakers who are intimate and vulnerable in their uncertainties inoder to show different coping mechanisims. Her utilization of a first-person narrative, in both of her novels—The House on Mango Street and Caramelo—creates a connection allowing for her character’s experiences to feel real. 

Esperanza, the young Latina protagonist in the novel The House on Mango Street, reflects on her experience through a longing and light voice. Her reflections of the people and places around her are airy, yet discuss very deep and brutal realities. In Ezperanza’s understanding they are, “all brown all around,” they, “are safe.” Yet when she exits her community, her, “knees go shakity-shake.” In her world, “that’s how it goes and goes” (The House on Mango Street, pg. 34). As a Mexican-American girl, Esperanza grows up discriminated against and oppressed. When with her peers, she innocently longs, “to trade. The lemon shoes for the red shoes, ” so that the others would be, “allways jealous.”(The House on Mango Street, pg. 47-49) Through these basic thoughts, Cisneros naturally captures how Esperanza is learning about both the world and herself; how a child embraces both gender and cultural expectations. Consequently, her simplistic, almost oblivious voice allows for her experience to be understood by everyone. Therefore, through a simple first-person narration, Cisneros is able to show how struggles may not always be obvious to both the person experiencing them and to the outsiders.

Similarly, in Caramelo, Lala also presents her story through a first-person narration. While slightly more mature than Esperanza’s voice, Lala recounts her observations and thoughts over her multicultural family’s dynamic and how it affects her own identity. Much like Esperanza, she is reflective and honest, retelling how she feels uncertian the best way she herself can comprehend them. When Lala visits her family in Mexico she sees the difference between her bland, assimilated father and vibrant, Hispanic grandmother. Balancing between humor and insight, for Lala, “life was cruel. And hilarious at once” (Caramelo, pg. 30). Because of her confusion as a Latina girl in America’s capitalistic society, Cisneros allows Lala’s voice to reflect how others would similarly react in her situation. Through humorous or ironic remarks, Lala was able to cope with her own inner confusion and turmoil. Thus, Cisneros uses her character’s voice not just to process their emotions, but also to survive and fight the societal pressures that push them to conform.

Ultimately, through their first-person narration, both Esperanza from The House on Mango Street and Lala from Carameloplay an essential role in the exploration of identity. Through their voice, she allows each character to speak their own truth and reflect on their experiences in an organic way. The power of having a voice becomes central in Cisneros’s stories.

Lastly, in her works, Sandra Cisneros allways features settings that are deeply rooted in the experiences of growing up within the Mexican-American community inorder to convey how environment holds implications that tranceed just geography. By embedding her characters within their environments, Cisneros illustrates how the culture and vibe of a place influence the people within it and how it is up to the individual to utilize their location either to grow or stay stagnant.

The setting of a run-down Chicago neighborhood is central in The House on Mango Street. Esperanza, the young Latina protagonist, grows up in poverty. However, within all of the disparity in her location, she also finds a strong sense of community. Ezperanzas home was not one she “could point to.” Her “house on Mango Street isnt it.”(The House on Mango Street, pg. 6) Throughout her childhood, Esperanza had hated her home, believing it was the source of all her struggles. Yet as she matured, she slowly realized how the place in which she grew up was a part of who she was– something impossible to abandon. Her, “sad red house,” is, “the house I belong but don’t belong to” (The House on Mango Street, pg. 34). It represented her desire for autonomy, self-expression, and meaning. It represents both who she is and what she desires to escape. It is both what catalyzed and held back her identity. Consequently, this setting– her home–prompted both Ezperanza’s struggles and growth. Thus, Cisneros utilized setting to symbolize that environment shapes identity.

This same importance of setting presents itself in Cisneros’s novel Caramelo. There, Lala, a young Mexican-American girl, learns about her two identities through fully immersing herself in both of her cultural environments. The novel jumps between different locations: Mexico City and the United States. In Mexico, her family is more vibrant and lively, while in the US, Lala lives a more serious and disconnected lifestyle. She struggles between adapting to the two different location’s dynamics. For Lala, “every year I cross the border, it’s the same—my mind forgets. But my body always remembers” (Caramelo, pg. 18). Through the two different locations, Cisneros is able to present a concrete and physical portrayal of the struggle Lala faces between balancing her two cultural identities. While her mind may “forget” the specifics of crossing, her body feels the difference between the location and the experience that comes with it. Consequently, her transition between the two places reflects the expectation for Lala to be fluid in her identity. Thus, through the usage of location, Cisneros is able to effectively relay the struggle of having to balance two different cultures as one singular person.

Ultimately, Cisneros’s usage of location goes beyond simple geography. She uses location to embody the challenge of navigating complex cultural identities and how each place leaves its own effects on identity. Location is shown to be not just background detail, but an active force in an individual’s identity.