MY NAME
"My great-grandmother. I would've liked to have known her, a wild horse of a woman, so wild she wouldn't marry. Until my great-grandfather threw a sack over her head and carried her off. Just like that, as if she were a fancy chandelier. That's the way he did it.
And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window.
At school they say my name funny, as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. But in Spanish my name is made of a softer something, like silver, not quite as thick as my sister's name -- Magdalena -- which is uglier than mine. Magdalena who at least can come home and become Nenny. But I am always Esperanza.
I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do" (11).
The American dream is a vision that we all strive to achieve, and from the beginning of the novel The House on Mango Street it has a strong grip on Esperanza’s life. She is tormented by the idea that she will become trapped on Mango Street, it a place that is not her own. It is a world that is defined by poverty and deprivation, a world that she wants more from. Initially, Esperanza wants to break free from Mango Street and never return, create her dream somewhere she belongs, a place where she can better belong. As the novel progresses through, Esperanza realizes that whether she likes it or not, this place (Mango Street) has become a part of her. This connection with Mango Street drives her to want to make Mango Street a better place for all, for it is only though this betterment will she truly be perceived as the identity she wishes to be.
This quotation is significant because it shows Esperanza's fear of not being able to define herself, as she is afraid of inheriting what society places upon her. Specifically, she is afraid of the limitations her ethnicity will have on her, Esperanza does not want to be a product of Mango Street. She wants to create her own identity, breaking the boundaries society has placed upon her. The Matrix scene demonstrates this very well, illuminating the implications of fate and destiny. Esperanza wants to be in control of her life, something which she fears she will not have.
Identity is a significant theme in The House on Mango Street. In the sentence “I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees.” Esperanza expresses her feelings towards wanting to “baptize” herself under a new name, as in she wants to make something of herself. The “It’s Not About the Shoes” clip relates to how Esperanza wants to work hard and go far in life because “it’s not about the shoes, its about what you do in them”. She doesn’t want to be like her grandma who didn’t make a name for herself. Esperanza wants to be who she was “born to be”, she wants to be a successful writer. Esperanza and Esperanza’s grandmother both have the same name. In the passage it is described of how she does not want to end up with the life her grandmother had which was behind a window. However, she doesn’t want to get lost while trying to find herself. This idea is shown through the inception clip with how it looks like the stairs never end, but it is merely an illusion. The underdog commercial by Versus shows how Esperanza will fight with passion to create a better self, despite her unfavorable odds.
Gender plays a huge role in this story because of how Mexican men are dominant over Mexican women. Once the women get married, they’re supposed to stay home and serve their husbands. The thought of this life scares Esperanza and in a way motivates her to concentrate on her writing in order to go far in life. The Shutter Island clip gives a sense of being trapped and not being able to escape, and this is the feeling Esperanza gets when she thinks about her possible future if she doesn’t make a name out of herself. Also, the picture of the chandelier with a woman standing alone trying to look the curtains, enhances the idea of how Esperanza was described as a chandelier. Being compared a chandelier, Esperanza is portrayed as an ornament for a man. Husbands usually keep this special ornament in the house so no other man can touch it. Esperanza does not wish to be taken away as if someone was trying to make her their “chandelier”.
The passage chosen above is very significant regarding the novel The House on Mango Street because it captivates the aspirations of the main character Esperanza. Her aspirations are portrayed throughout the book. Also, this passage addresses three issues such as identity, gender and the American Dream. These three issues serve as themes throughout the novel.
MY NAME
"My great-grandmother. I would've liked to have known her, a wild horse of a woman, so wild she wouldn't marry. Until my great-grandfather threw a sack over her head and carried her off. Just like that, as if she were a fancy chandelier. That's the way he did it.
And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window.
At school they say my name funny, as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. But in Spanish my name is made of a softer something, like silver, not quite as thick as my sister's name -- Magdalena -- which is uglier than mine. Magdalena who at least can come home and become Nenny. But I am always Esperanza.
I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do" (11).
The American dream is a vision that we all strive to achieve, and from the beginning of the novel The House on Mango Street it has a strong grip on Esperanza’s life. She is tormented by the idea that she will become trapped on Mango Street, it a place that is not her own. It is a world that is defined by poverty and deprivation, a world that she wants more from. Initially, Esperanza wants to break free from Mango Street and never return, create her dream somewhere she belongs, a place where she can better belong. As the novel progresses through, Esperanza realizes that whether she likes it or not, this place (Mango Street) has become a part of her. This connection with Mango Street drives her to want to make Mango Street a better place for all, for it is only though this betterment will she truly be perceived as the identity she wishes to be.
This quotation is significant because it shows Esperanza's fear of not being able to define herself, as she is afraid of inheriting what society places upon her. Specifically, she is afraid of the limitations her ethnicity will have on her, Esperanza does not want to be a product of Mango Street. She wants to create her own identity, breaking the boundaries society has placed upon her.
The Matrix scene demonstrates this very well, illuminating the implications of fate and destiny. Esperanza wants to be in control of her life, something which she fears she will not have.
Identity is a significant theme in The House on Mango Street. In the sentence “I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees.” Esperanza expresses her feelings towards wanting to “baptize” herself under a new name, as in she wants to make something of herself. The “It’s Not About the Shoes” clip relates to how Esperanza wants to work hard and go far in life because “it’s not about the shoes, its about what you do in them”. She doesn’t want to be like her grandma who didn’t make a name for herself. Esperanza wants to be who she was “born to be”, she wants to be a successful writer. Esperanza and Esperanza’s grandmother both have the same name. In the passage it is described of how she does not want to end up with the life her grandmother had which was behind a window. However, she doesn’t want to get lost while trying to find herself. This idea is shown through the inception clip with how it looks like the stairs never end, but it is merely an illusion. The underdog commercial by Versus shows how Esperanza will fight with passion to create a better self, despite her unfavorable odds.
Gender plays a huge role in this story because of how Mexican men are dominant over Mexican women. Once the women get married, they’re supposed to stay home and serve their husbands. The thought of this life scares Esperanza and in a way motivates her to concentrate on her writing in order to go far in life. The Shutter Island clip gives a sense of being trapped and not being able to escape, and this is the feeling Esperanza gets when she thinks about her possible future if she doesn’t make a name out of herself. Also, the picture of the chandelier with a woman standing alone trying to look the curtains, enhances the idea of how Esperanza was described as a chandelier. Being compared a chandelier, Esperanza is portrayed as an ornament for a man. Husbands usually keep this special ornament in the house so no other man can touch it. Esperanza does not wish to be taken away as if someone was trying to make her their “chandelier”.
The passage chosen above is very significant regarding the novel The House on Mango Street because it captivates the aspirations of the main character Esperanza. Her aspirations are portrayed throughout the book. Also, this passage addresses three issues such as identity, gender and the American Dream. These three issues serve as themes throughout the novel.
Sources of Links:
"chandelier"
http://image1.masterfile.com/em_w/00/63/57/700-00635779w.jpg
"couldn't"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvSD1EAlAUQ
"inherited"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXLOA9ZXDPU&feature=related
"place"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdumGs1qoXM
"name"
http://crediteria.com/images/LifeLock.jpg
"baptize"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u9zzwQ2zO4&feature=related
"the real me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nJLgKvVzY4