Dear Esperanza,
While reading The House on Mango Street, I developed a series of opinions and questions relating to you and all your neighbors while living on Mango Street. First off, I couldn’t imagine what it feels like to go to school every day being the minority, feeling like you are not welcomed there by your teachers. Esperanza, you have experienced and witnessed so much at a little age, causing you to mature very quickly. I wouldn’t know how I would react and handle all of your problems so I respect you for never breaking down mentally. Having to work at a young age didn’t really go too well for you, but that didn’t stop you from chasing your dreams. Also, I am curious to know what happened to Nenny after you moved out of the house. I know a lot of crazy things happened on Mango Street while you lived there, so I can only imagine what crazy stuff has occurred since you moved out. Even though Mango Street has taught you so much, do you wish you could undo those years of living there and undo all of your experiences? I’ve never been a minority, so I wonder how it feels to be one of the very few Latinos around your neighborhood. Even though you found out some things the hard way, was it all worth it in the end? I feel like your identity developed while living on Mango Street, do you?
Sincerely,
Audrey

“Tonight is the night,” John told himself as he looked out the window onto his neighborhood he hated so much.
This ten year old boy had quickly matured into the realization that he needed to escape from his neighborhood. John’s neighbors were cruel, causing John to learn so much at a young age. John had grown up in poverty, learning how to fend for himself. His parents and seven siblings probably wouldn’t even realize that he is gone until it is too late. Not only that, but they would not care that he left. His mom, Patricia, would probably feel some sort of relief, knowing that that is one less mouth to feed.
“Come on, you can do this,” thought John, opening his window and gathering up his suitcase that contained only fifty dollars, a couple granola bars, and three outfits. John did not know where he was going, but that didn’t matter to him because anywhere seemed better than his neighborhood filled with terror.
Out the window he went, not even looking back, only thinking of the bigger picture that awaited him after he escaped. He felt as if his family and neighborhood were holding him back, handcuffing him to the past.
“As soon as I get out of here, the sooner I’ll forget about all the things I’ve witnessed my neighbors do.”
John was all wrong though. His neighborhood would always be with him, whether he lived there or not. His neighborhood would always be a huge aspect of his life, but he did not realize that until it was too late.

Esperanza has finally moved out of Mango Street and on to bigger and better things in her life, one of which owning her own house. Even though Esperanza’s new house is nothing fancy, it is nothing like Mango Street and has friendly neighbors of which she enjoys talking to.
“Hey George,” Esperanza hollered as she squinted her eyes at the bright morning sun with a book shielding her eyes.
“Oh hey there Miss Esperanza. How are you doing on this fine Saturday morning?” asked George with a smile on his face, always happy to see Esperanza.
“I’m well. I thought you were going back to the ranch to work?”
“No. I sure do wish I was though, but every time I go back up there I think of my pal Lennie. I miss him like crazy. It’s been four years since he passed, and I regret all the mean things I ever done to him.”
Not knowing how to respond, Esperanza just shrugged her shoulders and quietly smiled at George while walking back into her house. This was the first time she had ever heard George talk about Lennie, and she became curious of how Lennie died. Prancing to her computer, she researched “Lennie the farmhand,” only to discover George was not the man he claimed to be. Esperanza continued to read the article, her heart beating faster and faster. She was shocked to discover that George had killed his so-called-best-friend, and she continued to stare at the computer screen in awe.

In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Cisneros describes Esperanza’s childhood experiences at school to emphasize how Esperanza feels like an outcast at her school. In the novella “A Rice Sandwich,” Esperanza’s conversation with one of the nun teachers stood out to me because it presented to me how unwanted Esperanza feels at school. Cisneros says, “And then she made me stand up on a box of books and point. That one? she said, pointing to a row of ugly three-flats, the ones even the raggedy men are ashamed to go into. Yes, I nodded even though I knew that wasn’t my house and started to cry. I always cry when nuns yell at me, even if they’re not yelling. Then she was sorry and said I could stay—just for today, not tomorrow or the day after—you go home” (Cisneros 45). Esperanza experiences embarrassment and shame when the nun refers to a beat up house she thought was Esperanza’s. However, this is more self-imposed embarrassment because people do not purposely make Esperanza feel ashamed. This novella really stuck out to me because Cisneros presents that Esperanza cannot stick up for herself to a nun, relating back to Esperanza’s own insecurities. Even though Esperanza clearly knows that isn’t her house, she just continues to let the nun think whatever she wants to. This amazes me that Esperanza feels that she isn’t even worth the nun’s time. Therefore, her judgment of her own importance is so little to none, causing me to wonder her thoughts are about others.

In the novella, The House on Mango Street, Cisneros uses a metaphor to compare Esperanza to a tree, revealing how her identity relates to that of a tree. For example, Cisneros states, “They [the trees] are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who them” (Cisneros 74), conveying that no one understands Esperanza, only inanimate objects. Cisneros also says, “When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, then it is I look at the trees. When there is nothing left to look at on this street” (75), revealing that she relates to the trees because they don’t seem to belong in the neighborhood. They are skinny little trees that don’t have much left in them, but they keep persevering to stay alive. The trees resemble how Esperanza feels in the neighborhood, out of place and unwanted. Esperanza compares her own skinny neck and pointy elbows to the tree’s thin branches, revealing how the trees reflect Esperanza’s character. Cisneros states, “Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground. They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger” (74), conveying that Esperanza’s life is tied back to Mango Street. Therefore, she feels as if she always will have a connection towards Mango Street because of all the knowledge she had gained while living there.

Although Niki and I have a love/hate relationship, she is considered my bestie. Niki is a little shortie, which is not a plus because I feel like a pure giant when I stand next to her. She tends to laugh at her own jokes, thinking she is funnier than she actually is. She’s fun to be around and easy to talk to, which is why I can trust her with anything. We like to gossip about people with each other and just chill together. I met Niki back when I first moved here in our glorious seventh grade years. The first time I saw Niki was at the school’s volleyball camp when we thought we were total studs with the legendary Coach Musick. Now that I think back to that day, we were all just little chunkers, nothing too special. It feels like I’ve known her longer than four years, but I’m happy to have her in my life. Niki and I have shared many memories together that I cherish. A fun fact about Niki is that she is obsessed with pickles. I am very thankful for Niki because without her, who knows what kind of crazy stuff I’d be doing. I’d probably still be wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt, looking like a straight up man, if I didn’t have Niki telling me that that is lame. Niki is straightforward and tells me the truth, whether I want to hear it or not. The good thing is that we can be real around each other and don’t have to fake anything, which is why Niki is my biffle.

Looking back at the years I grew up in Corpus Christi, the thing I miss the most is our house. From the time I was five to eleven, I lived there and cherished the time spent in it. There are many things I remember, but the one that sticks out in particular is the day we loaded all our furniture onto a big moving truck. My dad had his mind set that we didn’t need to pay moving guys when we could do it ourselves. My brother, who was about 18 at the time, was forced to invite over his friend, Christian, so he could help pick up the heavy furniture. A huge U-Haul truck was backed up by our front door with a ramp to roll furniture into it, which was working successfully until the guys had to load up the armoire. It took both my uncles, my dad, and Christian to pick it up, but as they went up the ramp, Christian’s hands began to slip. Christian, who was gripping the bottom of the armoire, suddenly dropped his side. Instead of the drop damaging the armoire, Christian’s hand was the only thing injured. The armoire fell with a thud on the ramp, slicing Christian’s fingers on the way down. Blood gushed out from his fingers, and he hurriedly grabbed a towel. You could see how annoyed Christian was, since he only came to help, and ended up having to get stitches. However, we all laugh about it to this day, knowing not to ever ask him to help us move again.

Although there are many personal items that I treasure, my most prized possession is one of which I share with my family: my dog. Even though Bear is still a new addition to our family and was bought in Tyler around early September, he is still a very important aspect of our lives. My dad is not fond of dogs in general, especially inside dogs, but for my parents’ anniversary, he surprised my mom with Bear. The arrival of Bear was so shocking to my mom and we all immediately fell in love with him. In September when we got Bear, he was only two months old and could easily fit in the palm of your hand. Now this shitzu yorkie mix is a shaggy, fourteen pound dog. Bear has grown into a different dog physically, but also personality wise. Bear used to be friendly and welcoming to strangers, but now he won’t let one come within ten feet without barking his head off. This is why it is near impossible to take him anywhere out of the house like the vet or the hair groomer. Bear now has a reputation at the vets and not any of the workers enjoy being around him. He was marked down in the computer for his aggression and attempted to snip at the workers. It’s crazy how different he acts around the people he’s comfortable with compared to when he is around strangers. At home, Bear is a playful puppy that will never leave your side, which is why he is my most prized possession.