Esperanza lives in a small, cramped house on Mango Street.
She, her mother and father and two brothers and sister all live in one small place. The
walls are so thin you can hear the neighbors interactions. The house is located in the
ghetto. Bums, drunkards, and homeless people are on the
street:
Mango
Street is populated by people with many different life stories, stories of hope and
despair. First there is Esperanza's own family, her kind father who works two jobs and
is absent most of the time; her mother, who can speak two languages and sing opera but
never finished high school; her two brothers Carlos and Kiki; and her little sister
Nenny.
Truly, Esperanza is
surrounded by such a negative environment until she hopes to leave the house on Mango
Street:
The House on Mango
Street is set in a Latino neighborhood in Chicago. Esperanza
briefly describes some of the rickety houses in her neighborhood, beginning with her
own, which she says is "small and red with tight steps in
front.
Besides the house
being run down, the neighborhood is less than ideal. Esperanza has to deal with the
people of the neighborhood who live hopeless lives. She desires to leave it all behind
one day. She desires a nice home in a safe, beautiful
neighborhood:
In a child-like voice, Esperanza records
impressions of the world around her. Her perceptions range from humorous anecdotes
pulled from life in the barrio to more dark references to crime and sexual
provocation.
The neighborhood
is crowded. People live close to one another. Esperanza can hear the street fights and
the families next door arguing. She is unhappy with her house and environment. She
writes that she will escape the house on Mango Street one day. But for now, she has to
put up with all types of activities that happen on Mango
Street:
Esperanza gives the impression of a crowded
neighborhood where people live in close quarters and lean out of windows, and where one
can hear fighting, talking, and music coming from other houses on the
street.
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