STORY STRUCTURE ANALYSIS

The House on Mango Street

*The House on Mango Street is a collection of vignettes from the life of the protagonist, Esperanza. Although the novel does not follow the traditional plot format, it encourages the reader to make assumptions, draw conclusions, and predict outcomes by connecting the dots and searching for meaning in a symbolic and important coming of age story. Each chapter details an experience in Esperanza's life that demonstrates rich Mexican culture, the difficulties of being poor, and the many decisions that adolescents of all backgrounds face today.

Characters: Esperanza, Nenny, Rachel, Lucy, Alicia, Sire, Sally, Marin, Mama, Papa

Initiating event: Esperanza is a young Hispanic girl living in downtown Chicago. Esperanza's life-long dream is to live in a real house. Not an apartment, not a collection of rooms above a laundry mat, but a real house with a real yard and real stairs. As the novel begins, Esperanza's family has just moved, again, to a little house on Mango Street. The house is old and crumbling and not the kind of home that Esperanza always dreamed of.

An internal response: Esperanza responds to her new surroundings like a professional. She muses about her new neighbors, their problems and dreams. She meets new friends, embarks on small adventures, and most of all, studies people. She takes everything in, the color of the grass, the smell of the musty alley, the way the store clerk looks at her. The harsh realities of grown-up life become manifest through Esperanza's simple glimpses of life in the hood.

An attempt: Esperanza begins to realize the dangerous side affects of living in a poor Mexican neighborhood. She watches Sally flirt with street boys. She sees Marin living hopelessly on futile dreams. She has friends who are abused, arrested, and who drop out of school. Trying to cope with this disturbing reality, Esperanza first stays away from the confusion and tattles on friends who participate. Later, she experiments with tough decisions, staying out late, mingling with bad boys, and following a friend's bad advice.

An outcome: Luckily, Esperanza knows that her actions are not good. Searching for a passion and hope she dives into her writing. It is here that Esperanza decides to sympathize instead of join with her friends that continually take the wrong path.

A resolution/ reaction: Esperanza discovers that her future and destiny is her own responsibility. Someday she will have a house of her own, with petunias in front and a real staircase inside. When that day arrives, she will not forget Mango Street and the people that helped her come to this realization. She will return and help others to see the better way.

Weir, 2000