Sandra Cisneros A House as Quiet as Snow

Sandra Cisneros A House as Quiet as Snow

Growing Up in Chicago l Born in the Hispanic Quarter of Chicago in 1954 l Mexican-American (Chicana) l She was the only girl in a family of seven, and grew up in poverty l Her parents emphasized education l Her family moved often; she was shy and introverted, but connected with her community privately through writing l http: //www. galegroup. com/free_resources/ chh/bio/cisneros_s. htm

Becoming a Writer l Attended Loyola University in Chicago as an English major l Decided to become a writer l Attended the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, a graduate school for young writers l Was afraid her unprivileged background would put her at a disadvantage in the literary world l However, heritage gave her the unique voice that shaped her career l http: //www. galegroup. com/free_resources/ch h/bio/cisneros_s. htm

Books by Sandra Cisneros l Bad Boys, Mango Press: San Jose, California, 1980 l The House on Mango Street , (Arte Publico Press: Houston, Texas, l 984), Vintage: New York, 1991. l Woman Hollering Creek, Random House: New York, 1991 l My Wicked Ways, (Third Woman Press: Berkeley, California, l 987), Random House: New York, 1992 l La Casa En Mango Street, translated by Elena Poniatowska, Vintage Español, New York, 1994. l Loose Woman, Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 1994. l Hairs/Pelitos, Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 1994. Spanish translation by Liliana Valenzuela. l Caramelo, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2002. Spanish edition translated by Liliana Valenzuela. l Vintage Cisneros, Vintage, New York, 2004.

The House on Mango Street: Narrator l The work is narrated by Esperanza Cordero, thirteen, a Chicana girl in Chicago. l Although told in the voice of a young girl, it addresses mature subject matter. l In English, Esperanza means hope, and also, waiting. l This choice of name is significant in the novel: the character and her independence represent a way out of the slums. l As she watches her neighborhood, she decides that she will not become like the women she knows, trapped and powerless in a man’s world.

The House on Mango Street: Setting l Mango Street symbolizes both Esperanza’s ball and chain and her inspiration. l In the beginning of the novel, she is disappointed with the house on Mango Street. l She finds that she is not like the other residents of Mango, that she can and will find the strength to leave her life there. l She realizes that Mango is a part of her, and where she comes from is as important as where she’s going. l She knows she must come back, to help the others who are trapped there. l Cisneros’s writing is very imagistic. She makes unexpected comparisons between things to give connotations to what she describes.

The House on Mango Street: Structure l The novel is told as a series of vignettes, 1 -4 pages each l There is no real chronological plot, but a series of insights into Esperanza’s thoughts and feelings. l The vignettes show the trends in behavior in the community and provide a contrast between strength and weakness, between freedom and bondage. l The novel is dedicated A Las Mujeres, To the Women.

The House on Mango Street: Characters l Alicia, the medical student who is still bound to her old fears. l Marin, who waits. l Beautiful Rafaela, the modern-day Rapunzel. l Rosa Vargas, with too many children, crying for the husband who left. l Mamacita, who dreams of the pink house she left behind and refuses to speak English. l Sally, the subject of abuse until she marries, to escape, before eighth grade, and moves from Mango Street into another sort of trap. l And then there is Esperanza, who is like the skinny trees outside her tiny window, who longs for a house all her own, who starts her own quiet war.

The House on Mango Street: Significance l This is Cisneros’s first novel. l It is a way to relate her cultural identity to her life and the lives of others. l Cisneros seeks to break the cycle of defeats that women suffered due to social and religious stereotypes. l Esperanza is an outlet for the author’s views on the perceptions of women in her milieu. l http: //www. galegroup. com/free_r esources/chh/bio/cisneros_s. htm

Further Research l For more biographical information: http: //www. english. uiuc. edu/maps/poets/a_f/cisneros/bio. htm l For more analysis of The House on Mango Street: http: //www. bookrags. com/notes/hms/BIO. htm l To buy books by Sandra Cisneros: http: //www. amazon. com/exec/obidos/search-handleform/102 -7635974 -7540935 l Teaching resources for Cisneros’s works: http: //falcon. jmu. edu/~ramseyil/cisneros. htm