Literature Analysis # 2 - The House on Mango Street

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
The book beings with a young girl named Esperanza, constantly moving from place to place but no place to call hers. She describes the run down neighbor hood throughout the story, the house and the people who live in them for example Earl the jukebox repairman. Along with her day-to-day experiences of playing with Rachel and Lucy, she slowly becomes aware of women attributes, and the loss of innocence. Her younger sister, along with their friends learn from older girls about cosmetics or how girls get pregnant, or what are hips supposed to be for. Eventually she gains more experience with her sexuality, a kiss, crushing on boys, etc. While this goes on, Esperanza decides to become a women who attracts all the men, then refuses them. Esperanza meets Sally, a beautiful girl who gets beat by her father due to the record of the past sisters who ran off with men, and brought shame. In an attempt to save Sally from boys, Esperanza undergoes sexual assault. But due to this experience she wants to leave the neighborhood and have her own house. She will come back someday for the ones who cannot out themselves.

Exposition:
When Esperanza describes the house and the rundown neighborhood, I knew problems were going to arise.

Inciting Incident: When the boys tells sally he will give the keys to her for a kiss. Esperanza is angered by this quickly causing her to act and end up in trouble herself.

Conflict: Esperanza versus the neighborhood. Esperanza verses her puberty/loss of innocence.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
I believe the theme of the novel is losing innocence, and becoming aware of womanhood. Throughout the novel the young girls, Nenny Lucy, Rachel and Esperanza learn about make up,  how girls get pregnant, how high heels influence the way men look at them and also how negatively men look at their role as 'making tortillas early in the morning for school lunches." After Esperanza explores the heels and hips she get interested in other things, such as boys, kissing and soon gets her innocence taken by force.


3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
The author's tone is always changing, but throughout the novel it is accepting, frightened The tone is There is no tone that continues through the entire novel. The author's tone changes with her mood hence the name of some of the chapters, "Our Good Day" "Beautiful and Cruel" "Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes"

Frightened/helplessness: "Sally, make him stop. I couldn't make them go away. I couldn't do anything but cry." pg. 100

Happiness: "Down, down Mango Street we go. Rachel, Lucy me. Our new bicycle. Laughing the crooked ride back." pg. 16

Curiosity: "Sire. How did you hold her? Was it? Like this? And when you kissed her? Like this? " pg. 73
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.) 

Imagery-"Its small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath.  Bricks crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in."  pg. 4.This quote has a specific diction where the house is seen in a negative light, from this the audience knows Esperanza wants a home nothing like the house on Mango Street. She has the ambition, along with her family to have a nice house down to their preferred detail. Characters with ambitions make them appear to be realistic.

Simile-  "My papa's hair is like a broom, all up in the air." pg. 6 This quote is not only used to describe the hair of her father, but she describes each of her family members hair and her own.

Symbolism- "My papa's hair is like a broom, all up in the air." pg. 6 The comparison of hairs between the family is not just a comparison it is a characterization of the family's personality. When she compares his hair to broom, she compares his personality. He is strict, and stiff.

Foreshadowing- "She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow" pg. 11 This foreshadows the life of  women that appear in the book such as Sally. This shows the life women were expected to have during this time if they were married.

Personification- "...windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath." pg. 4 This is used throughout the novel to make the objects disliked intensely or liked intensely, by Esperanza.

Humor- "A very fat lady crossing the street says, you sure got quite a load there ( three girls on a bike ). Rachel shouts, You got quite a load there too. " pg. 16 The characterization of Rachel is present here. Her witty remarks is used to give the reader an idea of her clever, yet somewhat rude attitude.

Rhetorical questions- "Friends and neighbors will say, What happened to that Esperanza? Why did she march so far away?" pg. 110 These questions show how Esperanza desperately wants to get out of the neighborhood to find her own home.

Hyperbole- "They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out." pg. 110. Also characterizes her personality, but she is not just going to back to bring them out of the bad neighborhood, but to let them escape the hardships/problems that lay within there.

Repetition- "Sally, you lied. Why did you lie to me? Sally, you lied, you lied." " He said I love you, I love you, Spanish girl. " pg. 100 This is just after Esperanza goes through a dramatic change due to the sexual assault. She feels betrayed since she was left there without the help of Sally.

Setting- "I knew then I had to have a house. Its small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath"

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
"She was a horse woman too." This was used to describe Esperanza's grandmother who also has the name Esperanza.
"She is very sassy." used to talk about Rachel's comment about the fat woman's wide load.

"... first annual Tarzan jumping contest. Meme won. And broke both arms." From this you can infer that Meme was extremely reckless and paid the price.

" He worked two jobs. He came home late and left early. Everyday." From this you can infer that the man is a hard worker, and he does what he can to support his family with two jobs.

The author uses both approaches in order to make the character realistic, when people talk about them selves they have direct approaches, "I am lazy, stubborn" and from their actions you can infer other attributes of their personality. The lasting impression of the characters were realistic, they had thoughts, flaws and you were able to create your own opinion about them.

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
The author's syntax/diction changed when focusing on characters, it went from longer and more lengthy sentences, to shorter sentences with more periods. She wrote this way involving indirect and direct characterization.
"She is sassy." straight forward, cutting out the unnecessary words.
"... first annual Tarzan jumping contest. Meme won. And broke both arms." This demonstrates how in her characterization of characters she types. a specific. way. < ex.


3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
The protagonist Esperanza is a dynamic and round character. One who undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude. Esperanza undergoes a change in innocence. The older girl explains to her about women's clothes, make-up. Esperanza starts off only associating with girls, then begins to crush on boys, and soon a kiss is stolen from Esperanza. Lastly the most dramatic change in Esperanza is after she was sexually assaulted, she declared to be a women wanted but refused to ever give in to a man.

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction. 
After reading the book, I felt like I had met a person. Esperanza like anyone else had flaws, ambitions, observed others' lives, and went through a change. Someone her character traits were closely related to mine or they were the same, making Esperanza appear to be more realistic.

"I am an ugly daughter. I am the one nobody comes for." When reading this quote feelings of being wanted or loneliness come right off the page. At some point everyone can relate to the feeling, and made her a relatable and a realistic character.