The House on Mango Street is a collection of short pieces, all written from the view of Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl. Over the course of the book, as Esperanza grows, she describes the people who come in and out of her life on Mango Street. Engage students with Storyboard That activities!
Esperanza and her family move to a one bedroom house on Mango Street in Chicago. While the house is better than the old apartment, it still falls short of her expectations.
CLIMAX
Esperanza battles with her place in the world.
FALLING ACTION
Esperanza wants to leave her neighborhood and desires to grow up. She spends time with Sally, a more worldly girl. She gets a job and one of the old men there forces her to kiss him.
RESOLUTION
Esperanza's friendship with Sally leads to sexual assault at the carnival.
Esperanza returns her focus to Mango Street and accepts that she belongs there. She rekindles friendships with neighbors and her less mature friends.
Esperanza wants to be strong and have a place of her own. She wants to become a writer who is dependent on only herself.