The House on Mango Street(摘抄)

THEMES,MOTIFS&SYMBOLS

Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Power of Language 

Throughout The House on Mango Street , particularly in "No Speak English ,"those who are not able to  communicate effectively (or at all)are relegated to the bottom levels of society . Mamacita moves to the country to be with her husband ,and she becomes a prisoner of her apartment because she does not speak English .She misses home and listens to the Spanish radio station ,and she is distraught when her baby begins learning English words . His new language excludes her.Similarly ,Esperanza's father could not even choose what he ate when he first moved to the country ,because he did not know the words for any of the foods but ham and eggs .Esperanza's mother may be a native English speaker ,but her letter to the nuns at Esperanza's school is unconvincing to them in part because it is poorly written .

Esperanza observes the people around her and realizes that if not knowing or not mastering the language creates powerlessness , then having the ability to manipulate language will give her power .She wants to change her name so that she can have power her own destiny .Her Aunt Lupe tells her to keep writing because it will keep her free ,and Esperanza eventually understands what her aunt means .Writing keeps Esperanza spiritually free , because putting her experiences into words gives her power over them .If she can use beautiful language to write about a terrible experience, then the wxperience seems less awful .Esperanza's spiritual freedom may eventually give her the power to be literally free as well .

The Struggle for Self-Definition 

The struggle for self -definition is a common theme in a coming-of-age novel ,or bildungsroman,and in The House on Mango Street ,Esperanza's struggle to define herself underscores her every action and encounter .Esperanza must define herself both as a woman and as an artist,and her perception of her identity changes over the course of the novel . In tht beginning of the novel Esperanza wants of change her name so that she can define herself on her own terms ,instead of accepting a name that expresses her family heritage . She wants to separate herself from her parents and her younger sister in order to create her own life ,and changing her name seems to her an important step in that direction .Later,after she becomes more sexually aware ,Esperanza would like to be "beautiful and cruel "so men will like her but not hurt her ,and she pursues that goal by becoming friends with Sally. After she is assaulted ,she doesn't want to define herself as "beautiful and cruel "anymore ,and she is ,once again ,unsure of who she is .

Eventually ,Esperanza decides she does not need to set herself apart from the others in her neighborhood or her family heritage by changing her name ,and she stops forcing herself to develop sexually, which she isn't fully ready for . She accepts her place in her community and decides that the most imprtant way she can define herself is as a writer . As a writer ,she observes and interacts with the world in a way that sets her apart from non-writers ,giving her the legitimate new identity she's been searching for .Writing promises to help her leave Mango Street emotionally,and possibly physically as well .