House on Mango
Have you ever been disappointed by high expectations? Although fulfilling said expectations might not be possible at the time, it is not reason to forfeit or throw in the towel; rather with enough effort these goals may be realized. The expectations set by Esperanza in Sandra Cisneros’s “The House on Mango Street” inevitably leads to disappointment; however fulfilling these dreams is still a possibility despite of its non-actuality. Esperanza lives out unfulfilling life disappointed by the uninspiring house she lives in, a worthless music box, and the dream of eating in the canteen.
Esperanza had hoped for more, even believed in more than what she received; a shabby, broken-down house on Mango Street. The description of the house Esperanza’s parents provide does not go with the reality of the situation leading Esperanza to hope for something that cannot be. Esperanza is disappointed by the lack of stairs, the absence of a yard, the actuality that the house is not the picture perfect house as seen on TV. Although Esperanza is not happy with the house she lives in, she still hopes for a better future despite knowing that her goals will not be met for a very long period of time.
Esperanza faces these unsatisfied dreams with hope still in her heart using the old decrepit house as inspiration to better her future. Additionally, Esperanza faces further disappointment when she visits the junk store and finds something of interest to her. Nenny, Esperanza’s little sister, spots a record player but is unaware of its nature. She discovers that it is a music box and Esperanza’s hopes immediately soar; she longs for a pretty box with flowers painted on the exterior, and a ballerina inside.
This beautiful thought fades away as she discovers that the box is instead just a dusty record player with a brass record that has holes in it, which when played, sounds like a cacophony of moths. The hope she had been given was crushed. The canteen is her dream of eating lunch is not fulfilled, so once again her heart is overwhelmed by disappointment. Esperanza believes the kids who eat there are special and important. Esperanza expended much effort to convincing her mother to grant her permission to eat at the canteen fully believing the experience would be every bit as extravagant as she imagined.
These beliefs are completely dismantled by the harassment Esperanza receives from a nun; Esperanza ends up eating her then cold food in solitude. Her dream of eating in the canteen portrays yet another instance in which Esperanza is brought down due to the predispositions she has no control over; these wretched experiences do not ultimately limit Esperanza’s ability to succeed in the future. The addition of this photo is crucial to displaying how disappointment is an unavoidable factor of life.
In viewing the above image, an image irrelevant to the subject, one who reads this paper, may be disappointed; however this disappointment does not limit the capacity of the reader to read the following text. Failure to have the specific criteria that one longs for may be uncontrollable much like an alien invasion in the Jurassic period, and such is life; the key is to keep moving forward and keep fighting on even in the face of Armageddon. The scientist running experiments in a lab often comes upon errors in procedure, wrong answers to questions asked. A boxer throws many, many blows at his opponent, and the boxer misses most of those blows.
Esperanza longs so much for a life she cannot lead because of her upbringing, but this does not stop her from hoping. These trails all lead to disappointment and failure. Esperanza doddles on the harsh realities of her life at the time, disappointed with the situation presented to her; although the disappointment she holds for her life is based on factors she has no control of it forms no real barrier in terms of what is possible. Disappointment is an inevitable factor of living and it must therefore be felt but never looked on as being told what can and cannot be done.
