House on Mango Street

            House on Mango Street has by far been my favorite book of the semester. For some reason it really hit home with me. Although I am nothing like Esperanza, I felt as though I was with her in every step of her coming of age. Aside from the enthralling plot, I love how the novel’s elements of humor are intertwined with the deep and often disturbing stories. As I read House on Mango Street, I was greatly affected by its inferior portrayal of women. There were lines, like “(the Mexicans) don’t like their women strong,” and incidents in the novel portraying how poorly women were treated- that really didn’t sit well with me.

            Just yesterday I was at an AED meeting for pre-health professions where a woman physician, Dr. Naylor, came and spoke to us about her life as a doctor. She was in medical school in the 1960s, a time when, still, not many women went to medical school. When it was time for her to declare her specialty she decided she wanted to be a general surgeon. When she said that, everyone mocked her and brushed it off, knowing that women never became general surgeons because it was too hard. That next semester, Dr. Naylor began her path to becoming a general surgeon as the first and only woman in her class and has never looked back.

            Just like Esparanza, Dr. Naylor did not conform to the sexist views of society, took charge of her own life, and decided to do something bold. All it takes sometimes is just one brave person to change the lives of many. After Dr. Naylor became the first woman general surgeon to graduate UT-Southwestern, many followed-all it took was for one woman to go against the grain and courageously stand up for her rights.

            As the novel progressed, Esperanza’s view of the world became more and more corrupt, and thus, more and more realistic. She saw things and experienced things that no one should have to go through and each time she came out stronger, with even more determination to live her life the way she wanted. She was portrayed as a strong woman, I believe, who saw that the way that she, and all women, were being treated was not okay and decided that she needed a change.

            Coming from a family of two immigrant parents, I know what kind of courage it takes to turn your life around- to turn it from nothing to something. It takes determination, drive, and perseverance to make these dramatic changes and I admire Esperanza, and my parents, for having the ability to do that. Overall, I think House on Mango Street was a very powerful novel and I definitely enjoyed reading it.