She has an innocent view on romance, and is not seen as a romantic interest for the neighborhood boys. The concepts of sexuality and male attention are foreign topics for Esperanza in the novel. However, Esperanza’s sister, Nenny, noticed the similarities as well. Lucy and Rachel don’t see the resemblance, and they were about to laugh at what Esperanza said out of awkwardness or to ridicule her. That’s what I was thinking exactly” (Cisneros 18). Rachel and Lucy look at me like I’m crazy, but before they can let out a laugh, Nenny says: Yes, that’s Mexico alright. In “Laughter,” Esperanza recalls a time when she made a remark about how a line of houses on the street reminded her of the ones built in Mexico, saying, “Look at the house, I said, it looks like Mexico. Although Esperanza does become friends with Lucy and Rachel later on in the book, they do not achieve the level of closeness Esperanza fantasizes about. Esperanza associates her free spirit with the red balloon, and the anchor with her feeling of unexplained entrapment and loneliness within herself and her place in Mango Street. Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor” (Cisneros 9). One who will understand my jokes without my having to explain them.

In the chapter “Boys & Girls,” Esperanza says “Someday I will have a best friend all my own. To begin, Esperanza longs for a true friend who understands her and satisfies her desire for companionship. She also feels a strong disconnect towards her community of Mango Street. Esperanza, the “…girl who didn’t want to belong” (Cisneros 109), constantly feels outcasted throughout the book because of her inability to be content with her identity. It is common for young people to have awkward stages in their lives when they feel detached from themselves and society.

Esperanza and her fellow neighbors all experience the feeling of isolation in different ways. A common theme that surfaces in the novel is isolation.

This coming-of-age novel told by a series of vignettes narrated by the main character not only revolves around Esperanza, but also the people who reside in Mango Street. In The House on Mango Street by Mexican-American author Sandra Cisneros, the protagonist, Esperanza, describes her life experiences within the Latin neighborhood (or barrio) of Mango Street. Una Vida Aislada: The Theme of Isolation in The House on Mango Street Messages from Scholars about History and Culture

The house on mango street full book