It is interesting how this opening vignette actually
introduces some of the main themes of the novel as a whole. Let us consider how it does
this. Key to the novel is the experiences of an immigrant Latino family living in the
United States, coping with the variety of challenges that this presents. Note how
Esperanza, the narrator, tells us about the previous accommodation and how they had to
move:
We had
to leave the flat on Loomis quick. The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn't fix
them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom
next door and carrying water over in empty milk
gallons.
Clearly the
conditions for an immigrant family with a number of children are not great. However,
note too how this vignette presents the idea of the American Dream and then the crushing
reality. Esperanza has a very fixed idea of what their house that they would own would
be like. Their vision is definitely influenced by images on the TV and pictures of nice
white houses with trees around it. And yet, the house they finally own is nothing like
"the way they told it." In spite of dreams of several bathrooms and bedrooms, there is
only one bathroom and everyone shares one bedroom. The house is in such a dilapidated
state that when a nun asks if it is the house where Esperanza lives, she can only
nod:
There. I had to look to
where she pointed--the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on
the windows so we wouldn't fall out. You live there? The way she
said it made me feel like nothing. There. I lived
there. I
nodded.
Note how the italics
convey the surprise and shock at the living conditions in which Esperanza lives, and
also indicates the way that a person is judged so much by the amount of money that they
have and their accommodation. The way Esperanza is made to feel like "nothing" indicates
her desire to find a "real" house and escape the community of Mango Street that will
form such an important part of her childhood.
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