Comparison of The House on Mango Street and A Raisin in the Sun - Literature review Example

Life No Less Exemplified: Analyzing The House on Mango Street and A Raisin in the Sun Struggles in life are nothing but tests that determine our ability to live our lives the best as we could and it molds our strength in character to stand firmer on a higher ground. Also, with these struggles in life, we come to realize valuable lessons. Whether we emerge victorious or turn out to become a failure, what matters is that we have done our best to overcome the struggles we face in our day to day lives. The ideals of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" could the basis of how we spend our lives. These realities could often be of utter importance for anyone who searches for the ultimate American dream. People from all over the world wish to embark the “land of milk and honey”, only to find out that there are still enormous challenges they have to face to obtain that elusive “milk and honey”. More than stories about poverty, their ugly house and their families, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros are similar in many ways as these weave tales about strong women (both immigrant women of color) as they confront their lives in the US together with their families. They will show their courage and forge enormous strength to conquer the challenges they have to face. They will have to prove something, not just for themselves, but for their families as well. Comparing the two essays, we could almost smell the characters’ well-being as they are bound to resolve the various conflicts that they face. In the past twenty five years, the field of women’s immigration history in the United States has transformed itself from a minor disciplinary field to a major way of understanding one of the largest 20th century topics for the social sciences in general: the mobility of people and its impact upon the relationship of genders. In fact, the study of women immigrants has also served as a major connector between traditional disciplines and fields of inquiry in the United States (Schneider, 2003). The two stories by Hansberry and Cisneros, incidentally by women too, weaves a showcase of what immigrant women have to face living in the US. The common thread that binds these tales is the challenges they face as minority women in America as they look for their own place in an unknown country; and seek the liberation and freedom from lives slowed down by bondage. Not only these women demonstrate the assorted hostilities many women face as they are viewed as the inferior sex, but they also seek to supersede the discrimination caused by the color of their as most of our society are opposed to their ethnicity. Life is Sweet, Life is Sour The youth could be easily influenced by so many things so easily. If they see something new on TV, a new fad haircut and new top-the-line rubber shoes they would want to have them badly. Also during the teenage years, it is a time when one molds individuality within himself or herself. If there is someone they idolized, they could mold them into the person they want.  It is often emphasized by experts that young children develop their identity from going the school, playing with other children, and from their life at home.  These experiences, apart from what the books have taught them, spells their education. Sometimes other kids in school could get cruel, especially if you are ethnic, colored, unkempt or anything else different from most of them. Most kids react from these “teasings” and “bullyings” badly and could cause them to be introverted, or ashamed of how they look like and their ethnic origins. However, the constant teasing from schoolmates may spark something other than the discouragement from the aggrieved party, feelings of anger may brew stronger and would cause a lot of trouble if it continues.  If they are rejected by society, when they are just starting to form an identity, this will probably have a negative effect upon them and their surrounding communities.   Cisnero’s The House on Mango Street introduces the readers to a Mexican immigrant girl’s coming-of-age as she battles the iniquities that the American society has inflicted on the basis of her ethnic origins. Esperanzas transformations go through a series of stories about her family, neighborhood, and dreams. Cisnero’s opus did not necessarily follow the traditional chronological pattern as the Esperanza’s experiences grow on her and the readers are enthralled as her story unfolds. We could witness how Esperanza sought self-empowerment and how to deal with it, as well as how she struggled to battle the obstacles of poverty, gender, and race. When the Cordero family transferred into a new house, at a decrepit Latino section of Chicago known as Mango Street, Esperanza’s disappointment is palpable as she saw the red, ramshackle house, despite the fact that this was the first house their family had ever owned. Esperanza thought that not this was not at all the dream house her parents had always talked about, nor is it the house high on a hill that Esperanza vows to own one day, so she retires and feels ashamed of their home. She did not like the outside appearance of their new house, which we could later convey that the house was a representation of herself. She didn’t really like how she looked like, especially her color. Esperanza feels she does not convey the true personality hidden insider her. Fact is that this has brought her to the consciousness to change her name, whose mispronunciation by teachers and classmates at her school sounds dissonant to her ears. Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish and she was named after her great-grandmother, who was tricked into marriage and doomed to a life of sadness afterwards. Never would she want that to happen, so Esperanza decides that she will not end up like her great-grandmother and like common women of her ethnicity do -- watching life pass by through the window. She reveals that she desired to rename herself something like "Zeze the X," a choice she finds more descriptive of her real self. A new girl that would develop individuality very different from what common immigrant women would end up becoming (Cisneros, 1987). Living in Mango Street, Esperanza becomes a witness to lifes opposing realities – some are sweet and some are depressingly sour, bearing semblance to the fruit, mango. As she met her Mango Street neighbors, she had developed friendships. Her first friend, Cathy, is a short-lived friendship because Cathys father soon moves the family away because their neighborhood is now threatening as more houses are occupied now by lower class Latinos like Esperanzas family. Later in the novel, Esperanza begins to be aware things that changed within her body as she enters her teenage years. She becomes excited when boys pass by on the street or when they dance and look at her. But events come in and she comes to realize that she needs to be careful about things when dealing with the opposite sex. Nevertheless, Esperanza still dreams of sitting outside with her boyfriend, yet she has kept her standards higher than most of the women around her. There are just far too many women in her neighborhood who have unhappy marriages and she doesn’t want to emulate them. For instance, Ruthie who ran away from her husband and has lost her senses; young Rafaela is so beautiful that her husband locks her indoors when he leaves. The experience of her friend, Sally who only wanted to dream and share love, is beaten by her father to prevent Sally ruining the family with her "dangerous" beauty and escapes it all by marries a traveling salesman and yet the cycle of abuse still ensues. These lessons made Esperanza promise to herself to leave Mango Street, become a writer, and build her own dream home. Although Esperanza is constantly reaffirming that she wants to move away from Mango Street, we could draw out by the end novel that she will one day return to help those who will be not be not as lucky as she is. Indeed, in the closing pages Esperanza admits that she cannot escape Mango Street. Like her what her friend Alicia told her, Esperanza cannot cut ties with Mango Street. Their community has influenced her dreams and personality and she has learned valuable life lessons from the people who thrived in it. That is why she tells stories about the house on Mango Street for other people to find beauty amidst dirty streets, just as one girl has learned to find her true self, her own identity as she held these experiences as guides to go through life. Life is Black, Life is White Hansberry’s play, Raisin in the Sun is introduced in the time when the Youngers, a black family, anxiously await the arrival of a check. This check is a life insurance of $10,000, payable to their mother, Lena Younger, who now stands as the matriarch of the family after the death of her husband. Each member of the family wants to do something different with the money, and therefore, this check represents the materialization of their dreams as they anxiously wait for their new lives to start. The Youngers live within the walls of a tiny apartment and the story takes place entirely within the worn out, dilapidated living room. Walter Lee and Beneatha are Lenas children. Walter Lee is married to Ruth, and works as a chauffeur, while younger Beneatha, has bigger plans of studying to become a doctor. There’s also Travis, the young son of Ruth and Walter Lee, who sleeps on the couch in the living room and is constantly disturbed by the altercations from the adult members. Being the eldest son, Walter Lee is not a picture perfect example as he is working with low-life street men, Willy Harris and Bobo in starting a liquor store business. Constantly obsessed with money and feels as if the world is against him, especially his wife and mother, he is often seen complaining about his life. Meanwhile, Beneatha is an exuberant girl who gushes about her new found independent style in college. She is courted by two men: the first boy, George Murchison, is a wealthy Negro concerned with appearances and material, while the second, Joseph Asagai, is a native African that inspires her intellectually and spiritually. The Younger family is in favor of George because they believe his money will help her and themselves. As the awaited check finally arrives, Lena is dumbfounded on how to spend the money because she realizes that the ten thousand dollars is a replacement for her lost husband. Her family then scrambles to tell her to do what she desires with the money. Wanting to have that liquor business, Walter urges Mama to give him the money but Mama reprimands him, not understanding how he became so obsessed with money and so disinterested in his own family. Mama finally decides to put a down payment on a house in Clybourne Park with the insurance money, so that Travis will one day be able to grow up to become a man with property. This decision made Walter extremely upset and wonders why he can never be the one in charge of all actions. The entire family is concerned about the location because it is an all white neighborhood. Later on Karl Lindner, a white businessman and representative of the Clybourne Park Welcoming Committee visits the Youngers to offer them payment so that they will not move into the house in their all-white neighborhood. Listening to Walter, Mama then decides to give him the rest of the money to manage. A portion of it will go to Beneathas medical school fund, but he may keep the rest. It will later be revealed that Walter Lee never deposited the money in the bank and has lost his fathers check forever. This deeply hurt his family and they were disappointed about Walter Lee’s selfishness (Domina, 1998). In the same day, Asagai comes over to ask Beneatha to marry him and return home to Africa to practice medicine. With no other options, Walter decides to call Mr. Lindner to accept money and “play into the scam”. Mama and Ruth could not believe that Walter would sell his pride for the money. While the moving men arrive at the same time as Lindner, Walter Lee realizes that he has to do the right thing and he tells Lindner that his family cannot be bought because they plan to move into Clybourne Park and live as a happy family there. In the end, their family moves to a new neighborhood where they could live comfortably as a family. Conclusion The two stories teach us about hope and that a bad thing could turn into a good thing in the end. In The House on Mango Street, we could see Esperanza’s transformation to become a matured individual. The lessons she had learned in her community became treasured lessons that served as guides for her. On the contrary, Walter Lee’s transformation in Raisin in the Sun is exemplary because it came within him. His mother, Lena, stayed strong for him, never gave up in believing that his son could change his views. In addition, the women characters in the stories are notably featured as they are staunch in advancing their lives to become better. This is seen through Esperanza and Beneatha. Life has so many struggles and we should learn to face them as they come. These stories teach us to dream and to hope for brighter things in the future. We could use these dreams as inspirations to our daily struggles in life. References Ciscernos, S. (1987, Spring). Do you know me?: I wrote The House on Mango Street.” The American Review. Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 77–79. Cisneros, S. (1991, April). The house on Mango Street. New York: Vintage. 128 pp. Domina, L.M. (1998).  A raisin in the sun: race and gender in A Raisin in the Sun." Drama for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale Hansberry, L. (1994, November). A raisin in the sun. New York: Vintage. 160 pp. Schneider, D. (2003, March). The literature on women immigrants to the United States. Actes de lhistoire de limmigration. Dept. of Sociology, University of Illinois. Read More