Project

The literary piece that I have chosen is the House on Mango Street and I will apply the literary theory of Feminist literary criticism. There were certain situations in this story where the Saint Leo core value of responsible stewardship, community, and respect did not apply, however, there were a few instances when it did.

I chose this story because I am interested in how Esperanza and those around her grew up. Sometimes I think we take for granted the lives we had and have now. I remember thinking my childhood was awful and blamed my mother for it. However, as I got older, I realized that it could have been worst and that parents do the best that they can to provide for their children.

The Feminist literary criticism comes into play as there were many issues on race and gender, the differences of roles with men and women. I chose this theory to show how the female characters are portrayed (treated and seen). In looking at what the feminist literacy criticism includes, I felt like this was the perfect opportunity for me to analyze the reading and show the difference of how women and men are portrayed and the roles they are expected to take. Take for example the story of, “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays”. Rafaela’s husband would not let her leave the house because he thought that she was too beautiful. I think that is a nice compliment, but why does he have the power to make her stay inside? Men saw women as their property, rather than their companion and often left the women behind to fend for themselves and their children. I want to apply Feminist literary criticism to the House on Mango Street to show how the men and women in the story have different roles and are described differently.  I hope I am understanding this theory appropriately and I really appreciate your suggestions and feedback.

Core Value of Community: In the House on Mango Street the neighborhoods were separated by the color of one’s skin and it was scary for Esparaza to enter the neighborhoods of those, who were not the same color as she. Although, the neighborhoods were segregated, they still respected their community and trusted those within their community; it was the place where they felt they belonged and looked out for one another. The Saint Leo core value of community fosters a spirit of belonging, unity, trust, and respect and this was demonstrated in the community where Esperanza lives.

Core Value of responsible stewardship: In the story there were characters who did not want to follow the paths they were expected to take; they wanted a better life for themselves. For example, in the story one of Esperanza’s friends Alicia’s mother passed away. Alicia was always tired from waking up early to make tortillas. Although, she was very tired, she still made time to study at a university all day and night so that she could do better than just working in a factory or using a rolling pin. Saint Leo’s core value of responsible stewardship fosters a spirit to utilize all resources for development. Alicia did just that, she utilized all her resources to reach her goal of being better than what is expected of her.

Core Value of Respect: The author of the House on Mango Street had a rough life and had many experiences that a child her age should not have. I respect the fact that she used her anger that grew over the years from her experiences to act and write. The Saint Leo core value of respect fosters commitment to excellence. Esperanza was not delt the perfect hand growing up and she decided to make something of herself and tell her stories to others.