In Search of “Self" in The House on Mango Street

Abstract

This dissertation studies Esperanza Cordero’s search for a “self” that would establish herself as a writer. In her quest she found that she had to take some revolutionary steps to reach her goal. At the same time, she also understood that, leaving the marginalized Chicana women community behind and only self-development could not help her to find her real self. She realized that she must do something for them and found that writing their untold stories could be a way of paying her tribute to them. She is inspired by their pain, suppression and unfulfilled desires and takes the initiative to break fence of patriarchal control to assure women’s right in her society. Thus she talks about establishing a sisterhood which would allow her and her fellow women to come out of confinement and find the route to freedom. In doing so she feels the necessity of “a room of her own” where she could think and write intimately. But her ethnic background and the socio-economic reality of the United States was not allowing her the space. This paper shows that Esperanza not only began searching for her ‘self’ but also for that space and her roots.