Konni Wilson
Period 4
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet." (Romeo & Juliet II, ii, 1-2). Your name is your identity. It's what set you apart from the millions of people in the world, it's what makes you, you. In Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street, Esperanza's name is a significant symbol in her growth and life as she struggles to find herself and her identity.
When Esperanza introduces herself, she says her name in English means hope, but in Spanish in means too many letters, sadness, waiting, a muddy color, and sounds like songs of sobbing. This obviously points out her struggle for self-definition. Esperanza's struggle to define herself as a woman, and her perception of her identity changes over the course of the novel, as she learns to accept herself and grows comfortable in her own skin.
In the beginning of the book, Esperanza wants to change her name so that she can define herself on her own terms; she is trying to fit into her own expectations, instead of accepting a name that expresses both her and her family heritage. She tries to separate herself from her culture and find herself, the "real" Esperanza. She feels that changing her name will help her soothe and solve this internal conflict within herself.
Later, she becomes more sexually aware and tries to fit in the molds of the female role models in her life. Unfortunately, she is exposed to role models that conform and submit to higher pressures, like Sally. Esperanza wants to be "beautiful and cruel" so men will like her, but she still has power so they won't hurt her. To help her achieve this goal, again instead of looking within herself, she looks to her external environment, and becomes friends with Sally. However, after she is assaulted, she doesn't want to define herself as "beautiful and cruel" anymore and once again is lost and unsure of who she really is.
Eventually, Esperanza finds herself and doesn't set herself apart from her heritage, by changing her name and learns to accept who she is and where she came from. She accepts her place and decides the way to define herself is as a writer. As a writer, she observes the world and her environment and writes from a stand point that is herself and not anyone else. This is what gives Esperanza her unique identity she has been searching for.
Holy Cow Konni, I used names for my symbol too! Romeo and Juliet was a great example to support the importance of names. I was a little confused in the 4th paragraph when you started to talk about Sally, but finishing the last paragraph clarified it for me. This was a really good book to use for names as symbols because of her descriptions, I liked the quote on her name meaning too many letters. Yay for names ;D
ReplyDeleteWow, I like how you chose to use names as your symbol! I like how you supported all your points about identity and trying to find yourself...and I really like the quote you used as your opening from Romeo and Juliet. I loved the book House on Mango Street, I was kinda thinking of using it for my prompt, too, at first :)
ReplyDeleteKonni, Remember that you can't use books to answer your questions. You need to go with what you remember so that you can be ready for when you really have to do the open question. I liked your choice of Esperanza's name as a symbol. You are on the right track!
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