(un)defining gender roles—The House on Mango Street

I thought our discussion in class today was pretty nice. We touched on a lot of topics, including stereotypes of minorities and their neighborhoods, the right to have kids and fairy tales. I think many of the characters in The House on Mango Street are looking for ways to create better lives for themselves. Marin, it seems, is trying to use her beauty and looks as forms of power over men. She only winks at the boys as they pass by her house, seemingly leaving her (and her beauty) in control of the men. But, is she actually an empowered female? Does her dream of being swept away by a man with money and a “big house far away” actually free her? Or does it just perpetuate the idea that women must rely on men to be saved, like in many fairy tales? I think that although Esperanza looks up to Marin, she understands that Marin will be forever lost if she relies on beauty and men to save her, that to be an empowered woman, one must find freedom outside the restrictions of both beauty and marriage.

We also read about Alicia. Her attempts at breaking out (of the neighborhood and out of gender roles) lie in education. Yet, her father doesn’t seem too supportive of Alicia. What kind of qualities does Alicia have that Esperanza admires? Why do you think Esperanza would admire these qualities? Do you think Alicia can be successful? If you were a woman living in Esperanza’s neighborhood, how would break gender and class expectations and/or stereotypes? Would you use your beauty (Marin)? Would you resort to crime (Louie’s cousin)? Would you use education (Alicia?)