Effects on Poverty in The House on Mango Street

Could you imagine sharing a bedroom with multiple people, constantly moving from house to house with more people living with you in the next. Or even being without a house all together? In the House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros you would get an idea what life could be like while undergoing poverty. Cisneros highlights the effects on poverty in America in the book through the family's struggles with food insecurity, housing, and the neighborhood they live in.The first way that Cisneros shines light on the effects of poverty in America is through the family's experience with housing. There are bits and pieces scattered throughout the book that tell us that the family has struggles with housing, however in specific in the vignette “The House On Mango Street” Ezperana says “We didn’t always live on Mango street. Before that we lived on Loomis, and before that we lived on keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I can’t remember.” (Esperanza P.3) This quote is Esperanza naming only some of the different houses/locations she has lived in. She couldn't even remember all the different places she has lived. She directly tells us that she remembers moving a lot which is a clean and clear sign that her family is suffering from poverty. 

Furthermore on the same page Ezperanza says”Each time it seemed there’d be more of us”. Every Time her family would move another one of her relatives moves in with them which once again shows poverty because it potentially means that the relatives did not have housing of their own which adds to the idea of the family suffering with housing. Moreover to the fact that the family struggles with housing Ezperanza explains to us more of what she has gone through in terms of housing. “We had to leave the flat on Loomis quickly. The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn't fix them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying water over in empty milk gallons”(Esperanza p.4). The family could not afford to fix the pipes so they had to use the washroom next door.Second, Cisneros highlights the effects of poverty in America through the neighborhood the family lives in. “Around the back is a yard mostly dirt, and a bunch of boards that used to be a garage.” Said Ezperanza on page 22. She is describing the setting of the neighborhood and picturing the description in my head I can just imagine an old looking run down neighborhood. This quote is directly emphasizing the setting and the imperfections. Describing the poverty that is present. This was not the only way Ezperanza described the neighborhood to us. In the vignette “Those Who Don’t” Ezperanza says, “ Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we are dangerous.”(Esperanza p.28) This tells us how other people view the neighborhood. They think that it is dangerous, and statistically the more dangerous neighborhoods are generally the lower income areas.

Lastly Cisneros shows the effects of poverty in America is through the family's experience with food insecurity. “I get to school with my mother's letter and a rice sandwich because we don’t have lunch meat.”(Esperanza p.44) This quote is telling us that she had to make a rice sandwich for lunch instead of buying lunch meat because the family must be on a heavy budget. Furthermore on page 54 Ezperanza says “-and borrowed money for lunch and bus fare because Aunt Lala said I wouldn't get paid till next Friday '' Esperanza had to borrow money for lunch because she did not have her own lunch and her own money. This again shows food insecurity because had she had not been suffering from food insecurity she would not need to borrow lunch money, and she would not be skinny like the book said. Although this doesn't necessarily mean that she's skinny because of food insecurity, it just adds to the food insecure image you get when the author includes things that directly show food security. It is describing to us the physical appearance of Esperanza, and her family not having lunch meat, her having to pack a rice sandwich, and the fact that she is “very skinny”go hand and hand and show food insecurity.

Cisneros has clearly shown poverty well throughout the book. Struggles with food insecurity, housing and the neighborhood they live in, poverty has been well presented. This is important because poverty is a real thing in America, or any other place. There are people suffering, not getting an education, not enjoying their lives, and not getting what they need. There are people in your country that are undergoing poverty. It makes people like me grateful, and try not to take things for granted and appreciate my place in life.