Review of Related Studies

7

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review of Related Studies

Janet Sarbanes in his essay stated that Sandra Cisneros, the author of The House on Mango Street, is a Chicago-born Chicana activist, poet, and fiction writer. She has published two collections of poems, Bad Boys 1980 and My Wicked Wicked Ways 1987, and a collection of short stories entitled Woman Hollering Creek 1991. Her novel, The House on Mango Street 1983, was awarded the Before Columbus American Book Award. http:www.answers.comtopicthe-house-on-mango-street-novel-7. He also stated that: The House on Mango Street is the fictional autobiography of Esperanza Cordera, an adolescent Mexican American girl who wants to be a writer. Unlike the chapters in a conventional novel, the forty-four vignettes, or literary sketches, which make up the novel could each stand on its own as a short story. Read together, they paint a striking portrait of a young Chicana struggling to find a place in her community without relinquishing her sense of self. http:www.answers.comtopicthe-house-on-mango-street-novel-7 The House on Mango Street is a fiction novel which tells about the life experiences of Esperanza Cordera. If we notice at the first glance of this novel, it is like a collection of short stories. But it is the style of the author Sandra Cisneros to create a novel made of interconnected vignettes. Christine C. Cepeda in her thesis entitled The Construction of Chicana Identity in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, stated the definition of vignette quoted as follow: “A vignette is defined as “a short usually descriptive literary sketch” or “a short scene or incident,” but since this vignettes put together to tell a story, it is also very similar to a short novel” 2006:10. http:scholarship.rice.edubitstreamhandle1911178681435715.PDF?sequence =1 Each part of the story can stand on its own but it also has connection with other parts. Esperanza, an adolescence Chicana, is the central character in this novel. She is the protagonist and also the narrator of the story. In this story, the characterization of Esperanza is evolved throughout the story. Cisneros shows us that Esperanza’s characterization is developed through each part of the story. The experiences that she faces in the neighborhood make the character developed. In his criticism on The House on Mango Street, James Errera states that there are two types of character in The House on Mango Street. The main character Esperanza changes throughout of course of the novel. Because of this fact, she can be said as a dynamic character. At the beginning of the story, she is described as a shy girl with low self-esteem. It can be seen when she asks permission to the nun to stay in school for lunch. The nun starts to question Esperanza, to avoid confrontation, she just agrees with what the nun says and she begins to cry. As the readers get closer to the end of the story, they start to notice a change in Esperanza’s character. She gets clear and aware of her identity. She knows that it was wrong for mimicking her sick aunt. She also understands the concept of heaven and hell. This is a big progression from the way she was earlier in the novel. http:www.iona.edufacultydwilliams130charactersA.html James Errera also states about the example of character that does not change. It is Sally. Because of the fact, she is considered as a static character. Sally’s father always uses physical abuse to her and he controls everything she does. Once, Sally married a man just like her father who always abuses her. Sally’s husband does not let her talking on the phone and look out the window. Sally leaves her home but ends up in the same situation. http:www.iona.edufacultydwilliams130charactersA.html The quotations above show that there are two kinds of character in the The House on Mango Street. They are static and dynamic character. James Errera shows that the character Esperanza is a dynamic character. Dynamic character means that the character undergoes changes throughout the story. Esperanza is an example of dynamic character because from the very beginning until the end of the story, her characterization changes. For example, in the first half of the novel she is still innocent, whereas in the second half of the novel she starts to grow her maturity. Another kind of character in this novel is static character. It is a character which is static throughout the novel. The example of static character in The House on Mango Street is Sally. She often gets violence from her father and when she leaves home, she married with a man but the situation still same for her. She often gets violence from her husband too. That is why she is considered as an example of static character. Another criticism stated by Christine C. Cepeda in her thesis is that Esperanza as the protagonist living in the community which is a mixture between two cultures Mexican-American culture and American culture. Those two cultures have different point of view toward the life of women. This condition causes problem to Esperanza in her introduction to womanhood. Esperanza is a Mexican American girl also hovering in that grey area between two cultures, the Mexican culture inherited through her parents and the American culture that she lives in. This constant juggling of two cultures poses problems for Esperanza in her introduction to womanhood because the Mexican ideals of women as wives and mothers compete with the American ideals of individuality and the ability for women to pursue a career 2006:11. http:scholarship.rice.edubitstreamhandle1911178681435715.PDF?seq uence=1 Esperanza as the protagonist of the story views many women and girls in her community as her role models. There are positive and negative female role models. Ellen McCraken in Breaking Boundaries Latina Writing and Critical Readings stated that The House on Mango Street presents clusters of women characters through the sometimes naive and sometimes wise vision of the adolescent protagonist. There are positive and negative female role models and, in addition, several key incidents that focus the reader’s attention on the contradictions of patriarchal social organization 1989:66. Furthermore, Ellen McCraken in the same book also stated that Sandra Cisneros does not only show women victimization in this story, but she also points several positive role models that help Esperanza to develop. Cisneros does not merely delineate women’s victimization in this collection, however. Several positive female role models help to guide Esperanza’s development. Minerva, for the example, although a victim of her husband’s violence, makes time to write poetry 1989: 69. The writer agrees with all of the review and criticism above. It will help the writer to analyze the novel. Esperanza as the protagonist of the story faces many experiences in her community. Male domination is presented through her experiences. She observes many girls and women as her role models. There are positives and negatives role models in this novel that contributes to Esperanza’s characterization and encourages her to respond the male domination in her community. This thesis is development of those review and criticism above. This thesis is different because the writer will analyze the feminism value that is reflected through Esperanza’s response toward male domination in her community. Since the writer raises the feminism value as the theme, this thesis will be viewed through feminism point of view. Hopefully, this thesis will help the reader to understand this novel better.

B. Review of Related Theories