In the short story "The House on Mango Street" Sandra Cisneros unfolds her childhood memories where she and her family struggled with poor living conditions on the way to their own house, and she seems to suffer from it more than anyone of the family. When one day they finally get the house of their own and her family seems to be ready to settle with it, she continues suffering because it's not "the house we'd thought we'd get" (501), the one she imagined and built up in her dreams. At that point Cisneros obtains her dream to be fulfilled: she decides that whatever happens, she must have the house of her dream. This difference between her dream and reality is quite obvious and seems to upset her a lot; however, the impact of it is tremendous because it caused her to obtain the energy necessary for a dream's fulfillment.
Five Stories (short story collection)
The House on Mango Street
HousingDuring the narration, Cisneros specifies the features of the house of her dream. It has to be not just her own place to live, but also a place that she could be proud of. She describes her dream house as "...one I could point to"; "inside it would have real stairs, not a hallway stairs, but stairs inside like the houses on TV" (501); it "would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence". Even though these features are not necessities for living, the author's own dream becomes her necessity to be fulfilled.
However, while living with her parents she understands that here her dream is not going to come true. The author's present house contrasts with the house of her dream: "It's small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you'd think they are holding...