Fantasy vs Reality

Fantasy vs. Reality

Sometime in our lives, we have wished for things we don't have. No matter how hard we wished on the star or a candle, our wishes never seemed to be answered. We have all felt that bitter disappointment on Christmas morning when we finally realized that we were never going to be able to have what we want. This is the same exact feelings that the characters in Cisneros' The House on Mango Street. Unlike us, the disappointment for these characters last throughout their childhood. Esperanza, Rachel, Nenny, Sally, and Lucy are among the kids growing up on Mango Street. They all long for friendship, love, and a better life, but all these kids face are the harsh reality of the 'real world.' In the society that Esperanza and her friends live in, love takes a back seat when it comes to relationships.

'Someday, I will have a best friend all my own.

Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding

One I can tell my secrets to. One who will understand my jokes without my having to explain them.' These are the longing words of Esperanza. While growing up on Mango Street, Esperanza finds herself in a community that she feels she doesn't belong to. With all her heart, she longs for a true friend that she can tell her dreams to and will understand her for it. These wishes seem easy enough to grant, but Esperanza soon finds out that there is more to friendship. 'If you give me five dollars, I will be your friend forever.' Esperanza discovers that she can not have anything for nothing. Rachel and Lucy sure enough become her friends, but only after she helped them pay for the bike. Esperanza never does truly find a real friend who shares the same goal as she does...