Literary Devices in The House On Mango Street Essay

HOMS Theme Essay.

Do you remember the first house you lived in that your parents actually owned? Esperanza sure does. In Sandra Cisneross novella The House On Mango Street you follow Esperanzas adventures while she lived in the house on Mango street. The main literary devices that show the theme of the story would be Foreshadowing and tone.

Foreshadowing shows the theme of the story easily. The vignette Born Bad says We didnt know. She had been dying such a long time, we forgot. Maybe she was ashamed. Maybe she was embarrassed it took so many years. The kids who wanted to be kids instead of doing dishes and ironing papas shirts, and the husband who wanted a wife again. This shows shes beginning to realize wrong from right, is beginning to feel guilty for what she had done, and is growing up and taking responsibility.

Tone is another literary device that shows the theme of the story. In the vignette Mango says goodbye sometimes Esperanza writes I put it down on paper so the ghost doesnt ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free. This shows that Esperanza has grown up a bit and set dreams, it proves that she has plans for herself and has grown up enough to dwell and work on them.

The first real house Esperanza lived in, she didnt like, but it taught her a valuable lesson of growing up in all the adventures she went through. In the novella The House On Mango Street foreshadowing and tone represented the lessons she was taught as she was growing up in this house. These showed how she started to learn responsibility and take control of her life so that she can go on to do bigger and better things beyond the house on Mango street.