Reaction to The House on Mango Street

Minerva Writes Poems just like Celie writes letters and Esperanza writes vignettes all these women are trapped by their station in life and seek some release through writing. Esperanza writes as if Minerva's fate could soon be her own and this is something she hopes to avoid. Everything on Mango Street, and I assume everywhere in their world, is a cycle no one seems to be able to escape. Her mother raised kids alone and it looks like her kids are going that way too. The men in these stories are also violent and controlling as in the Color Purple.

We are lead to assume what the poems are about because Esperanza never says what they say. But seeing how she continues to return to Minerva's sadness I bet they are similar to Esperanzas. She is sad like a house is on fire is one line I continued to return to because on the surface it just shows how something is always wrong, but burning houses bring to mind ruin, tragedy, devastation, a gutted frame, desperation, panic, and they eventually burn down unless they are saved. I do not see any salvation for Minerva coming. It is as if they are both watching the fire waiting for something to give, but the house just keeps burning. Esperanza is just hoping the same fate does not befall her.

Minerva tires to put the fire out and kicks out her husband, but the flames just catch up again just like they always do. He returns because he is sorry then she is beat up again. Esperanza even says it is the same story because it has been told often throughout the book. This is the natural order of things here, it is the only story there is. Constant conflict, constant strife that is never ending and no one knows what to do. Just like when Celie asks god for a sign as to what is happening to her, they just want escape and reason. The conflict starts to take the shape of punishment, punishment is truly hell if you do not know why it is happening. Thus misfortunes become inevitable and natural and you lose control only hoping that something will come to an end. The house keeps burning and you keep watching and after a while you become wood like Celie. You become disconnected from your life and all you can do is feel miserable and pray.

Esperanza ends this passage with there is nothing she can do. Because it is natural, who has the power to fight nature? Esperanza hopes to doge the natural order of things in this world by getting out, but no one takes it head on because defeat is felt to be the natural outcome.