Home Sweet Home

"They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones that cannot out."

The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros, 110

This whole last chapter reminds me of the things teenagers say when they leave home, or when they want to leave home. In their inexperienced state of mind, the only logical and normal thing to do is get away from home and move on in life. There is nothing more their parents can do for them. There is no more room for rules and expectations. The only thing to do is get out.

This is not the exact case that Esperanza experiences in The House on Mango Street, but the desire to move away from a place that should mean more to you is very similar. It's hard to see in that moment, but our upbringing has so much to do with where we end up and what we become. Not only our upbringing, but where we lived, where we played, with whom we played, and much more. Mango Street will forever be a part of Esperanza, even though she may not have wanted to admit it. 

Finally, at the end of the book, she admits that she is only leaving Mango Street to return. Whether it will be for her or for the people that are "stuck" in Mango Street, it is a part of her. Mango Street is something that she will constantly think about throughout her life. Like the disgruntled teen, she will eventually realize that home, sweet home is the best thing that ever happened to her. Even if her life wasn't perfect, there always will be an element of "home" in Mango Street. Just as many of us discover as we leave home.