Crazy Cat Lady of Mango Street.

I was fairly interested when I picked up Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street. It seems startling short for such a critically acclaimed novella. However I realized that its brevity is part of what makes it such an iconic book. Along with that, Latin American authors are some of my favorite writers.

One of the best parts of this novella for me is that Cisneros tells her vignettes with sparse and concise diction. She says exactly what needs to be says without any flowery language. It almost seems Hemingway-esque, mixed with the story telling of Gary Soto, who I remember reading often in elementary school. Despite the minimal amount of words, Cisneros gives vivid descriptions of the House and its surroundings, along with the people who live there. (Another contributing factor to my interest in this book is the fact that it’s set in Chicago).

One of my favorite things about this book is the extensive list of characters, all of whom are believable despite some brief entrances and departures in Esperanza’s life. Darius is a prime example of these characters. He is only mentioned in one, but he provides insight for the children by pointing out that one of the puffy clouds is God. Then, on the other hand, there are other, central, non-familial characters like Rachel, Lucy, and even Cathy, Queen of Cats. That name alone is a great part of the book for me (she has cats and cats and cats: I imagine she will end up like this one day).

An interesting aspect that Cisneros focuses on is the nature in the story. Whether it’s the animals: Cathy’s cats, Meme’s dogs, or the scarcity of butterflies; or the world: Eskimos’ 30 names for snows, the lack of clouds, or the lack of vegetation or a yard apart from municipally planted elm trees. It provides a glaring contrast to the sprawling urban jungle that is the south side of Chicago.