The book The House on Mango Street By Sandra Cisneros is written to show something very important about the theme, but at the same time, the main point of each vignette is written with symbols. As you read it, you won’t realize what the symbols are and what they represent. Of course, I read the book and did not notice the symbols. But after re-reading the book, and reading the vignettes more than twice, then that’s when I’ll notice the significance of the symbols in the vignettes.

In the vignette, “My Name” happens to be an important one and the symbol of that vignette is are windows and so is for the other vignettes: No Speak English, Rafaela, and Sally. First of all, In “My Name”, there is a quote that tells a lot. “She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow…Ezperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window.”  The window here symbolizes only way out toward a better life. Since there must be no way out then the window is small, very hard to get through. The fact of sitting their sadness on an elbow just shows waiting, Waiting for a chance towards better life. Esperanze’s name means hope and this quote show somewhat of hope.

 In “No Speak English” the window is something sort of similar to the other vignette of My Name.  This shows the reason to not advance. Well In the U.S, whether you’re you don’t speak English or not, it will always affect you. In this Vignette, the window represents. No will. The will not to go further. The quote that shows this is “…or afraid of English. She wont come down, She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show…” The window in this vignette also symbolizes homesick.