《芒果街上的小屋》中的女性成长_英语论文

Reading The House on Mango Street as a Female Initiation Story

摘要

《芒果街上的小屋》是由墨西哥裔美国女作家桑德拉·希斯内罗丝创作的。这是一部自传体式的女性小说。书中女主人公埃斯佩朗莎的成长经历反映了其他民族人民在美国成长的典型模式。本文试图通过一些女性成长小说中的基本要素和女性原型来分析女主人公埃斯佩朗莎在移民社区的成长经历来阐述：作为墨西哥裔的埃斯佩朗莎在遭受种族和性别歧视的双重压力下，如何通过知识来改变自己命运，并且帮助更多的女性来追求自我。

关键词：女性；成长；梦想；妥协；反抗

Abstract

The House on Mango Street was written by a Mexican-American writer, Sandra Cisneros. It is an autobiographic feminine novel, in which the heroine Esperanza’s growth reflects the typical mode experienced by the ethnic minorities. Through analyzing the growth experience of heroine Esperanza in the immigrant community from the basic elements and the female archetype of female initiation story, this paper explains how as a Mexican-American woman, Esperanza tries to change her life and solve the problems which Mexican-American women face after suffering racial discrimination and gender bias. In order to make it, she decides to go to college and gets armed with knowledge. 

Key words: female; initiation; dream; compromise; revolt          

Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………….....................................…………………...1

1 The confusion of Esperanza’s Growth…………………………………………………..….........2

1.1 Racial Discrimination………………………………………………….....................….................….2

1.2 Sex Discrimination…………………………………...……………...……….......................................4

2 Influences of Initiation Guides............................................................................................................5

 2.1 Positive Initiation Guides....................................................................................................................5

  2.1.1 Alicia..........................................................................................................................................................5

  2.1.2 Esperanza’s mother and aunt...............................................................................................................6

  2.1.3 Four Trees.................................................................................................................................................6

 2.2 Negative Initiation Guides..................................................................................................................7

  2.2.1 Sally............................................................................................................................................................7

  2.2.2 Marin................................................................................................................................................ ..........8

  2.2.3 Cathy Queen of Cats…………………………………………………………………….……………..8

3 Maturity of Esperanza..............................................................................................................................9

 3.1 Step One: Escape from the House on Mango Street..............................................................9

 3.2 Step Two: Back to the House on Mango Street.....................................................................10

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………….11

References..........................................................................................................................................................13