Abstract

The House on Mango Street is Chicana writer Sandra Cisneros’s master work. This famous female initiation story describes Chicanas’ double marginalized position and shows Chicanas’ struggle with self-identity in an alienating and hostile American mainstream society.
The thesis mainly carries on research about Chicana identity seeking with comparison, examples and analysis. It introduces Sandra Cisneros, her education, living environment and her growing background, as well as the influence of her life on her writing, especially on her autobiographical novel: The House on Mango Street. The thesis describes the heroine Esperanza’s character through combining the author’s self-experience. It focuses on Chicanas’ construction of self-identity, Chicanas’ double marginalized position and their dilemmas in living between the mainstream culture and the ethnic culture. The dilemmas faced by Chicanas and other Chicanas’ failed experiences in the realization of self-value make Esperanza want to leave Mango Street to pursue her dreams and realize self-value, but the process is full of difficulties and obstacles. Through comparing the successful pursuit of Esperanza and the failed pursuit of other Chicanas, the thesis also explores the reasons why Esperanza can succeed and how she can find the ways to construct self-identity.
Through analysis and comparison, this thesis aims to explore the way Cisneros offers to solve the dilemma faced by the immigrant groups and how to find their self-identity between their own culture and mainstream culture. Only through education, self persistent efforts and the unity of Chicanas can Chicanas change their fates and construct self-identity. Meanwhile, it also analyzes the similar situations existing in China.

Keywords: Sandra Cisneros; Esperanza; Chicanas; The House on Mango Street; identity

摘要

《芒果街上的小屋》是奇卡纳作家桑德拉•西斯内罗丝的代表作。这本著名的女性成长小说描述了奇卡纳双重边缘化的处境，反映了奇卡纳在排外且不友善的美国主流社会中如何挣扎，如何追寻自我身份。
本文主要采取比较、列举例子、引用分析的方式来研究奇卡纳自我身份的追寻。本文主要介绍作者桑德拉•西斯内罗丝的教育经历、生活环境、成长背景和写作对她的影响，特别是她的自传体小说《芒果街上的小屋》。通过结合作者的自身经历来刻画主人公艾斯普兰莎的人物性格。同时着重分析奇卡纳自我身份的构建以及奇卡纳在美国主流文化和民族文化的夹击下处于双重边缘化的困境。奇卡纳所面临的困境以及其他奇卡纳在实现自我价值中的失败经历使得艾斯普兰莎渴望离开芒果街去追寻梦想、实现自我，但是这个过程充满了困难和障碍。最后本文将艾斯普兰莎的成功经历与其他奇卡纳的失败经历做比较，探索艾斯普兰莎成功的原因以及奇卡纳构建自我身份的方法。
通过分析比较，本文探索了移民群体在自身文化和主流文化的夹击中面临确立自我身份的困境以及作者提出的解决方法。只有通过教育，自身坚持不懈的努力和奇卡纳的团结才能改变命运，确立自我身份。同时，文章还分析了存在于中国的类似问题。

关键词：桑德拉•西斯内罗丝; 艾斯普兰莎;奇卡纳；《芒果街上的小屋》；身份