The House on Mango Street is a collection of short pieces, all written from the view of Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl. Over the course of the book, as Esperanza grows, she describes the people who come in and out of her life on Mango Street. Engage students with Storyboard That activities!
Esperanza explains that outsiders (people not from her neighborhood) are scared to enter. When her neighbor's cousin takes them for a ride, it turns out to be a stolen car. They all have fun, but this might be scary to outsiders.
The local pawn shop is one of the places Esperanza and Nenny sometimes go. One of the most descriptive environments, the book describes the cluttered shop full of "tables with their feet upside down" and "rows and rows of refrigerators."
Much of Esperanza's time is spent at her own house. Her mom, dad, two brothers, and younger sister all live there with her. Her mom is often described as seeming overworked.