Topic > Comparison of the minority experience in Baby of the...

The female minority experience in Baby of the Family and House on Mango Street The two novels Baby of the Family and House on Mango Street expose the minority experience through the perspective of a child, struggling to find an identity in their own unique view of the cultures in which they are growing up. The life of Lena's family, an upper-class African American family in the southern part of the United States, appeals to the ideal of the New American as her family blends the dominant culture with their own minority background in their daily life experiences. Esperanza is a young Hispanic girl who grew up in a barrio, where there isn't much to offer the local Hispanic people. He ultimately feels the profile of the New American in his vision of achieving a better life and escaping the suffocating presence of the barrio, while still remembering his ethnic roots. Both of these characters apply to the Double Minority classification in the obvious aspect of being women and, of course, their relationship of belonging to a minority culture. In Baby of the Family, author Tina Ansa exposes the reader to the perspective of a child living in a dominant culture-oriented family, trying to hold on to some very important traditional aspects of his minority background. Esperanza in House on Mango Street struggles to find her identity in a society that not only discriminates against her as a minority, but her gender also hinders her advancement. The authors of these two minority novels connect these ideals and explore the difficulties these two characters face as they struggle to become the New American while ultimately being classified as Double Minorities. Some of the common aspects shared by the two novels include the common… the medium of paper… everything that these children experience. These two children take the ideal of the "New American" and expound on it as they find ways to live in a world where they walk a fine line between two conflicting cultures. The role of the “Double Minority” plays an important role in trying to overcome the barriers present in their own cultures. Cultures ultimately take on a new definition as time passes, because there really isn't a clear-cut distinction anymore. Works Cited Ansa, Tina McElroy. The baby of the family. Harcourt Press; San Diego, 1989.Blicksilver, Edith. The ethnic American woman. Kenall/Hunt Publishing; Iowa, 1978.Cecil, Andrew R. The Meaning of the Family in Society. University of Texas; Dallas, 1991. Cisneros, Sandra. The house on Mango Street. Vintage Contemporary; New York, 1991. Murray, Alma. Black perspectives. School books; New York, 1971.