Sandra Cisneros attempts to reconstruct the traditionally patriarchal domain of the house and negotiate a space for women. Her bilingual dedication “A las Mujeres/To the Women” acknowledges her ethnicity as well as her gender, which immediately shapes the scope of her work. The title of Cisneros' novel inevitably recalls Virginia Woolf's similarly titled book, A Room of One's Own. While both novels aim to educate and empower women, Cisneros' novel's bilingual dedication addresses an additional group of women that Woolf may have left out: women of color. The Mango Street House is inspired by the cultural context of Cisneros and focuses on the patriarchal house as the motif for its reconstruction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The novel opens with a desire not unlike the American dream, that of acquiring “a real house which would be ours forever...". White with trees all around, a big garden and grass growing without a fence” (4), yet the Corderos can only settle in a house on Mango Street which is “small and red with narrow steps in front and windows so small” (4). The exterior of the house is a reflection of the constraint that is present inside. Esperanza notes that “boys and girls live in separate worlds… [her brothers] had a lot to say to me and Nenny at home. But outside, we don’t see them talking to girls” (8). Elsewhere, she recognizes the restrictive nature of the house. Her great-grandmother, after whom she was named, was described as "a wild woman" who was relegated to looking "out the window all her life, as many women put their sadness on one elbow" (11 ) after being forced to marry. Rafaela is also an example of a woman locked in the house by her husband "because her husband is afraid that Rafaela will run away because she is too beautiful to look at" (79). Her situation is similar to that of Sally who “stays at home because she is afraid to go out without his permission” (102). The text is thus punctuated with women locked in their houses built by the patriarchy. But the same patriarchal structure supported by an oppressive presence is also marked by absence. Esperanza observes that her house had “no front yard” and that their garage is intended for “the car we don’t yet own” (4). Likewise, other houses are marked by absence. Meme's house, built by Cathay's father, has "no closets" (21) while Aunt Lupe's apartment is located in a building "where sunlight never entered" (60 ). This suggests that there is something incomplete about the masculine sphere and opens possibilities for other, more inclusive constructions of the home. The house is a powerful metaphor for (re)construction of identity because houses can be demolished, modified and replaced. This is reflected in Esperanza's wish to reinvent herself by changing her name to "Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X" (11). The empty signifier “X” represents the arbitrary nature of gender construction that can be assumed like a pair of shoes. In the vignette “The Little Feet Family,” the girls become Cinderella and are self-conscious about their sexuality as the men stare at them when they put on high heels. From this episode, Cisneros highlights the error of male oppression based on monolithic gender constructs. If gender can be constructed, is it not susceptible to being deconstructed and reconstructed? The vignette “Alicia, 1989.