The House on Mango Street Foreignness and 'The Other' Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

In the meantime they'll just have to move a little farther north from Mango Street, a little farther away every time people like us keep moving in. (5.4)

When Esperanza says "people like us," we suspect she's referring to her ethnic background. Cathy represents the segment of society that associates Latinos with bad neighborhoods.

Quote #2

Meme Ortiz moved into Cathy's house after her family moved away. His name isn't really Meme. His name is Juan. But when we asked him what his name was he said Meme, and that's what everybody calls him except his mother. (9.1)

Meme represents a younger generation of Latinos – the children of native Spanish speakers who, growing up in the United States, possess a sort of dual identity that's reflected in their bilingualism and their two names.

Quote #3

Meme has a dog with gray eyes, a sheepdog with two names, one in English and one in Spanish. (9.2)

Like his owner, Meme's dog has an English name and a Spanish name.