House on Mango Street vs. Romeo and Juliet

                In House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the reader can find similarities and differences between Juliet and the women from the House on Mango Street. One of the similarities between these two groups is that their lives are affected by machismo. One of the ways their life is influenced by this way of thinking is that both of them have their lives controlled by men. For example, Juliet is being forced by her dad to marry Paris. This case is also seen in HMS when Esperanza’s grandmother is forced to marry a man she did not love. A difference between these two groups is that the women from HMS have more freedom than Juliet. For example, the women from HMS have friends. In Shakespeare’s story, Juliet does not have many friends. The only women Juliet talks to as a friend is her nurse. We never see her interact with another person who’s not from her family besides Romeo. Juliet does not have many options. Her life is pretty much dictated by her family. In House on Mango Street, the women have a little bit more options than Juliet. Some can marry who they want, but it is rare. They’re options are also limited. They cannot go out much and they are forced to do “Women’s Chores”, such as clean, cook, and take care of the kids. All these examples reflect the way women in House on Mango Street and Juliet have similarities and differences when it comes to the what options they have and how their lives are dictated.