Sandra Cisneros attempts to reconstruct the traditionally patriarchal realm that is the home and to negotiate a space for women. Her bilingual dedication “A las Mujeres/To the Women” acknowledges her ethnicity and gender, which immediately defines the scope of her work. The title of Cisneros' novel inevitably calls to mind Virginia Woolf's similarly titled book, A Room of One's Own. While both novels aim to educate women and empower them, the bilingual dedication of Cisneros' novel addresses an additional group of women that Woolf may have excluded: women of color. The House on Mango Street draws on Cisneros' cultural background and focuses on the patriarchal house as the reason for its reconstruction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The novel opens with a desire reminiscent of the American dream, to acquire "a real home that would be ours forever...". White with trees around it, a big yard and grass growing without a fence” (4), yet the Corderos can only settle in a house on Mango Street that is “small and red with narrow steps in front and such small windows” (4). The exterior of the house reflects the constraint present inside. Esperanza notes that “boys and girls live in separate worlds…[her siblings have] a lot to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But you don't see them talking to girls outside” (8). Elsewhere, he acknowledges the restrictive quality of the house. Her great-grandmother, after whom she was named, was described as “a wild woman,” relegated to looking “out the window all her life, as many women rest their sadness on one elbow” (11) after being forced to a wedding. Rafaela is also an example of a woman confined to 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 “sits at home because she is afraid to go out without his permission” (102). The text is thus punctuated by women trapped in their homes built by patriarchy. However, the same patriarchal structure supported by an oppressive presence is also marked by absence. Esperanza notes that her house “had no yard” and their garage is for “the car we don't own yet” (4). Likewise, other homes are marked by absence. Meme's house, built by Cathay's father, “has no closets” (21) while Aunt Lupe's apartment is in a building “where the sunlight never reaches” (60). This suggests that there is something incomplete in the male sphere and opens possibilities for other, more inclusive constructions of the home. The house is a powerful metaphor for the (re)construction of identity because houses can be demolished, altered and replaced. This is echoed in Esperanza's desire 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 the gender construction which can be assumed like a pair of shoes. In the cartoon "The Family of Little Feet", girls become Cinderella and are aware of their sexuality while men leer at them when they wear high heels. From this episode, Cisneros highlights the fallacy of male oppression that is based on monolithic constructions of gender. If gender can be constructed, isn't it then susceptible to deconstruction and reconstruction? The vignette “Alicia & I Talking on Edna's Steps” is probably the most significant because it portrays the dilemma of reconstructing one's identity. Although Esperanza's initial intention was to leave Mango Street and return only when "someone makes things better" (107), Alicia reminds her, 1989.