This article explores how Sandra Cisneros alludes to and recasts popular fairy tales in
The House on Mango Street to reveal their troubled legacy in the lives of many women in the novel. Drawing upon Latina feminist theory and Cisneros’s
autobiographical writing, this article posits that the main character Esperanza’s alternative “happily ever after” comes through
locating the vocation of writing as the fulcrum for self-definition and social change. It is suggested that feminist literary
criticism can be enhanced through analysis of heroines from diverse cultural backgrounds and theoretical frameworks attuned
to racial and ethnic diversity.
Keywords Feminist literary criticism - Sandra Cisneros - Fairy tales - Latina feminism
Kelly Wissman is an Assistant Professor at The University at Albany, State University of New York. Her research interests include literacy
and literature in the lives of urban youth and feminist approaches to the study and teaching of children’s literature.