The House on Mango Street, Cathy Queen of Cats

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Reader: 王伊涵
Reading Time: 4.5
Reading Task: The House on Mango Street, Cathy Queen of Cats

Summary of the content:
The chapter depicts the protagonist Esperanza's encounter with her neighbor Cathy on Mango Street. Cathy is a girl who keeps numerous cats in her house, described as "a paradise for cats," filled with kittens, adult cats, skinny cats, and sickly felines.  
Cathy claims to be a distant cousin of the French queen and tells Esperanza that her father will one day travel to France to find their distant relatives and inherit the family estate. She offers to be friends with Esperanza, but only until the following Tuesday, when her family plans to move away. Cathy explains that they are leaving because "the neighborhood is getting worse" as more people like Esperanza (implying Latino immigrants) move in.  
Additionally, Cathy shares her opinions about other neighbors: Bene and Blanca, who run the corner store; the two "messy" girls living across the street; and Edna, the owner of the house next door.

Evaluation:
Cathy's behaviors consistently reflect a sense of superiority. Her self-proclaimed "noble status" stands in sharp contrast to her disdain for other community members, subtly revealing her resentment toward the influx of Latino immigrants and mirroring the marginalized existence of immigrant groups in urban settings. The fleeting friendship between the protagonist and Cathy lays bare the unvarnished realities within children's worlds, while also exposing the deeper social tensions that drive Cathy's family to relocate—rooted in racial and class prejudices.Through Cathy's perspective, this chapter reveals the dynamics among Mango Street's residents and the shifting social landscape of the community, marked by racial and class tensions.

Reflection:
Through the character of Cathy, Sandra Cisneros exposes the prejudices and exclusion of adult society from a child’s perspective. Cathy’s obsession with cats starkly contrasts with her alienation from her neighbors, hinting at her psychological conflict between a desire for “purity” (symbolized by her cats) and her rejection of the “impure” community she perceives as chaotic. This chapter not only portrays the fragile friendship between children but also serves as a crucial microcosm for the novel’s broader exploration of immigrant identity, class disparities, and the search for belonging in a shifting community.