Answer: Hope, joy, and the possibility of attaining something that one desires.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the novel "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, the piñata symbolizes hope, joy, and the possibility of attaining something that one desires.
Esperanza, the protagonist, is a young girl growing up in a poor and marginalized community in Chicago. In the chapter "The Family of Little Feet," Esperanza and her friends attend a community event where a piñata is featured. Esperanza describes the piñata as "a star with seven points" that is "full of all the things [they] love." She notes that it is "made of crepe paper and the colors were blue and pink and green and yellow." (Chapter 20)
Esperanza and her friends eagerly await their turn to hit the piñata, and when it finally breaks open, they scramble to collect the candy and toys that spill out. This moment represents a rare opportunity for Esperanza and her friends to experience joy and abundance, even if only for a brief moment.
Later in the novel, in the chapter "Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays," Esperanza recalls the piñata and its significance to her: "The way you had to keep hitting it until it broke and all the good things fell out. Maybe, I thought, the piñata looked like a great big beautiful house and inside it were people who didn't know each other and were supposed to be together. (Chapter 29)
In this passage, Esperanza extends the piñata metaphor to represent her longing for a better life, one where people of different backgrounds and experiences can come together and form a community. The piñata, then, symbolizes not just a moment of joy and celebration but also the possibility of a brighter future.