In her essays, Cisneros characterizes “home” as not simply a physical place where you live, but a place where you truly become the person you want to be. As a writer, Cisneros traveled a lot, and she was able to draw great inspiration from other famous writers such as Pico Iyer, and Thomas Wolfe. These writers found a “home” in wherever they were able to really feel a connection to through their writing.  Cisneros also describes her own journey to Iowa, where she was able to find her home through her writing, and her books. Overall, the theme is that a home is not necessarily a place where you’re from, or a place you live, or even a place where your family is in. It’s a place where you can truly feel comfortable and be yourself. It’s a place where you can live your passions, and for Cisneros that is through her writing. The barriers to belonging that she experiences are the divide between her family in her home and her passion and career of writing. She mentions that her books aren’t the things making them closer, and that when her family reads her work, they read it as her family, not as her fans. She feels more at home in different areas of the world where she is able to be at her best, rather than in her home town of Chicago.

Personally, I think of home as a place I feel a sense of belonging. I could feel at home with my friends, or with people at school, or with my family. I think that home is different from the house you live in, as it can change over time. Your home is where you can truly be yourself.  Since the quarantine has started, I’ve been stuck in my house but I feel less at home than if I were able to see my friends.  Like previously mentioned, the barriers to belonging within your home are having that sense of comfortability and individuality to be who you are and to be able to be at your best. The house you live in will change over the course of your life, but your home will always be where you find that sense of belonging and it is a place where you can always go back to, no matter where you go or how far you go in your life.