Character Analysis Of Esperanza In The Bean Trees

Improved Essays
Esperanza is a character in, The Bean Trees who undergoes a significant change in character throughout the course of the novel. In the beginning, Esperanza is portrayed as depressed, withdrawn and dreary. Esperanza’s state of profound depression is not only evident through her attempted suicide but furthermore confirmed through Taylor’s observations. Taylor senses Esperanza’s depression and her first impression of Esperanza is that, “At one time in life she'd been larger, but that someone had split her in two like one of those hollow wooden dolls, finding this smaller version inside. She took up almost no space.” (Kingsolver 93) Taylor’s notion about Esperanza being once “large” suggests that Esperanza had once been happy in life until some …show more content…
Upon meeting Esperanza for the first time, Taylor notes Esperanza’s reclusive behaviour, “While the rest of us talked and splashed and laughed [Esperanza] sat still, a colorful outgrowth of rock. She reminded me of Turtle.” (Kingsolver 97) Much like Turtle, Esperanza limits her interactions with others and is depicted as a very reserved character. Esperanza withdraws herself from the rest of the group by silently walking behind them during their picnic and, consequently, isolating herself from conversations, bonding and social activities. Finally, Esperanza is portrayed as a dreary character through Taylor’s narration. While studying Esperanza, Taylor notes that, “Her eyes looked blank. Dark, black holes” (Kingsolver 148) and further notices that, “Her skin felt cold and emptied-out, like there was nobody home.” (Kingsolver 149) Esperanza’s vacant eyes and emptied-out skin confirms her lack in spirit and emotion and portrays her as dreary, lifeless and emotionally numb. As can be seen, Esperanza’s character at the start of the novel is depicted as depressed, isolated from others and withal …show more content…
Although Esperanza appears to be exceedingly depressed from the outset of the story, Esperanza seemingly overcomes her depression as she courageously allows herself to move on from her tragic experience regarding the loss of her daughter, Ismene. Esperanza’s courage is evident through allowing herself to give up Turtle for adoption, and as a result, symbolically laying Ismene to rest. Taylor describes the adoption as a “catharsis” (Kingsolver 220) and notes that Esperanza is, “As happy as if she’d really found a safe place to leave Ismene behind.” (Kingsolver 220) Esperanza’s catharsis demonstrates her courage to finally move on from her past depression and finally take a step forward towards recovery. Moreover, Esperanza’s withdrawn behaviour presented at the start of the novel slowly begins to fade as she becomes more open with others. Taylor points out that, “Turtle and Esperanza were becoming inseparable.” (Kingsolver 205) Esperanza overcomes her reclusive behaviour as she opens herself up to Turtle and allows herself to breakthrough her initial isolation from others. Esperanza’s openness with others further becomes apparent as she begins to interact with Turtle by, “…stroking Turtle’s hair and singing to her quietly in a high, unearthly voice.” (Kingsolver 194) Esperanza’s ability to interact and socialize with Turtle is a clear transformation from her withdrawal and isolation from others at the

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Prompt 1: In the beginning Esperanza thinks girls and boys live in different worlds. I think this was because her brothers wouldn't speak to her outside the house therefore, she thought that was normal with all boys and girls. She also became upset when the girls began to talk to the boys and hang out with them. Her thought was girls should hang with girls and do girl things and boys should do boy things.…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Esperanza visits her aunt’s apartment, her aunt says, “You just remember to keep writing Esperanza, you must keep writing. It will keep you free” (61). Aunt Lupe’s advice reveals that she’s supportive of her and encourages her to keep writing poems. Esperanza needs positives in her life that support her to do her best and prove that working hard is always worth…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Last of all, she starts making her own choices in her life. In the beginning of the novel, Esperanza is a young insecure child who is insecure about her new life on Mango Street. The first time we see Esperanza’s insecurity is when she talks about her new home, and when she talks about the house on Mango Street. She says “I knew I had to have a house.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It is developed through stories that Esperanza tells about many women in her Mango Street community. These stories include those of Minerva, who has an abusive husband; Rafaela, whose husband locks her away in her home and Esperanza’s great-grandmother who was reluctantly married and lived a life of despair. For Esperanza, defying gender roles and remaining independent is an act of nonconformity, and a source of…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In Sandra Cisneros’ bildungsroman The House on Mango Street, we see the main character, Esperanza struggle to find her place in Chicago, as well as within her own culture’s idea of the “perfect” woman, the ideal woman of her community and the ideal woman of the 80’s. In Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, we see two girls’ journey after they are abandoned by their mother in a small town located in Northern Idaho. Set in the 1950’s, we see Ruth and Lucille develop as they find their place within their small community and within society’s restrictions of this era. Although these two bildungsroman novels are drastically different, Robinson’s Housekeeping and Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street both explore female oppression throughout history…

    • 1975 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As Princess Diana once said, “Family is the most important thing in the world.” Throughout the story, The Bean Tree by Barbara Kingsolver, there are many events that family and friends are extremely important to enrich people’s lives. There are many different plots throughout the story that are affected by family relations, and that makes friendships vital to the story. In the beginning, the story talks about how necessary Taylor’s mom is to her.…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Texts Set Assignment Text Name: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros What it's about: Chapter 4 focuses on Esperanza reflecting on her name. During the process, she reveals “marks” of her identity: how she identifies herself, what she values, where her family is from, and other topics that are relevant to this project. She talks about how she does not like her name and that others could pronounce it correctly.…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    , she gets that people have a different perspective on where she lives than she does (Cisneros chapter 12 ). Esperanza growing up throughout the story shows the reader how a new scenery and different characters can affect a person’s perspective on their life and on other’s lives. Esperanza also notes the difference in class between those of rich and poor, stating that “People who live on hills sleep so close to the stars they forget those of us who live too much on earth. They don 't look down at all except to be content to live on hills. They have nothing to do with last week 's garbage or fear of rats.”…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As first lady Michelle Obama said, “Women in particular need to keep an eye on their physical and mental health, because if we're scurrying to and from appointments and errands, we don't have a lot of time to take care of ourselves. We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to do' list”. Women are especially vulnerable to mental health issues such as depression, and even moreso if they have certain socioeconomic factors such as low income and racial background. In Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street, young women like Sally and Esperanza are at a greater risk for developing depression because they’re female adolescents living in poverty; in addition, Esperanza is of racial minority.…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, as Esperanza’s life continues on, she transforms into a young adult. She explains that someone “can never have too much sky. [Someone] can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad” (Cisneros 33). Esperanza shows the reader that she understands that she should make the best of what she has because she does not have much. Esperanza’s view about her life shows us that she has a mature voice.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the novel The House on Mango Street, protagonist Esperanza is discontented due to her unfulfilled expectations and her unwillingness to belong, but eventually learns to accept her place in Mango Street. Esperanza’s initial expectations for her new house were raised too high, and dealt a heavy blow to her morale when they went unfulfilled. When Esperanza recalls her parents saying that one day they would have a house with “at least three washrooms” and “a great big yard and grass growing without a fence” but then realizes that the house “is not the way they told it at all” (Cisneros 4). Esperanza's hopes were raised for nothing.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Every human being is born with a desire for a sense of belonging. Whether it is at their jobs, schools, or amongst their friends, people will always search for acceptance. The House on Mango Street, a novel beautifully crafted by author Sandra Cisneros depicts a young Latino girl's prolonged search for an identity. Cisneros portrays the young girl's evolution throughout the book by using ethnic and thematic elements. Through many hardships and life-changing experiences, Esperanza slowly blossoms from an innocent child into a mature young woman.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Despite feeling sympathy for her them, Esperanza views the women in her community as a counter example of what she wants for herself because she strives to break the traditional female role she has grown up on. Traditionally,…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sally is relying on her husband to take her away from her father so she will not be abused anymore, but she is still in control by a man. She is afraid of him and will not disobey him with out. By being fearful of him that makes Sally vunerable so she is easier to control and she is more likely to not do anythig that could get her in trouble. Esperanza is not like Sally or any other girl from her communtiy because she does not rely on men to safe her or control her. Being…

    • 1615 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Women in literature, like in real life, face adversity and through their journey, they find their identity while coming of age. They show the importance of women in society and the crucial role that they play. In both I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the protagonists were required to overcome adversity as they each discovered a greater sense of self. By being able to overcome their certain situations, Marguerite Angelou and Esperanza became more aware of their place in the world and society.…

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays