Everyone has a story, a history that makes them who they are today, for Esperanza Cordero, an innocent, little girl who learned to overcome stereotypes and take charge of her life, that history began with a house, a house on Mango Street. Esperanza never liked the tiny house she was forced to share with her parents and siblings, and the repercussions of insecurity and uncertainty it brings become important factors in the way she begins to grow. She has yet to learn the ways of the world and must learn how to face the challenges she encounters. Obsessed with the opinions of others, she struggles to find a place where she feels she belongs. The House on Mango Street follows Esperanza as she embarks on a journey to find herself, while facing three
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As she starts to gain attention from the opposite gender Esperanza’s confidence begins to flourish, “All night the boy who is a man watches me dance. He watched me dance,” (48). Esperanza has started maturing into a beautiful, young lady and the attention from males had caused her to become confident. The simple “He watched me dance” is as if she is finally realizing she is no longer a child. She is amazed he would watch her. Her confidence continues to grow the more she experiences, “Four who grew despite concrete. Four who reach and do not forget to reach. Four whose only reason is to be and be,” (75). Esperanza compares herself to the four trees outside her window; this is one of the pivotal moments where she realizes she has the power to chase her dreams. She is strong like a tree, and she can grow and reach until she achieves her goals despite the concrete holding her back. While she has this realization, she is still slightly scared to go after her dreams, fearing the disapproval of others, “Sally, do you sometimes wish you didn’t have to go home? Do you wish your feet would one day keep walking and take you far away from Mango Street, far away…without the whole world waiting for you to make a mistake…and no one would call that crazy,”(83). This entire vignette is dedicated to Sally, “Sally, do you wish,” but …show more content…
She has matured and is comfortable with who she is, “…and then I didn’t feel afraid. What’s your name, the cat-eyed one asked. Esperanza, I said,” (104). Before her name was sadness and a chain dragging her down, now she says it confidently. It is who she is, and she does not mind it anymore. The childish insecurities she felt no longer affect her. She is Esperanza, a confident, goal-oriented woman, and there is nothing wrong with that. She has also realized the importance of background, “They will not know that I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out,” (110). She may not have loved the house on Mango Street, but it transformed her into who she is today. It is the foundation of her being. She will leave, she will start her life, but she will never forget the people who made her who she is, and she will return for the ones who cannot leave themselves. She finally understands that it is okay to leave, but it is not okay to forget the ones you left; she has the ability to help them, so she will. She will bring hope, something that the people of Mango Street never had. They accepted their fate, but Esperanza is determined to change
As she starts to gain attention from the opposite gender Esperanza’s confidence begins to flourish, “All night the boy who is a man watches me dance. He watched me dance,” (48). Esperanza has started maturing into a beautiful, young lady and the attention from males had caused her to become confident. The simple “He watched me dance” is as if she is finally realizing she is no longer a child. She is amazed he would watch her. Her confidence continues to grow the more she experiences, “Four who grew despite concrete. Four who reach and do not forget to reach. Four whose only reason is to be and be,” (75). Esperanza compares herself to the four trees outside her window; this is one of the pivotal moments where she realizes she has the power to chase her dreams. She is strong like a tree, and she can grow and reach until she achieves her goals despite the concrete holding her back. While she has this realization, she is still slightly scared to go after her dreams, fearing the disapproval of others, “Sally, do you sometimes wish you didn’t have to go home? Do you wish your feet would one day keep walking and take you far away from Mango Street, far away…without the whole world waiting for you to make a mistake…and no one would call that crazy,”(83). This entire vignette is dedicated to Sally, “Sally, do you wish,” but …show more content…
She has matured and is comfortable with who she is, “…and then I didn’t feel afraid. What’s your name, the cat-eyed one asked. Esperanza, I said,” (104). Before her name was sadness and a chain dragging her down, now she says it confidently. It is who she is, and she does not mind it anymore. The childish insecurities she felt no longer affect her. She is Esperanza, a confident, goal-oriented woman, and there is nothing wrong with that. She has also realized the importance of background, “They will not know that I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out,” (110). She may not have loved the house on Mango Street, but it transformed her into who she is today. It is the foundation of her being. She will leave, she will start her life, but she will never forget the people who made her who she is, and she will return for the ones who cannot leave themselves. She finally understands that it is okay to leave, but it is not okay to forget the ones you left; she has the ability to help them, so she will. She will bring hope, something that the people of Mango Street never had. They accepted their fate, but Esperanza is determined to change