Character Analysis of Esperanza in The House on Mango Street (Book Analysis)

Throughout everyday life on Mango Street in 1980, every woman was viewed as a care-giver to the home and husband, as someone who stares out the window, and as an object. In Esperanza’s world, she grew up realizing that she didn’t want to be a woman on Mango Street. She wanted to be her own individual who wasn’t viewed for her body, but for her desires in life and her successes. Throughout the novel, “The House on Mango Street'' that was written by Sanda Cisneros, Esperanza went through the typical challenges of emerging through womanhood, especially amongst women suffering through impoverished conditions. She learned how to be different though, setting aside the male gazes and the stigma of her growing to be a housewife. Her optimism and creative side set her apart from the women surrounding her. Despite this though and her aging throughout the novel, she was adolescent, but matured in a wide variety of ways before realizing Mango Street was really her home. 

The first thing Esperanza noticed after her many times moving from house to house on Mango Street was the multitudes of women who were staring out their windows. Like her grandmother, whom she was named after, all of those women had lives before they succumbed to the idea of marriage. Esperanza’s optimistic side made her realize that she didn’t want to sit behind a window. Her grandmother had a wonderful life before she was married, claimed to being wild and free, but she was confined when she met her husband. Because of this, Esperanza  quickly realized that she wanted to be more than that and dreamt of making a life of herself in a new home and in a wealthier neighborhood. She realized that if she didn’t pursue this lifestyle, she wouldn’t be able to do what she loves, and she wouldn’t be able to build relationships like she had done throughout her childhood. Esperanza not only dreamt of a better lifestyle, but she saw the good in everyone. Throughout her childhood she moved a lot and made a lot of friends along the way. For example, she quickly became friends with Lucy and her younger sister and they were considered social outcasts. On the other side of the spectrum, she befriended a popular girl named Sally who was primarily viewed for her body and her popularity. Esperanza is a very optimistic girl who dreams of a better future and attempts to see the good in everything and everyone. 

Esperanza went through a lot of defining moments throughout her life, for the better and for the worst. She was adolescent, forming into a woman throughout the story, though her childhood may not have been viewed as the typical coming of age as it is today, Throughout the beginning of the story, Esperanza idolized the idea of getting older, anticipating getting hips, and slowly getting excited by being around boys. She was slowly maturing, surrounding herself around older friends, such as Sally, who opened up her world to new things that she may have not been ready for. As she did slowly start growing, Esperanza was exposed to the real world quickly when she got her first job, and was forcefully kissed by an older man.