Esperanza Character Analysis in The House on Mango Street Essay Example

The House on Mango Street, a novel written by Sandra Cisneros, tells the story of Esperanza, a 12-year-old who lives on Mango Street.  She grows as the book grows by sharing her childhood and the experiences that helped her grow into a young adult. She learns to shape her identity through being aware of her environment and self-awareness. Esperanza’s identity fluctuates based upon the community she surrounds herself with: her family, heritage, neighborhood, friends, town, and her sexuality.

At the beginning of the novel, Esperanza would often compare herself to objects, part of this quote especially, “… a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor." (9). She was without hope and felt like she was weighed down by things around her and could not squeeze out of the place. She makes this comparison as she does not find herself with a friend that she can fully count on. It is very difficult for anyone to make friends or fully trust someone if they don't trust the environment and like the environment that they are in. This often changes as someone gets more comfortable in their environment and feels as if it is now a part of them. Esperanza had this realization later on. As the novel closes, she presents us with a whole different attitude of joy and motivation for her life. She was hopeful for the future. "One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever.” (110)  She saw how she could accommodate herself in Mango Street and trust her environment until she could move on. A phrase a person who is in  a tough situation may often hear is "See the light at the end of the tunnel." That is exactly what Esperanza did. She showed us optimism and growth within herself to do better and be better. A belief that she now has is that she can own a house all to herself and one of her dreams. Dreams that were not met in the house on Mango Street. 

As the novel progresses, Esperanza makes a realization of her growth in maturity. Looking down at her feet, she realizes her growth into a young adult. “I looked at my feet in their white socks and ugly round shoes. They seemed far away. They didn't seem to be my feet anymore. And the garden that had been such a good place to play didn't seem mine either.” (98) She looks down at her feet as though she is looking down at herself, looking at how she grew. People often look down on their past, knowing they have matured since then. This is what Esperanza is doing; looking down at herself and scrutinizing how naive she was when she was younger and how much she had changed. “Marin, under the streetlight, dancing by herself, is singing the same song somewhere. I know. Is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life." ( 27) This quote from the vignette “Marin” shows Esperanza’s feelings about how she sees her life. She relates to Marin with their common hopes and dreams of one day getting out of Mango Street, similar to people who surround themselves with people who share a common goal or dream to help them accomplish their aspirations. 

Esperanza shows her growth and development as she realizes and becomes more aware of her situation and surroundings. She tries to make the best of what she got, and live for the ones that don't have what she is getting. She continues, “For the ones I left behind, for the ones who cannot get out,” (110). She refers to Marin here, who will most likely not get out of Mango Street. Esperanza transitions her thinking from no hope, to hopeful. “One day I will go away … They will not know I have gone away to come back…” (110) Although Esperanza is reassuring herself that she wants to be away from Mango Street and that it was her dream to be away, she comes to terms that Mango Street will always be a part of her, a part of her story. People often try to escape reality and go as far away as possible. A real-life situation that we often see is high school students who do not enjoy their home life, tend to apply to colleges farther and farther away. 

The end of the novel begins with Esperanza sharing stories and lessons during her time on Mango Street, almost like a goodbye. Esperanza shockingly surprises readers with her statement of one day coming back to Mango Street. She still wanted to go back to the home she dreaded and hated. She admits that she cannot escape or forget Mango Street no matter how far away she moves. Mango Street was a place that she had to call home until it was home. A home that became a significant part of her. Not the architecture and the name of the street, but the community itself, the life lessons she learned, and the internal growth that she had faced.