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Ellie Deniz
Humanities
20 Oct. 2014
Esperanzas Growth
Mahatma Ghandi Once said, We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
When Ghandi said this, he was trying to explain that people should not have to rely on anyone
else for a different future. People should be the ones who instigate the change they seek.
Esperanza is the main character in the novella The house on Mango street by Sandra Cisneros. In
this novella Esperanza lives an environment where people can not seem to pursue their dreams
without finding someone else to rely on to change their fortune . Since Esperanza does not want
to go down the same rough path other women on Mango street have. She decides to learn from
Alicia, Marin, Sally, her Uncle, and her mother's mistakes and experiences so that she can have
high confidence in herself and is able to be independent and successful.
In the beginning of this novella, Esperanza is very insecure. Esperanza reveals her low
self esteem in the following passage. Once when we were living in Loomis, a nun from my
school passed by and saw me playing out front.The laundromat downstairs had been boarded up
because it had been robbed two days before and the owner had painted on the wood YES
WERE OPEN so as not to lose business. Where do you live? She asked. There. I had to look
where she pointed- the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars papa had nailed on the
windows so we wouldn't fall out. You live there? the way she said it made me feel like nothing.
There. I lived there. I nodded (Cisneros 5). With her comment and the tone in her voice the nun
makes Esperanza feel like where she lived is not good enough. Esperanza is insecure about
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where she lives and knows that she wants a nicer home. Although, there are more examples of
Esperanzas immaturity. For example, when Esperanza says Marin lights a cigarette and it
doesnt matter if its cold out or if the radio doesnt work or if weve got nothing to say to each
other. What matters, Marin says, is for the boys to see us and since her eyes are pretty, and
since her eyes are pretty, and since Marin is already older than us in many ways , the boys who
do pass by say stupid things like I am in love with those two green apples you call eyes , give
them to me why dont you (Cisneros 27). In this quote, Marin teaches Esperanza that wearing
provocative clothing attracts boys. With that statement this also shows how Esperanza is very
insecure. Esperanza does not believe does not believe she is beautiful as Marin is because she
does not have much confidence in herself. Esperanza is very insecure in the beginning of this
novella.
When approaching the middle of this novella, readers start to see how Esperanza is
starting to gain some confidence in herself. In the following quote readers see how Esperanza
feels special and beautiful for once with the help from her uncle. And all I hear is the clapping
when the music stops. My uncle and me bow and walks me back in my thick shoes to my
mother who is proud to be my mother. All night the boy who is a man watches me dance. He
watched me dance (Cisneros 48). In this quote her uncle makes her forget about her thick shoes
when they dance. In this vignette her uncle helps her to gain the attention of a boy. This causes
esperanza to feel special. However, there are more examples of how Esperanzas confidence is
increasing. For instance, Straight ahead, straight eyes. I walked past. I knew he was looking. I
had to prove to me I wasnt scared of nobodys eyes, not even his. I had to look back hard, just

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once like he was glass. And I did. I did once but I looked too long when he rode his bike past

me. I looked because I wanted to be brave, straight into the cat fur of his eyes and his bike
stopped and bumped into a parked car, and I walked fast. Somebody looked at me. Somebody
looked. (Cisneros 72-73). Esperanza knows she is not like the other girls. She wants to prove to
herself and to this boy that she is not scared of him. By meeting his gaze,Esperanza shows her
growth in her self confidence. Esperanza gains confidence in the middle of the novella .
Towards the end of the novella, Esperanza mother and Alicia teach Esperanza how to
change her insecurities into confidence. Alicia, who inherited her mamas rolling pin and
sleepiness, is young and smart and studies for the start time at the university, two trains and a
bus, because she doesnt want to spend her whole life in a factory or behind a rolling pin
(Cisneros 32). From Alicia Esperanza sees that going to school and studying is also another way
out of Mango Street. Meaning, instead of trying to find love, or put herself down, she can pursue
higher education and eventually a career for herself to get out of Mango Street. In the final quote
Esperanzas mama tells her an important life lesson. Shame is a bad thing you know it keeps
you down. You want to know why I quit school? Because I didnt have nice clothes, but I had
brains (Cisneros 90). Her mama is teaching her that looks are not everything. She instills in her
daughter that being intelligent is better than being pretty in many ways. Towards the end of the
novella, Esperanza learns to overcome her low-self esteem and regain confidence in herself ,
along with the help of Alicia and her mother.
Esperanza learns from Alicia, Marin, Sally, and her Mother's mistakes and experiences so
that she can achieve higher confidence in herself and the ability to be independent. In the

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beginning of the novella Esperanzas insecurities are made obvious through conversations she
holds with most people and by letting them make her feel small and unworthy. However, her

growth is more apparent when she begins to gain confidence and wants the attention of others.
By the end of this journey, Esperanza has gained full confidence by achieving her goals.
Esperanza stands as an inspiration to all women because of her success in becoming
independent.