Reynoso-Zimmerer 1

Jos Reynoso-Zimmerer
Humanities-1/2
3 Nov. 2014

Growing In Mango Street

Bob Marley once said, Some people feel the rain, others just get wet. In this quote, Bob Marley
is trying to say that a person getting wet from rain is having the same experience as one feeling the rain.
The difference is that one is enjoying and being grateful for this little experience while one is complaining
about getting wet. All of this compares to Esperanzas behavior at the beginning of Sandras Cisneros
novella, The House On Mango Street. Esperanza is the protagonist in The House On Mango Street, a
novella written by Sandra Cisneros. She is a young latino girl who is insecure about the way she looks,
her gender and her poverty. These issues are holding her back from accomplishing her dream of one day
owning her very own house. Despite all that Esperanza has been through, she finds a way to put her
insecurities aside and find her confidence as strong young woman, in order to escape the life she is
dissatisfied with.
Esperanza is a very insecure and immature young girl in the beginning of the book. Her lack of
confidence is shown in the following passage. There. I had to look to where she pointed- the third floor,
the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldnt fall out. You live there?
The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There. I live there (Cisneros 5). This quote shows
Esperanzas immaturity because she is ashamed of the place she lives rather than being happy that she has
a roof above her head. Esperanzas insecurity is shown when she says she feels like nothing because she
allows herself to be defined by her familys poverty.. However, this is not the only example a reader can
find that shows Esperanzas insecurities and immaturity. For instance she says, And I dont know why,
but I have
to turn around and pretend that I dont care about the box so Nenny wont see how stupid I am (Cisneros
20). In this quote, Esperanzas immaturity is shown because she does not want to look

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stupid in front of her sister, even though she actually wants to share in the childish experience.Her worry
over others perception is another example that shows that Esperanza is still a little girl who is insecure
and immature. All of these examples prove that Esperanza is a really insecure but is slowing
understanding the world and growing up.
Esperanza is slowly gaining confidence as she is growing up. Esperanzas maturity is starting to
show when she is playing jump rope with her sister, and her friends Nenny, I say, but she doesnt hear
me. She is too many light-years away. She is in a world we dont belong to anymore. Nenny. Going.
Going(Cisneros 52). Esperanza is feeling that Nenny is still young and her youth highlights now.
Esperanza and her friends have grown up from all kid activities and behavior. Esperanza says that Nenny
is in her own world, meaning that she is still in the kid stage unlike Esperanza and her friends. But this is
not the only example of Esperanzas growth. Another example can be found in the quote, Everything is
holding its breath inside me. Everything is waiting to explode like Christmas. I want to be all new and
shiny. I want to sit out bad at night, a boy around my neck and the wind under my skirt (Cisneros 73).
This quote tells the reader that Esperanza is in her teenage years and is wanting boys to pay attention to
her. She is growing up and feeling more confident about the way she looks. Esperanza is beginning to put
her issues of insecurities aside and is focusing more on accomplishing her goals and desires. She is slowly
gaining more confidence as a young woman.
Esperanza finally obtains her confidence by the end of the novella. Her confidence as a woman
can be found in the following passage I have begun my own quiet war. Simple. Sure. I am one who
leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate
(Cisneros 89). What Esperanza is trying to say in this quote is that she is tired of being treated different
for being a girl. She has begun her own quiet war and will not let anybody stand in her way of
accomplishing her dream. However, Esperanzas confidence is not only shown in that passage. For
example, she says, "I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it

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down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me
free. One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I
am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away (Cisneros 110). This
quote is saying that Esperanza will leave Mango Street, but will come back for the people that
cannot leave as easily. She is confident enough to leave, but also strong enough to come back for
the ones that cannot leave, the ones not as fortunate. Esperanza is a confident and strong woman
at the end of the novella.
While Esperanza begins as an insecure child, she grows through the experiences of
Mango Street to grow into a strong woman. If Esperanza had given up, like most people on
Mango Street, she would have never accomplished her dream of owning her own house.
Throughout living in Mango Street, Esperanza learns that not everything is going to be given to
her, but that she has to get it on her own. The experiences she had in Mango Street make her who
she is now; a proud, confident young woman. Mango Street is always said to be a bad place to
live, but it taught Esperanza life lessons, helped her understand where she wants to go, and most
importantly, it made her confident enough to achieve her dreams and care for those around her..
Mango Street was the most important thing that happened to Esperanza.

Work Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. The House On Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.