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Daniel Marquez
Humanities 3/4
21 Oct. 2014
From a Girl to a Woman
Being forced to live a life in poverty is hard, and for Esperanza its even harder because of
her gender and her race. She has to endure the hardships of a Chicago barrio in the 1960s. The
book The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, depicts Esperanzas run down
neighborhood that is known as Mango Street. The time Esperanza spends on Mango Street
changes the way she looks at life, and people completely. Making her ultimate goal to escape
Mango Street and live a normal life. Esperanza goes through three stages of growth in the book,
at one point she is a timid young girl who does not understand the world around her. The next
she is making strides toward maturity. Finally she is a brave confident young woman, who can
support herself.

In the beginning of the book Esperanza is just a little girl, and is very insecure. This is
evident in passages like, You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There.
I lived There. I nodded (Cisneros 5). In this part of the story Esperanza is talking to a nun who
is judging Esperanza by her house. Esperanza feels ashamed for having been born into such a
poor family. She is also intimidated by a nun, someone who should be a loving and supporting
person to Esperanza. Another quote pointing towards Esperanzas insecurity is When lunchtime
came, I was scared to eat alone in the company lunchroom with all those men and ladies looking,
so I ate real fast standing in one of the washroom stalls and had lots of time left over, so I went
back to work early (Cisneros 54). Esperanza is afraid of being looked down at from the older
staff members. She is being put in a situation where she has to work with people generations
older than her. She feels alone with no one she knows to be there for her. This only reinforces the

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fact that she is an insecure, and unprepared little girl, not ready to be around adults she does not
know.

Yet Esperanza is not a girl for the entire book; she begins to grow, and change as time
goes on. For instance towards the middle of the book, Esperanza shows confidence, and traces of
maturity as depicted here: Because I am the oldest, my father has told me first, and now it is my
turn to tell the others (Cisneros 57). Esperanza is entrusted with the responsibility of telling the
younger ones of their relatives passing. As simple as it is. She feels that her parents trust her with
responsibility. She is gaining confidence through small things like this. This is further supported
by quotes like, One day Ill own my own house, but I won't forget who I am or where I come
from (Cisneros 87). This quote shows Esperanzas determination, and persistence. She wants to
achieve the goal of owning her own home that she has been dreaming of for a long time. She also
knows, and understands that if she forgets Mango Street, and its residents, there will be no
progress. No one will benefit from what she accomplished. She knows that if she does not return
to be a role model for the next generation of children, they will most likely end up trapped in the
vice of the Chicago slum. Esperanza is growing, and working to escape that vice. Its only a
matter of time before she does.
As the book begins to come to a close, Esperanza has matured into a smart, and confident
young woman. She fights her way out of Mango Street, and into her own house. She escapes
Mango Street through persistence, and dedication. A house all my own. With my porch and my
pillow, my pretty purple petunias. My books and my stories. My shoes waiting beside my bed.
Nobody to shake a stick at. Nobodys garbage to pick up after. Only a house quiet as snow, a

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space for myself to go clean as paper before the poem (Cisneros 108). After all her troubles, and
hardships. Her slow battle to maturity was won in the passage: I am going to tell you a story
about a girl who didn't want to belong (Cisneros 109). She fulfills her dream of becoming a
writer, and begins telling the story of her life. An incredible journey through a unique life. She is
finally capable of fulfilling her dreams as a strong, and confident young woman.

Throughout the book Esperanza wants to escape Mango Street, and life a normal, happy
life. She begins as a little girl, struggling to gain her footing in the big, and confusing world
around her. She endures hardships, and judgement. She witnesses the troubles of others, and
learns from them. She overcomes the hard life around her, and flourishes into a writer with a
story to tell. It all ties in to the bigger picture. Which is Esperanza becoming the strong young
woman, and writer that she strives to be. Through triumph and tragedy, through love and loss,
she has endured all else, and has gone from a girl to a woman.

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Work Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New york: Vintage Books, 1991.