The House On Mango Street By Esperanza

Esperanza is mature for her age because she demonstrates an understanding of poverty, race, and gender roles despite her living situation and her insecurities about her appearance. Esperanza expresses her maturity when she shows her sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. She knows what’s beneficial and appropriate for her own age. Esperanza shows her knowledge towards poverty when she makes the decision of taking matters into her own hands, so she’s able to succeed in the future. She thinks about her education and decides to “find an easy job, the kids other kids had, working in the dime store, or maybe a hot dog stand” (53). Esperanza can be able to go to Catholic school, which provides a better education and doesn’t have to depend on her parents to pay for her to go to school. She is aware of their living situation that is not fully figured out yet.

Esperanza explains how Mamacita “sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish country” (77). Esperanza expresses the emotions that Mamacita feels since she is homesick and doesn’t fit into the new society she was brought into. Instead of shaming Mamacita for the way she acts and the way she feels, Esperanza takes into consideration the hardship of being a person of color in an environment that doesn’t accept her for who she