The Metamorphosis Of Esperanza In The House On Mango Street

Esperanza is the type of person who easily trusts others which makes her susceptible to betrayal. Her naïveté and inexperience is a common recurrence throughout the book as she begins to mature. Esperanza finds a friend in Sally, whose promiscuity often make Esperanza uncomfortable and what ultimately puts her in danger. It is presumed that she gets raped by a group of boys while waiting for Sally at a carnival. Esperanza encounter was not what she had thought it would be. She feels betrayed by how the storybooks and movies depict it (sex) but most importantly she feels betrayed by Sally whom she trusted the most in to come and save her.
The way she's describing the four skinny trees is how Esperanza sees herself. She often feels like she doesn't belong there on Mango Street which is another reason why Esperanza is ashamed of her poverty. She often

sees herself as unintelligent, ugly, and out of place and doesn't feel sure that she’ll be able to leave mango street though she desperately wants to her. Despite her low-self esteem in the book, she still remains optimistic that she’ll be able to leave Mango Street, just like those trees who grew despite the concrete, who didn’t forget to reach and whose only reason was to be.
Sally is a very pretty and desirable girl; the type of girl whose Esperanza’s mother would call dangerous. Esperanza seeks out a friend in Sally and doesn't believe the rumors the boys tell. These rumors reveal that Sally is a promiscuous girl who has a reputation among the boys for being sexually bold.
It is no secret that Sally is flirtatious. She often seeks out boys for her own amusement. Sally is beautiful and desired by boys. She doesn’t think anything about it when Titio and his friend come up with a game that she gives a kiss to each of them in return for keys. Flirting with guys is all game to Sally, one which Esperanza doesn't understand.
Sally is selfish, she often doesn’t think about her actions which is what puts Esperanza in danger. Sally left Esperanza all alone with a group of guys while at a carnival. Esperanza cried out for Sally to come to her rescue but she never came. Sally left her alone, leaving Esperanza to be taken advantage of. Sally’s disappearance is not uncommon as she often abondons Esperanzas to go off with boys.
Both Alicia and Esperanza are very much alike, they’re ambitious. Like Esperanza, Alicia dreams of something bigger than ‘rolling pins’ and ‘sleepiness’ so she studies for the first time to get ahead. She wishes to be something more than what her mother was. Alicia studies so that she won’t have to work in a factory or spend her life doing domestic wife. Even though she has inherited her mothers place, which her father expects her to fill in, it doesn’t stop Alicia from studying at the university or trying to achieve a better life for herself.
Alicia may be ambitious and determine for a better life but she's also realistic, especially about the struggles within her neighborhood.

Like her, Esperanza wants to leave Mango Street but unlike Alicia, Esperanza wants to leave and never comeback. Alicia tells her the reality of leaving. She tells Esperanza that might be able to leave but she won’t be able to forget about the people in their neighborhood and the struggles they face. Alicia sees the reality of her neighborhood getting better. She tells Esperanza that they can’t wait for someone else to come and fix it, the mayor certainty won’t as Alicia points out. Alicia uses this to fuel her own desires and remind Esperanza to come back
Alicia’s strongest characteristic is that she is determined. She doesn’t want end up like the other girls from her neighborhood who end up marrying young. In order for her to get out of Mango Street, she studies hard unlike the other girls who have escaped through marriage. We see her determination and value for an education, that she takes two trains and studies all night which is why she sees the mice her father says do not

exist.
This is the first of many times throughout the book in which Esperanza feels ashamed of where she lives. This is where her ambition for a better life begins. Her ambitions, hopes and dreams are what shape Esperanza even though at the time she doesn't believe that she’ll be able to get out of Mango Street. Esperanza feels ashamed of where she lives that at times it seems like it defines who she is. Esperanza sees the struggles of other people in her neighborhood, especially the struggles that the women face. Her dream of having her own house and getting out of Mango Street one day are what keep her going.
Ever since her mothers death, Alicia has been burden with the responsibility of the domestic household. Her father believes that a woman’s place is at home, cooking and cleaning, not studying or getting an eduction. Alicia is a smart and ambitious girl who is determined to get an education in order to have a better life rather than being a domestic housewife or a factory worker. Her determination can be seen through this quote in which Alicia must take two trains and a bus in order for her to be able to get to the University. Her father tells her that there are no mice which Alicia sees because she stays up at night studying. She is determine to overcome her poverty which is what the mice in this vignette represent.