Wiederkehr 1
Sondra Wiederkehr
Mrs. Geddy
Honors E1, P.2
27 March 2014
Esperanza's Role Models
Sonia Sotomayor once said, "When a young person grows up without proximate living
examples of what she may aspire to become, her goal remains abstract. A role model in the
flesh provides more than inspiration. Their existence is confirmation of possibilities one may
have every reason to doubt, saying, 'Yes, someone like me can do this'". The presence of
positive female role models throughout one's life benefits their character and emotional growth
by influencing admirable behaviors and choices. Throughout the novel, House on Mango Street,
written by Sandra Cisneros, a young girl named Esperanza experiences a variety of traumatic
and valuable events which allows her to grow and develop as a woman while she is occupying a
run-down house temporarily with her family while she is stuck in a society where women appear
to be powerless. Cisneros allows the reader to understand and relate to Esperanza by writing
the novel in a coming- of- age story genre with vignettes expressing her inner thoughts and
feelings, as well as explaining the events she experiences while situated on Mango Street. The
affect positive role models have on Esperanza while she undergoes these life-changing events
are that she handles each experience differently with insight from these women, goes through
mental and physical growth by witnessing positive behaviors and actions, and escapes the role
of remaining an oppressed woman in her Latino society. Throughout House on Mango Street,
the positive female role models Esperanza encounters, such as, Alicia, Mama, and Aunt Lupe,
Wiederkehr 2
help her develop a sense of self accomplishment and perseverance which further reinforces the
idea that the exposure of positive female role models in someone's life benefits their character
Wiederkehr 3
by influencing...