Esperanza's Neighborhood Watch
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros was a book that was very well written, descriptive, and relatable. The book is about a young girl named Esperanza who is of Hispanic descent. Esperanza and her family move from apartment to apartment never giving themselves to settle in or get close to any neighbors or make any friends. Of the many lessons that Esperanza learns from the time that she spends examining the lives of the people around her, the most important of these lessons are about maturity and how she feels about her home and identity. By learning about her neighbors and the lives they lead, she learns more about herself and how she wants to dictate her own life.
Esperanza's maturity grows throughout the book. However, her maturity didn't happen in one step, but involved learning about the values of her family, responsibility, the pride of her heritage, and strength and confidence in herself.
The House on Mango Street
Esperanza Spalding
What Esperanza Is NotEsperanza first learns the value of family the day her father tells her about her grandfather's death. Never seeing her father's tears, she could only imagine what she would do if she were in his shoes. "And I think if my own Papa died what would I do. I hold my Papa in my arms. I hold and hold and hold him." (Cisneros 57) This quote shows that Esperanza values her father so much she wants to hold him, hoping he would be with her forever. Maturity involves the realization of the important aspects of one's life, and Esperanza's family meant everything to her.
Esperanza, the oldest child of the family, realized she would have to inform her younger siblings about the death of her grandfather. Even though her father didn't mention anything to her about having to tell the others,