Compare And Contrast The Esperanza And The House On Mango Street

In the novellas; A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and The House on Mango Street both of the main characters have a difficult time fitting into their society. Esperanza, from The House on Mango Street, is ashamed of where she lives. Stephen, from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, does not even fit in with his family. Both novellas show that it is possible to find yourself and not fit it, and that it is okay to be different. Esperanza and Stephen have overcome the difficulty of not fitting in, finding themselves and a future, and the courage to be different. Esperanza and Stephen could not find a place where they fit in at first. One of Stephens first attempts at fitting in with society is when he tries to compete athletically with his schoolmates. Stephen is small and weak compared to the other boys, and they see him as a wimpish little boy that misses home.

At the end of The House on Mango Street Esperanza's is proud of who she is and where she is. Stephen has found where he belongs and what he is good at when A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man concludes. “One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away” (Cisneros 110). This quote shows that Esperanza has found that she is strong and independent, she is all the things that she had been working for. Stephen finds himself when he understand that he does not need to conform to be like everybody else and that he can be free and do what he loves without fear of disappointing others. “I may learn in my own life and away from home and friends what the heart is and what it feels” (Joyce 196). This coming of age Process shows the difficulties of life and that they are able to be