Who Is Esperanza's Identity In The House On Mango Street

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Living in today’s world can be a struggle, not everyone easily fits in. Part of being someone in today’s society is knowing who made people who they are and understanding where they come from. Esperanza, the main character in the book The House On Mango Street faces problems understanding who she is. Esperanza faces problems with accepting her identity of who she is and where she comes from. Once Esperanza started to mature and understand life she realized many things about herself. In the vignette Hairs Esperanza reveals aspects of her identity of what makes her who she is. Esperanza stated “Everybody in our family has different hair.” Esperanza understands that she is different and having different hair is part of her identity. Living in Chicago on Mango street is a struggle for everyone. Maturing quickly is definitely a aspect of living without a lot of money. Many …show more content…

Esperanza begins to learn and dislike parts of her being. On page 10 in the vignette My Name Esperanza mentioned “In English it means hope. In Spanish it means to many letters.” therefore she knows what her name means. Esperanza then explains that her name was passed down from her great grandmother. The name Esperanza plays a role in her identity, hope. The three sisters in the vignette The Three Sisters believe that Esperanza will move on in her life to do great things. The three sisters also have hope that she will come back for the people on Mango Street. Being that her name means hope plays a key role in her identity. Even Though Esperanza understands what her name means she does not like it. At the end of My Name she feels that her name doesn't fit her, “I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me” she states implying that her name misleads her identity. Esperanza’s tone to how she thinks about her name is misleading to her

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