How Does The House On Mango Street Present Esperanza's Identity

Origins are the single most important factor that shapes a person. Were a person lived shapes that person,but it does not define them. This is shown in Sandra Cisneros novella The House On Mango Street. The story follows a young girl named Esperanza who has just moved to “Mango Street”. All of her life her family has been poor and had to move around constantly. When she arrives on Mango Street she is disappointed with where she lives. The book progresses by showing as Esperanza grows up in this community and her search for identity. Esperanza’s negative view of herself slowly changes as she begins to focus on her larger community and her place within it. Through this, cisneros shows that knowing and accepting where one comes from is an important part of growing up and determining one’s identity.
In the first venette “The House on Mango Street” the author shows Esperanza beginning and her dreams. In the Venette the authors shows how esperanza is unhappy with her current life and seeks to leave it behind forever. Esperanza states “They always told us that one day we would move into a house a real house…”(Cisneros 4). Through this passage Esperanza
Throughout the story Esperanza learns many life lessons the greatest comes from Mango Street. Esperanza states “I belong but do not belong to”(Cisneros 110). Esperanza learns that her past and roots shaped her to who she is today. She finally accepts this and learns that although she came from Mango street it does not define who she is or what she can accomplish. Her acceptance of where she allows her to establish who she is and shows a whole new kind of maturity. By accepting and knowing that she came from Mango street she is able to feel good about her beginnings and take the next chapter in her life. Esperanza’s acceptance of her roots and of Mango street shows her growth and maturity that she has found while living on Mango