The character Esperanza in Esperanza Rising is a Mexican girl who is transitioning from rich to poor when her father dies and her uncles take over her home. She is forced to move to America as a laborer and faces many internal and external conflicts. Esperanza struggles with the sudden change in her social status as she is ripped away from her life of comfort and luxury. Because of her wealthy upbringing, Esperanza is inherently spoiled. Thus, her new environment is so much harder to cope with as she doesn't have the comforts she usually expects. She feels isolated because while everyone around her is trying to manage with the new lifestyle, she still can't believe what has happened to her. Despite that, she is strong willed and determined to show everyone that she can adjust to her new life as they are. However, her pride sometimes gets in the way of doing tasks such as changing diapers and doing laundry. …show more content…
She says: “Is this the better life you left Mexico for? Is it? Nothing is right here! Isabel will certainly not be queen no matter how badly she wants it because she is Mexican. You cannot work on engines because you are Mexican. We have gone to work through angry crowds of our own people who threw rocks at us, and I'm afraid they might have been right! They send people back to Mexico even if they don't belong there, just for speaking up. We live in a horse stall. And none of this bothers you? . . . Is this life really better than being in a servant in Mexico?” This is very telling of what she experiences inside her head. During her first days at the labor camp, Esperanza is instructed to sweep the courtyard. As she has never done any work before, she fails and is mocked by the other workers. She becomes frustrated as she realizes adapting to her new life is going to be harder than she