In House On Mango Street, Esperanza is surrounded by many characters. Her family, her friends, and the other residents of Mango Street (and beyond). She learns a little bit about life from each of them and she matures quickly in this new neighborhood. The majority of lessons she learns aren’t from her mother or father, or really anybody in her family, she learns her most valuable lessons from people she meets in Mango Street. When Esperanza meets Sally, she is opened up to a new world she had only seen portrayed in media. She is just beginning to have feelings for boys, but Sally comes along and not only seems to just like boys, but acts on those feelings as well. She builds up the idea of sex for Esperanza as a comforting thing, but Sally is just using it as a means of escape from her abusive father. When Esperanza is sexually assaulted by the boys at the carnival, she is confused and hurt. She …show more content…
She sees Darius as a kind of a brute, but sees that he can be wise for his age as well. She learns that there is more to people then how “the show” they might put on for other people and that others can be poetic and aware of their situation like she is. There were many lessons Esperanza learned from Mango Street, and many lessons that are in the book are relatable to the reader as well. Esperanza learns that if she doesn’t become strong and able to leave Mango Street, she could be stuck in an abusive relationship. She also learns that society can pressure people to put a mask on when others are around, and that you can’t truly know the genius of someone by watching the small glimpses of them you see when they around you. Esperanza is a very strongly written character and plays a very good protagonist experiencing life and dealing the harshness of