Character Analysis: Rescued In Vain By Esperanza

Rescued In Vain?
Esperanza has unfailingly strived to aid her friends -- Sally in particular -- principally when she suspected their safety was jeopardized. Yet, when Esperanza necessitated Sally’s help the most, Sally did not come to her rescue, revealing a sort of double-standard occurring in the friendship. When Sally’s keys were ‘stolen’ by a group of young men, one of whom was their friend Tito, Esperanza rushed inside to find Tito’s mother. Upon finding his mother, she seeked her advice on how to deal with the situation. Contrary to what Esperanza anticipated would occur, the mother seemed to take very little interest in the situation, explaining that nothing wrong was going on. Feeling as though she was the only one that could help,

Esperanza describes the scenario to the readers, saying that she “looked at [Tito’s mother] a long time, but couldn’t think of anything to say, and ran back down the three flights to the garden where Sally needed to be saved” (97). When declaring “Sally needed to be saved”, the verb “needed” insinuates a sense of urgency: conveying how strongly Esperanza felt in regards to the situation. Furthermore, it was not until Esperanza returned back to Sally with “three big sticks and a brick”, and that Sally advised her to go home that Esperanza understood what was truly going on; Sally was merely flirting with the boys (97). Although she misinterpreted the situation, Esperanza still rushed in to save Sally: an action that was not reciprocated later on in the story. In the beginning of the contrasting vignette, Esperanza begins by informing the readers that she and Sally were attending the carnival together, pointing out that she went to the carnival with Sally solely because she knew that the “tilt-a-whirl” would bring Sally some comfort and

During this, Esperanza insists upon the fact that Sally “[...] never came, you never came for me. Sally Sally a hundred times. Why didn’t you hear me when I called? Why didn’t you tell them to leave me alone?” (100). It is important to note that instead of telling the readers about her experience, Esperanza begins phrasing her thoughts as if she were talking directly to Sally instead of the readers. Unlike Esperanza, Sally was not there to stand by her friend’s side when she required saving. By saying “why didn’t you hear me when I called?”, Esperanza questions why Sally left her alone instead of rescuing her from the unknown men that took hold of her against her will, especially after she had called for her multitudes of time (100). Not only is this signpost important as it denotes the nuances involved with what scenarios require rescuing and which do not, and how someone’s lack of maturity can impede someone’s judgment, making there seem to be danger when in reality there is none, it also serves as a way to contrast the lack of reciprocity in friendship when it comes to who will stand up and rescue someone regardless of the situation, and who is willing to stay by