Esperanza's Motivation In The House On Mango Street

In the book “The House on Mango Street” there are three major characters that influence Esperanzas ambitions for her future, and let her change and grow as a person. People such as Mama, Alicia, and Sally give Esperanza a glimpse of what it takes to have a good life, and how hard you have to work to escape poverty. Esperanza is really ashamed of being poor, and not being able to wear nice clothes, but she soon learns that it does not matter what people think about you, and that her values are more important. When Esperanza begins desiring boys, she comes upon a girl named Sally, who boys find beautiful. Sally seems to be very attractive and heartless, like the women Esperanza admires, and wishes she was. Esperanza has heard “The stories the boys tell in the coatroom, they're not true. You lean against the schoolyard fence alone with your eyes closed as if no one was watching, as if no one could see you standing there, Sally.” (82) This shows that Sally has been “passed

Esperanza refuses to admit that one day she will come back to visit her Mango Street house, unlike Alicia herself who didn't have a house, but still tries to make this area a better place. Alicia “is smart and studies for the first time at the university. Two trains and a bus, because she doesn't want to spend her whole life in a factory or behind a rolling pin.” (31) This young girl works extremely hard for the things she has, and does not expect to be given things in life. Esperanza's fathers says that Alicia is strong, determined, ambitious, and is a great role model for his children, and there is hardly anyone else like her with the traits she carries. Alicia is very considerate and thoughtful enough to recognize the greatness in Esperanza, and shows Esperanza the determination, hard work, it takes to have a good