Esperanza's Poverty In The House On Mango Street

Esperanza’s Poverty Throughout the story “The House on Mango Street” there are many circumstances where poverty affected Esperanza and her story. As most people know, wealth plays quite a large role in every person's everyday life. In “The House on Mango Street” wealth is a big part of the book because it affects the way she lives, her schooling, and her family circumstances. The way Esperanza lives also has to do with poverty. Esperanza has to move a lot because her family can’t afford to live in places that are big enough for their family. For example, “We didn’t always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler was Paulina, and before that I can’t remember” (3). However, the house on Mango Street is the first house that is theirs, even though it isn’t the house they dreamed of. Esperanza didn’t enjoy her house on Mango Street but she still put up with it, like when she said “me I never had a house, not even a photograph… only one I dream of.” (109) Or “Mango Street, sad red house, the house I belong but do not belong to.” (109)

She had to get a job because her parents couldn’t afford a good school, but her father said if you go to public school, you want to turn out bad. For example, “The Catholic high School cost a lot, and Papa said nobody went to public school unless you wanted to turn out bad.” (53) We can all assume that Esperanza is definitely not the type of girl that wants to turn out bad because she is willing to get a job to help her through school. Even if it was an easier job like when she said, “I thought I’d find an easy job, the kind other kids had, working in the dime store or maybe a hotdog stand.”