Similarities Between The House On Mango Street And Whale Rider

We often imagine male leaders more than female leaders. Especially, in some places or time period where there were gender inequalities. But at that time, 2 brave female stood up to be a leader, one American-Mexican girl named Esperanza Cordero, in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, and another named Paikea Apirana, in the film Whale Rider by Niki Caro, a Maroni decedent. Both leaders lived across immeasurable amount of distance and time period, one lived at Chicago, and another lived at New Zealand. Both leaders experienced the harsh reality and tragic of gender inequalities in now and back then. For example, Esperanza was raped because of lack of observation or protection to her, which she overcame with her intelligent spirit.

Unlike Paikea who lived in a regular house with her Uncle, Esperanza and her family used to live in an old apartment. Esperanza and Paikea both go to schools, but how they treated in schools or in public are completely different. Esperanza, made new friends, Lucy and Rachel, and sends comfortable days in schools. But on the other hand, Paikea, has basically no friends at all, since all her classmates in schools are boys except her. Paikea suffered communicating to people on another gender, meanwhile Esperanza did not suffer from humanity, but felt ashamed how poor her and her family was, and how she wanted her own, big, and cleaner house whether then the house she lives on in Mango Street although it was better then the place she lived in the house on Mango

For example, when Esperanza was sexually raped, she became physically and emotionally more aware, which made her more mature. Furthermore, Esperanza also faced heartbreaking tragic, where her grandfather and her aunt dies. Facing the harsh reality, Esperanza group up to calm herself and became mature. On the other hand, Paikea didn’t become emotionally mature because of someone’s death. She became more mature by seeing the other boys, who are emotionally young but same age as Paikea, and became more mature when her grandfather, Koro lost his Whale’s Tooth, by throwing the Teeth into the ocean, and told the boys who Koro was training to become the leader and continue the tradition. None of the boys could get the Teeth, and after Koro comes back, depressed, Paikea hears what happened to Koro from her Grandmother, Nanny. Then, she goes to the beach to get the Whale’s Tooth, with a boat with her aunts and uncles. When she returned home with Whale’s Tooth, Nenny was so surprised and was very happy. And a smile came back to Paikea, who was sad since she had a fight with Koro. Koro, liked Paikea and new she was suitable to be the next leader, but the fact that she is a female and the traditions confused him on what to do. During the movie, Whale Rider, Paikea asked Koro to come to her school for her show. But since Nenny has not told Koro that Paikea got his Tooth, it took