The definition of identity is the fact of being who or what a person is. All of us struggle with identity, even just the idea of it. Throughout both of the books I read, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and It by Stephen King, there was a constant struggle that each character went through and that struggle either hurt them or made them stronger. I believe that the shared theme of these two books is that your past affects and shapes your identity. In the book House On Mango Street Esperanza struggles with some very heavy obstacles. Identity is based on how you view yourself and who you are and want to be known as. Esperanza sadly views herself very negatively. Throughout this book, you see Esperanza constantly put herself down because she is blinded to her self-worth. In the chapter, Four Skinny Trees Esperanza says, “Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong here but are here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city.” (Page 74) In this chapter, she is talking about four skinny trees but in this chapter, you can see she compares the trees to herself and get a glimpse of how Esperanza is really feeling. She feels like those “four raggedy excused planted by the city” because she feels like she does not belong on mango street. …show more content…
A very powerful part that occurs in the story that ties along with this is how Esperanza is treated in the