In the house on Mango Street we have Esperanza a very young character that is not to mature. She had just moved in to rough neighborhood because her parent bought a house around there. She writes a lot of stories to express her self and talk about her problems she has on Mango Street. She reminds me a lot like Sal from On The Road. Sal never moved from on place to another permanently, but he constantly moved around to escape something. He also loves telling stories about his adventures that he would have on the road. Esperanza does not go to California but she does go around her block a lot and has many adventures. She expresses that one day she will leave Mango Street and that people will ask about her. She doesn’t miss where she came from but she is not entirely in love with where she is right now. Similar to what Sal in a way, he leaves when he doesn’t feel that he confortable at even when people around him don’t want him to leave.
Professor Laura Westengard
Email: lwestengard@citytech.cuny.edu
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Interesting comparison, Alex! I can see that both Esperanza and Sal are interested in movement because they are not satisfied with their domestic life (for different reasons). However, at the end of “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes,” Esperanza seems to express more of a social conscience than Sal does because she says that she intends to come back to help “the ones who cannot out.”