House on Mango Street: The Search for Identity
             Life is a constant battle for the young, the old, the wealthy, the destitute, the student, the professional and people from all walks of life. They are always faced with many challenges; some of which are big, some are small. Some depend on where and how they live but whatever challenges they encounter these make them become stronger and better persons. The discovery is a painful process but it gives them the opportunity to look into the many facets of their personalities. And Esperanza is one of them who goes through the painful experience of constantly searching for her identity in every place she moves into and the adjustments she has to make every time.
             The House on Mango Street exemplifies the exact opposite of Esperanza's dream. "I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn't it. The house on Mango Street isn't it .........But I know how those things go." (Chapter 1, pg.5). This quote clearly shows that the kind of house that she has in mind is a house that is beautiful, big, a lot of rooms and a huge yard full of trees; a house she can be proud of and which she can identify herself with. She remembers the time when the nun in her school asks her where she lives and when she points at her old dilapidated house on the third floor of a building, she is overpowered with shame. At that point, she realizes the need for her own place where she can be physically and emotionally stable.
             Esperanza regards Ruthie's experience (a neighbor on Mango Street) as a lesson for her not to make wrong decisions in her life. For example, Esperanza doesn't understand why Ruthie stays with her mother in Mango Street instead of living in her own home with her husband, why she plays with the children on Mango Street and why she finds enjoyment in being alone and apart from her husband. The quote, "She doesn't need anybo...