I think that The House on Mango Street is appropriate to be classified as a coming-of-age novel. Though her age is unclear, it is evident that Esperanza develops physically and morally throughout the various stories and experiences she tells us readers. In the beginning she was just a mere child whose whishes were to be able to live in a better house and make friends; but at the end of the novel, she was a grown young adult, finally understanding many of the things she was unable to comprehend earlier in the novel.
             An example of her growth is her understanding of women's status in society. Throughout the book, she tells us many stories where we see sexism. Women, in her town, seem to have a very low status. She sees that the women have ambitions for her husbands and children, but none of their own. One example of this is in "A Smart Cookie" (page 90), where we see how Esperanza's mother is sighing about her past mistakes. Her mother says, "I could've been somebody, you know?..." (pg 90); and listening to this, I would think that Esperanza learns quite a lot. She realizes that she does not want to end up liker her mother, and also that in order to accomplish this, she must get out of this town. But from her previous encounter with Elenita ("Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water" page 62) and her later conversation with the three sisters ("The Three Sisters" pg 103), she also realizes that she must go back to her home, Mango Street, even if she was able to succeed in getting out. We see how she wants to become a strong and independent woman, the kind she has never met before.
             By the end of the book, Esperanza was finally determined to leave, but also determined to come back "...for the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out." (pg 110). This proves Esperanza's growth in maturity because she now understands that Mango Street is part of her life and her p...