Do all neighborhoods affect people's attitudes? Is it there when personalities are shaped and courtesy is learned? Do all people raised in bad neighborhoods turn out bad? Esperanza has not found her place in the world yet, resembling the four skinny trees trapped in cement. With the influence of her neighborhood on Mango Street, like the trees, she will grow despite the concrete. In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza grows up in a neighborhood that influences her attitude on life negatively.
             Esperanza encountered a situation in school with her teacher, which influenced her attitude in a negative way. Esperanza wanted to eat lunch in school like the other kids, but couldn't because she lived close enough where she could walk home. Esperanza asked her mom to write a letter for her to eat in the school canteen. When the nun received the note she was not convinced. When the nun asked Esperanza to point to her house she was too ashamed to point to the old run down home where she lives. Not to be outdone, Esperanza said, "I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to."(5) Esperanza never had a house she could look at and admire. This made her realize that she does not have many material possessions or a great big house that many others have. When the nun embarrassed Esperanza, her outlook on what she calls home, changed dramatically.
             Another location where her thoughts were shifted negatively was in the vignettes. Esperanza recalls a time when Sally and her went to the vignettes with some boys. Sally ditched her and told Esperanza to leave her alone with the boys. Esperanza felt left out. She was very uncomfortable and ashamed to be in the situation. She wanted more from life than popularity and boys, so she scurried off the scene. Sally and all the boys in the neighborhood made Esperanza realize that she does not have the qualities that would mak
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