Character Sketch (Eperanza)

707 Words3 Pages
Josephine Williams Literature Essay Character Sketch (Esperanza) Esperanza (protagonist) is a 12 year old Latina living on Mango Street in a barrio in Chicago. In the beginning of the novel, Esperanza frequently struggled with her identity, her search for who she is, and is timid because she is unsure of the big bad world and is used to being with matriarchal (female) instead of patriarchal (male). Esperanza often suffers from her melancholy because she experienced a series of awakenings, most important a sexual awakening. Esperanza is not an outgoing person she keeps herself, is very observing, is on the look-out for others. She is very measured in what she does. Esperanza gives a quick thought on her decisions. She does not judge others but she is tough on herself. In the beginning of the novel, Esperanza is not quit ready to emerge from her sexuality of childhood. She was completely ignorant about sex and thought boys and girls lived in separated worlds. Because she was a Latina who came from a close family of matriarchal she cannot even speak to her brothers outside of the house ‘cause she is not used to being around patriarchal. When Esperanza became an adolescent, she experimented the power she, as a young women, had over men. Marin taught her some fundamental facts about boys, but the first major step in Esperanza’s awareness of her sexuality was when she and her friend’s explored Mango Street in high heeled shoes. Then she realized the power of the shoes gave her, the ides that physical beauty helped her escape the squalor of her surroundings. The patriarchal society which Esperanza lives in denies the power of female sexuality. For example the bum who attempted to kiss Rachel was one of the first in a series of men who used force to take what girls don’t
Open Document