Growing Up is Hard to Do

A prevalent conflict throughout The House on Mango Street is the conflict of wanting to remain a child versus wanting to be an adult, and what kind of adult at that. An especially poignant moment of this is the moment in which Esperanza seeks to save Sally from the boys, but finds that Sally has no desire to be saved and instead shuns her. Esperanza is always comparing her own age to the age of other girls, many of whom are already married. Additionally, she compares her own feelings about the future to the different ways that society attempts to answer the question, “What is a woman?” whether that means someone who has nice legs with fancy yellow shoes, or someone with eye make-up like an Egyptian and gray hose with black shoes, or someone that gets up before everyone to make tortillas, some “smart cookie” who “could have been something,” someone locked at home because their husband doesn’t trust them, someone to rape and beat, or someone who leaves their plate at the table and doesn’t put their chair back (much like a man). It is easy to see why the idea of adulthood both intrigues and terrifies Esperanza.