THOMS...bildungsroman?

Although THMOS could be considered a bildungsroman because of the growth that Esperanza experiences, I hesitate to categorize it as a bildungsroman because of the lack of completion in Esperanza’s growth. There does not seem to be any real resolution of the issue of childhood vs. adulthood, and although Esperanza’s voice does age throughout the story and the ending describes her coming back to the house that she once scorned and left, she does not really address the issue of innocence vs. knowledge/sensuality that has been carried throughout the book and explored in greater depth towards the end. The reader does not have a very clear idea of what kind of adult Esperanza has actually become, even though the reader can tell that she has been intelligent and studious enough to leave the area and then come back with the ability to make it better. Because of this lack of closure, it is difficult to peg this novel strictly as a bildungsroman. However, the work is still strong, because the theme of innocence vs. knowledge is a classic theme, resounding with other famous works such as Milton’s Paradise Lost, Shelley’s Frankenstein, a great deal of Blake’s poetry and the Bible.