The House on Mango Street is a collection of short pieces, all written from the view of Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl. Over the course of the book, as Esperanza grows, she describes the people who come in and out of her life on Mango Street. Engage students with Storyboard That activities!
Esperanza is unhappy when she first moves to Mango Street. Though she has friends, she doesn't feel like she fits in.
Esperanza grows up and gets a job, but she still has issues with self-identity, friends, and ideas about boys and men.
Toward the end of the book, Esperanza seems to have found a purpose. She knows that she wants to become a writer and that she wants a home to call her own.