Esperanza, a strong-willed girl who dreams big despite her environment and restrictions, is the protagonist of The Mango House by Sandra Cisneros. Esperanza represents the women of her poor and impoverished neighborhood who desire to change and improve themselves. She desires both sexuality and the autonomy of marriage, hoping to break the typical life cycle of women in her family and neighborhood. Over the course of the novel, she goes through many different changes in search of identity and maturity, seeking self-confidence and interdependence, through insecure ideas such as owning her own home, instead of seeking comfort in herself. Esperanza matures when she begins to see the difference. She evolves from an insecure girl to a mature young woman through her difficult life experiences and the people she meets. It is through personal encounters and experiences that Esperanza begins to become sexually aware and accept her place and self-definition in her community. At the beginning Esperanza is young, insecure and immature. Her immaturity is evident when she talks about her mother holding her, saying that it is "sweet to stick your nose in when she holds you and you feel safe" (Cisneros 6-7). This shows Esperanza's insecurity because her mother is still a great source of comfort to her. She feels a false sense of comfort that her mother is there and will protect her. Additionally, Esperanza's immaturity shows through her dislike of strangers in the neighborhood when she says, "They are stupid people who got lost and came here by mistake" (Cisneros 28). This indicates how defensive and protective Esperanza is of her barrio by calling strangers stupid for reacting that way, even though she doesn't like Mango Street....... middle of paper... They didn't seem to make it be anymore my feet. And not even the garden that had been a nice place to play seemed mine” (Cisneros 98). The play place that was once so innocent and is now a landfill reciprocating Esperanza's innocence slowly turning into reality. It's growing. Furthermore, he gains enough confidence and maturity to make his own life decisions. This is demonstrated when she makes the big decision about where she wants her life to take her. “I decided not to grow up domesticated like the others who rest their necks on the doorstep waiting for the ball and chain” (Cisneros 88). This shows Esperanza's maturity in making her own life choices. She's finally confident and independent enough to know where she wants her life to take her. Esperanza finally completes her evolution from young and immature to confident adult.