Liu 1 Amy Liu P.

1 AP English Language and Composition 9/29/11 Excavation Many people have probably experienced a time in their lives where they felt that they were hardly aware of where they were heading. For this reason, finding self-identity is important because it will help a person find their self-value within. The characters, especially the main characters Esperanza and Taylor, from The House on Mango Street and The Bean Trees both tried to find their self-identity as they are exposed to different surprises in life. Esperanza and Taylor are similar because they both understand clearly that they must move away from their hometowns in order to find a lifestyle suitable for them such as being more independent. Also they know that letting go of the past was the only way they can truly find their promising future and identity in life. However the characters in both differ because most of the female characters in The House on Mango Street are socially and economically dependent on their spouse, while the characters in The Bean Trees were more independent. Since the characters in The Bean Trees are more independent, they are able to find themselves more easily because there is no hindrance that might potentially hold them back on their journey of self-discovery. Identifying selfidentity gave the characters more confidents in facing the obstacles that they may face in the future.

Taylor Greer knows Kentucky was not the place for her so she searched for her identity by stepping into the West. Taylor is still young at the time but she set goals for

Liu 2 herself. Unlike people her age who wander around Kentucky absolutely clueless about their endless future, Taylor had a plan (Kingsolver 14). She made two promises (15) and her promises include: one, getting herself a new home, and two never stopping the car until she runs out of gas. Taylor is determined to search for her new destiny by herself and although she was only able to keep one of her promises, by locating a new home in Arizona, she was still able to find her true identity. Born to be strong willed girl, Taylor left the past behind her to search for a better future. Even though leaving her past was the first step Taylor made to her expedition in search of a more promising destiny, but there was still one person that she treasured in her past time; I intended to never look back, except maybe for Mama (14). This explains that Taylor would not completely forget about her past, especially Mama, because her past is what made her who she is. Taylor in search of her identity will have to leave her past behind but will not let go all of it, and similarly, Esperanza of The House On Mango Street also looked for a new identity but refused to give up her past.

Esperanza from The House on Mango Street knew at a very young age she will not be able to find a promising life on Mango Street. Instead, Esperanza dreamsabout moving out and away from Mango Street in order to find her true identity, and a place where she sincerely belong. Constantly in her mind, Esperanza reminds herself about what she cannot become, I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain (Cisneros 88). Esperanza understands living dependently on men will not give her the bright future that she is looking for. For this reason, Esperanza wants to move to somewhere where she can begin

Liu 3 a new life, a life where she is in control without being treated with the stereotypical image of a woman, I am one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate (89). Once Esperanza takes full control of her life, she will no longer have to live under the commands of a man. To live a better life, Esperanza must first relocate herself, and clearly she knows that she needed a house of her own, One day Ill own my own house, but I wont forget who I am or where I came from (86). Although Esperanza is eager to establish a better life for herself by moving out, but at the same time, she promises not to forget about the past because it is an important part of her that determined who she is as a person. Even though Esperanza didnt have a clear plan of how she can get to goals, she knew exactly that she must accomplish them. Building from the center out, Esperanza wanted to keep her past as a guiding star to help her reach the goals that she wanted to achieve in life.

Taylor, after meeting Turtle, knows that woman are born at a disadvantage and so, even though avoiding parenthood was her mission, she remains to be dedicated to protect Turtle for it was her duty. Taylor has always been escaping from the reality of parenthood. She knows quite well that she is not ready to take the responsibility taking care of a child while still growing up herself. However, meeting Turtle completely changes her point of view on parenthood. Seeing that Turtle was physically and sexually abused, Taylor wants to protect her from being harmed, When I pulled off the pants on the diapers there were more bruises(Kingsolver 31). She understands that it was her duty to protect a vulnerable child who was abused at only the beginning stage of her life. Although she is not entirely ready to have this weight to rest upon her shoulders, Taylor

Liu 4 is determined to raise Turtle on her own as best as she can. Like wise in The House on Mango Street, both Esperanza and Taylor in The Bean Trees wanted to protect the assailable people of their community. However because Taylors action of saving Turtle speaks louder than the words and promises that Esperanza makes to herself, The Bean Trees demonstrates the theme more realistically.

Esperanza believes that Mango Street provides a overly protective environment for her and in order for her to understand what she is her true value, Esperanza needs to leave Mango Street behind. By adventuring out to explore the beauty of the outside world, what her true meaning of existence is and that is to be an independent woman. After she makes her discoveries and findings, she will share it with the vulnerable women, who are secluded from the society outside the neighborhood of the Mango Street. Esperanza explains, They will not know I have gone away to come back (Cisneros 110). She didnt only want to continue on with her life for herself, but also for others in her community who needs help. She claims that after she leaves she still wants to come back for the ones I left behind(110), which was her family. Demonstrating that Esperanza needs to leave her family in order to find her true self, but she will preserve her remembrance of them because they were important people who influenced her life. She is also doing this for the ones who cannot come out(110), which were the women who were dependent of their husband and can only sit and watch as their valuable time passed by. If Esperanza is able to move on to a better place, she promises that she will not forget to give back to her community. Although she didnt want to live on Mango Street any longer, she still wants to take up the responsibility of taking care of the community

Liu 5 where she grew up on. This demonstrates that on the path of self-discovery, Esperanza finds value in Mango Street, the place she despised at the time. In her journey of discovery, Esperanza learns that she has to make sacrifices in order to be successful in the future. During her journey, she discovers that she certainly is aspired to become an independent woman.

As Taylor Greer continues to grow and learn, an unexpected surprise, Turtle, appears in her life. She finds herself by being more independent when she begins to raise Turtle on her own. Before she found Turtle, Taylor is a relatively independent girl from the beginning. Understanding that her mom earns an extremely thin wage, Taylor knows that she needed to support herself and possibly her mother by working at the hospital, I didnt say anything for a while, and then I told her I would ask Mr. Walter for the job (Kingsolver 7). From the start, Taylor is independent but as she spent more time raising Turtle, she began to understand even more that she could only rely on herself. Her roommate, Lou Ann, also met a turning point in her life. Lou Anns divorce with her husband finally made her realize that life goes on even if she cannot be with her husband because she still has to take care of Dwayne Ray, her son. This incident motivates Taylor greatly for she realizes that adopting Turtle as her daughter is what she wishes the most. Two single mothers learned to support themselves and reach out to each other when there is a time of need for either of them. Unlike the two single mothers in The Bean Trees, the women presented in The House On Mango Street were more dependent of the people around them. Through personally experiences, the two single mothers find that there is

Liu 6 only one person that they can absolutely count on and that is themselves. They discover that the only way they can pull this through is by becoming more independent.

Contrasting to The Bean Trees, women living on Mango Street depends on their husband socially and economically. The barrier of communication trapped many women inside their house because they couldnt speak or understand English. Since English becomes an impeding barrier for the women to earn a living, the women has no choice but to rely on to their husband. Esperanza noticed this about the women who live as her neighbors and she described them as, She looked at the window her whole life (Cisneros 76). Not willing to break off their reliance on their on husbands, the women chooses to live a life behind the windows that symbolized hope. Mamacita is a great example of the women who depend on their husband, and refuse to learn English to make a living herself. Spotted by her neighbors, She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull (77). Refuses to let go of her heritage, Mamacita can only find her identity by relating back to the Spanish society. She feels like she doesnt belong in the world that spoke English so she decides to be her true self as a Spanish-speaking woman. For this reason however, like Mamacita, women who refuse to learn English were never able to escape their dependency on their husbands. Even so, finding their true identity as a loyal Spanish speaker did not stop them from continuing their way to independence. By looking out their windows, they try to look for the slimmest chance to escape from their husbands grip.

Liu 7 Taylor Greer from The Bean Trees and Esperanza from The House on Mango Street both acknowledge from the beginning that the place where they grew up in was not a place with a promising future. Greer, who has a vision far out west, recognized that moving out from Kentucky was the best solution for her life. Esperanza also knows that she had to move away from the Mango Street at some point of her life if she wants to have a better future but at the moment, she doesnt know how shes going to find her ways. Both characters are well aware that their true self-identity could not be found in the town that they lived in so they must try their luck in the outside world that they are not familiar with. By challenging the conservative thoughts of the old society, both Esperanza and Taylor resolves that relocation is the milestone to their development as independent women.

Having a set goal in mind, Taylor and Esperanza both want to leave the past behind them. Leaving their past was the only way Taylor and Esperanza can move on to a perhaps better future. However, even though they both want to let go of the past, there were still bits and pieces of memories worth keeping. For example, Taylor promises to always keep her mother in her heart because she was dear to her. Esperanza also promises to give back to her community even though she disliked Mango Street. She wanted to help the women who leaned on their husband so much that they became overly dependent on them. Each of the characters discovered that self identity can only be found through determination to move outside the box. Both characters intend to put away their past so that they can start a brand new life that is full of promises and opportunities.

Liu 8 Differing from The Bean Trees, the female characters, both socially and economically, rely on their husbands. Due the communication barrier between some of the women and English speakers, many women were unable to find jobs to support their families. Reluctant to let of their heritage, the women refused to learn how to speak English because speaking Spanish gave them confidence and identity. On the other hand, the female characters of The Bean Trees are independent for they rely mostly on themselves. They all earn stable income and did not have the need to lean on their spouses constantly. The two independent, single mothers in the book uncover their new identity as proud mothers. Living independently, the single mothers were still able to support their children. Overall, the females in The House on Mango Street are marked by their dependency on their spouses, while the females in The Bean Trees enjoys and are defined by their independent nature. This concludes that the characters in The Bean Trees are willing to make sacrifices such as leaving their family and that help them discover a more independent way of living. Again this will reassure Taylors discovery and identity as an independent woman. The search for self-identity is described in the characters, Esperanza, Taylor, and a few other characters such as Lou Ann, and Mamacitas reaction and action towards the surroundings of their life. Before actually beginning the search, both characters found what they valued in life, such as family, friends, and community. With set goals, the girls knew exactly where they are headed, for example, the search for independence. Similarly both Taylor and Esperanza share the same thought that abandoning their past was the only solution for them to reach their dreams. Acceptance of their current status in life contributed to their discovery of their self-identity. Lou Ann accepted herself as a

Liu 9 blessed, single mother while Mamacitas accepted herself as a true woman who is proud of her Hispanic heritage. Self-identity cannot be easily elicit immediately, but through the gradually movement of time, it will soon be excavated by the dedication and determination of ones soul.

Work Cited Kingsolver, Barbara. The Bean Trees. New York: Harpertorch, 2001. 7,14,15,31. Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1984. 76,77,86,88,89,110.

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