Kitty Liu
Mrs. Estrada
World Lit., Per. 3
11 December 2013
Growing Up In the Environment Authors often use literary devices to make their writings more attractive. Literary devices always help readers have deeper understandings of characters and have better connections to them. Sandra Cisneros, the author of The House on Mange Street, also choses to use literary devices to give readers a clear picture of her character—Esperanza. Literary devices that she uses make this novel more infectious. Sandra Cisneros uses metaphor to emphasize the character’s struggle with growing up and employs personification to describe the character’s connection to their environments. Cisneros uses metaphor to highlight Esperanza’s struggle with growing up. Esperanza has a little sister named Nenny. As an older sister, she has the responsibility to take care of Nenny and make sure she does not play with bad children in the neighborhood. Esperanza does not have any friends her own age. She feels lonely and states, “Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor” (Cisneros 9). By describing Esperanza as a red balloon, Cisneros shows the character’s attitude about growing up. She wants to socialize with girls who she can easily relate to. Cisneros shows that Esperanza does not have the freedom like a balloon. The metaphor Cisneros uses demonstrates that Esperanza’s responsibility with her family is an anchor tying her down. It stops her from going outside with friends and feeling independent. The author explains how difficult it is to grow up, but also focuses on her character’s surroundings. In addition, Cisneros employs personification to depict Esperanza’s connection to her environment. Esperanza looks out the window to observe the trees outside her bedroom. She appreciates the qualities of them. She sees a connection between the trees and herself because they do not seem to belong. Esperanza describes, “They are the only ones who understand me....Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong here but are here....Four who grew despite concrete” (Cisneros 74-75). The author uses the four skinny trees to represent Esperanza through personification. The description of the trees helps the author express Esperanza’s feelings that her surrounds are holding her back. Neither four skinny trees nor Esperanza feels belong to Mango Street because they both long for a better place to show their inner self to others. Esperanza learns from the four skinny trees that all she needs to do is to keep trying her best to be stronger like how the four skinny trees grow “despite concrete”. By comparing the four skinny trees to Esperanza, the author depicts the relationship between the character and her environment. In conclusion, Sandra Cisneros uses metaphor to highlight the character’s struggle with growing up and employs personification to show the character’s connection to their environments. Cisneros illustrates how Esperanza’s responsibility with the family holds her back by comparing her to the free red balloon. Through the personification Cisneros uses, readers know how well Esperanza relates to the four skinny trees. With the help of literary devices, readers know that Esperanza wants to have the freedom to show her inner self in a better environment. Literary devices are very helpful for the authors who want to make their writings and characters impressed.

Work Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vinatage, 1998.