Coming of Age
Innocence, Development, Maturity
Innocence
“The boys and the girls live in separate worlds.”
Reason: This shows how Esperanza still sees the two genders as separate, much like how young children act.
Development
"I looked at my feet in their white socks and ugly round shoes. They seemed so far away. They didn’t seem to be my feet anymore.”
Reason: It shows how she’s realizing that she’s not a little girl anymore that she is growing up.
Maturity
“One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever.”
Reason: She knows that she has grown up in maturity and in strength and that the bonds that tie her to Mango street are not strong enough to keep her.