The house in Mango street

The book opens and closes with Esperanza's grand vision of Mango Street. It is as if Cisneros has book-ended Esperanza's life with a naïve and mature visualization of her house on Mango Street. At this point, Esperanza knows that she will return. She will leave and become somebody with her stories, her writing, and her books. Yet despite all of her independence and growth, Esperanza desperately clings to the ideal of home, and it is here in Mango Street where she knows it lies. She enters this house wanting to leave, and leaves the house wanting to stay. While she does not necessarily want to remain on Mango Street physically, she knows her spirit will always remain, lingering in the little red house by the trees.