![]() At the end of the book, when Esperanza imagines returning for “the ones left behind,” she is thinking of the powerless women of Mango Street. Indeed, most of the men in the book are exploitative and violent, and the women rarely help each other, as Tito’s mother ignores Sally’s plight and Sally abandons Esperanza first in the Monkey Garden and then at the carnival. To try and reconcile the contradiction, Esperanza decides to become “beautiful and cruel” like a femme fatale of the movies – having both sexuality and autonomy – but she soon finds this impossible in the culture of Mango Street, as Sally is exploited by boys and Esperanza herself is assaulted and raped. ![]() ![]() Esperanza comes to recognize this dichotomy as she is caught between her own budding sexuality and her desire for freedom. There is a constant conflict between being a sexual being and keeping one’s freedom, as most of the book’s female characters are trapped both by abusive husbands and needy children. Stealing a car is a serious crime, but Louie’s cousin seemingly only wants it to take a joy ride and impress the neighborhood children. ![]() From the start of the book Esperanza realizes that men and women live in “separate worlds,” and that women are nearly powerless in her society. Louie’s cousin’s crime shows both the darker side of the barrio and another means of trying to escape. ![]()
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