The poor staying in esperanza s attic will not be rats as her dinner guests mistake them for but bums yet that word has no derogatory connotations readers sense for esperanza.
Characterization of ezperanza in bums in the attic.
Characters esperanza as esperanza matures during the year that makes up the house on mango street she experiences a series of awakenings the most important being a sexual awakening.
She hopes to live in a big house on a hill one day and keep bums in her attic instead of rats.
It is a simple acknowledgment that esperanza s attic guests as opposed to her dinner table guests one could surmise are poor and yet deserve acceptance and welcome.
Esperanza resolves to have a nice house someday but to never forget where she came from.
She will allow the bums a place in her attic because she knows how it is to be without a house source s house on mango street.
Esperanza really thinks that the people who live in those houses are stuck up and don t have to worry about anything but garbage.
To us that is courage because instead of refusing to open up her home because she doesn t want anyone to have what she didn t have she decides to embrace her feelings and allow bums to live in her attic.
Her guests will think rats are squeaking in the attic but esperanza will happily tell them it s bums.
When bums pass by she will invite them in and let them stay in her attic because she knows what it s like to not have a house.
Esperanza says that once she has the house of her dreams she will always remember where she came from.
On the weekends the family visits these houses and dreams about moving there.
Esperanza describes scientific names for clouds shows her pursuit of knowledge nenny gives the clouds everyday names and lucy and rachel compare the clouds to things such as esperanza s fat ugly face causing them into an argument.
Esperanza does not show ignorance by making this decision she uses her own opinions not stereotypes created by other people.
At the beginning of the novel esperanza is not quite ready to emerge from the asexuality of childhood.
It is a simple acknowledgment that esperanza s attic guests as opposed to her dinner table guests one could surmise are poor and yet deserve acceptance and welcome.
Bums in the attic esperanza wants a nice suburban house with a garden like the ones where her father works.
Esperanza has stopped going with her family.
Hopes and dreams 8.
Housing the bums in the attic will be not an act of segregation keeping them out of sight but a true and genuine act of hospitality.
The vignette bums in the attic relates to our theme courage because the main character esperanza has the courage to let bums into her home.