Coming of Age on Different Streets

In life, people go through different experiences when they are coming of age. Sometimes they are similar and sometimes they are different. In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the main characters Melinda and Esperanza both go through a similar experience, a tragic rape, but they deal with it differently.

Since both the girls go through the tragedy of being raped, the two books are so relatable. When Melinda goes back and tries to continue her life as it had been before, she doesn't speak because she doesn't want to deal with it. Esperanza, in her head, is thinking "please don't make me tell it all" to her friend Sally. Also, in both books, the girls are with their friends but later when they try to call for help, they are alone and no one is there for them. They were both pushed out of their innocence without any say in it, and they both were able to see how horrible life can be.


The whole book Speak, has to do with Melinda going through what happened and in The House on Mango Street only a chapter is dedicated to how Esperanza felt. After the summer the rape happened for Melinda, she is isolated and alone with  no one to talk to. The book continues with her figuring out how to come out of her isolation and stand together with the people that care about her. When Esperanza goes through the experience she is thinking to her friend Sally, who she knows she will be able to talk to about. As the book continues, it is never really brought up again. Esperanza's life continues normally, the experience affecting her coming of age but not revolving around it, while Melinda's life is completely changed and she doesn't know what to do.

Comparing the two books Speak and The House on Mango Street truly shows how people's coming of age experience can differ. It captures different aspects of their lives and how their daily life affected the way they dealt with the rape they went through.