"They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out." (Cisneros 110)

It took quite a while, but Esperanza matured to being social aware. Throughout the novel Cisneros describes how Esperanza begins to understand what surrounds her as unjust. Esperanza experiences many injustices. She experiences sexism, ageism, classism, and racism (to simply name a few), and is able to process these experiences. The extraordinary difference in her life however is that Esperanza moves past this stage.

Instead of living in a world of inequity, she has decided to remove herself from that existence. Furthermore, she realizes that it is her obligation to help others out of the life she live on Mango Street.

The words that Cisneros uses are reminiscent of Dr. Martin Luther King's speech from April 3, 1968. He ended the speech by figuratively speaking about 'the mountain.' He expressed that he had seen what the civil rights movement was working so hard for, and that he didn't know if he would live in a world like that, but he had to help everyone get to that 'promised land.' Like Esperanza, he had experienced all that can be wrong with the world. However, Dr. King had a dream; he saw a world of justice and equality, much like Esperanza's dream, simply described as a home of her own, a simple image figuratively lending itself to equal aspirations. In the previous chapter, she speaks about all the wonderful things that owning her own home would include; what that 'promised land' would be like. After that however Cisneros makes it a point to not let Esperanza become selfish, and Esperanza promises to save others from Mango Street. She understands that like Dr. King she cannot settle for being alone in a just world, she must help all those around her.

Interestingly however, this illuminates the split nature of Esperanza. Her age is never explicitly revealed, and it is a difficult fact to guess. The voice that Cisneros offers as Esperanza's is very immature and jumpy. The way Esperanza describes events that offer insights into the injustices of Mango Street is very childish, unable to express fully what is happening, as shown in the occasion. A clear example of this is shown in the 'Red Clown' chapter, in which Esperanza is not fully able to articulate the fact that she got raped. Yet another example of Esperanza's naiveté is shown when her friends first exploring their sexuality with boys. She seems not to understand why they are so interested in their own sexuality (which may not be her naiveté but rather a statement on homosexuality in an antiquated society). Conversely however, as mentioned before, implicitly her understanding of social justice is greater than most people in the age group she most likely fits into, early teenagers. She also takes stands on feminism that are precocious for even someone at that age. She writes about how upset she is with her grandmother, her namesake, for simply giving up after she was married though before the marriage she was a "horse of a woman." (11)