In the novella, The House on Mango Street, Cisneros uses a metaphor to compare Esperanza to a tree, revealing how her identity relates to that of a tree. For example, Cisneros states, “They [the trees] are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who them” (Cisneros 74), conveying that no one understands Esperanza, only inanimate objects. Cisneros also says, “When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, then it is I look at the trees. When there is nothing left to look at on this street” (75), revealing that she relates to the trees because they don’t seem to belong in the neighborhood. They are skinny little trees that don’t have much left in them, but they keep persevering to stay alive. The trees resemble how Esperanza feels in the neighborhood, out of place and unwanted. Esperanza compares her own skinny neck and pointy elbows to the tree’s thin branches, revealing how the trees reflect Esperanza’s character. Cisneros states, “Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground. They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger” (74), conveying that Esperanza’s life is tied back to Mango Street. Therefore, she feels as if she always will have a connection towards Mango Street because of all the knowledge she had gained while living there.