In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Cisneros describes Esperanza’s childhood experiences at school to emphasize how Esperanza feels like an outcast at her school. In the novella “A Rice Sandwich,” Esperanza’s conversation with one of the nun teachers stood out to me because it presented to me how unwanted Esperanza feels at school. Cisneros says, “And then she made me stand up on a box of books and point. That one? she said, pointing to a row of ugly three-flats, the ones even the raggedy men are ashamed to go into. Yes, I nodded even though I knew that wasn’t my house and started to cry. I always cry when nuns yell at me, even if they’re not yelling. Then she was sorry and said I could stay—just for today, not tomorrow or the day after—you go home” (Cisneros 45). Esperanza experiences embarrassment and shame when the nun refers to a beat up house she thought was Esperanza’s. However, this is more self-imposed embarrassment because people do not purposely make Esperanza feel ashamed. This novella really stuck out to me because Cisneros presents that Esperanza cannot stick up for herself to a nun, relating back to Esperanza’s own insecurities. Even though Esperanza clearly knows that isn’t her house, she just continues to let the nun think whatever she wants to. This amazes me that Esperanza feels that she isn’t even worth the nun’s time. Therefore, her judgment of her own importance is so little to none, causing me to wonder her thoughts are about others.