Parents are very influential in the way their child views his or her surroundings. The majority of children get their thoughts, ideas and views from their parents. When poverty is present in a child's life it tends to shape the way he or she view things in the world. Finally, the immediate surroundings or environment can have an impact on a child's views. In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Esperanza is faced with these three aspects in her childhood. Esperanza's lack of parental guidance, the poverty surrounding her, and the environment she lives in influence the way she views life. .
Raising a child is sometimes a difficult task. Children are often adventurous in seeking answers to the questions they have about life and where they fit in. Parents have the responsibility of answering these questions, and these answers are often opinionated which provide the child with the same views as the parent. Esperanza views her mother as a pretty, warm loving person: "my mother's hair, my mothers hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe- (6). As Esperanza's parent, it is her responsibility to recognize how much Esperanza looks up to her and to set good examples for her to follow, but she always doesn't do so. The day of her cousin's baptism her mother doesn't bring home the shoes Esperanza wanted for her new outfit, showing Esperanza she really doesn't care about her feelings. Once they arrived at the baptism her mother again sets a bad example and begins to drink, but she gets out of hand and becomes ill from it. "Mama dances, laughs, dances. All of a sudden, mama is sick" (47). She is demonstrating that it is all right to drink heavily in front of children. All this is shaping Esperanzas" beliefs, she is being led in a negative direction by her mother because she shows her it is acceptable to act this way.