Male Characters
The jukebox repairmain with a mysterious wife
Earl
A character who seems very helpless. She follows her gender stereotype, but Esperanza can't help feeling jealous of her
Lois
"Until then, I'm a red balloon. A balloon tied to an anchor."
Esperanza; metaphor
"And anyway, a woman's place is sleeping so she can wake up early with the tortilla star"
Alicia's father
Esperanza is named after her
Esperanza's great-grandmother
Dies in a hit-and-run car accident
Geraldo
Is waiting for a star to fall, someone to change her life
Marin
"The trees are the only ones who understand me"
Esperanza; personification
"He never hits me hard"
Sally
They shared a bike with Esperanza and Nenny
Lucy and Rachel
Saw God in the clouds
Darius
Her father is afraid that she will run away like his sisters
Sally
"Two girls raggedy as rats live across the street"
Cathy: simile
"I'll be your friend. But only until next Tuesday"
Cathy
What Esperanza's name means in English
Hope
Stole a yellow Cadillac
Louie's cousin
Stares out of her window watching other women have fun while she is locked up at home by her husband.
Rafaela
"You see that cloud over there...That one there. See that. That's God"
Darius; metaphor
"Shame is a bad thing you know. It keeps you down"
Esperanza's mother
The girls sing about this while jumping rope
Hips
Danced with Esperanza at a party
Uncle Nacho
Cries when her son sings a Pepsi commercial
Mamacita
"I'll shake the sky, like a thousand violins"
Esperanza; metahpor; simile
"When you leave you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, understand?"
The Three Sisters
Esperanza dreams of having this (her biggest dream)
Her own home