Esperanza Rising

In the span of a year, the main character Esperanza Ortega faces many challenges, overcomes them, and experiences tremendous personal growth. This makes her a complex, dynamic character, perfect for a literary analysis. Let’s dig into her character with the questions below. Provide as much text evidence as possible to support your answers.

• Describe Esperanza. What are her three most identifiable character traits? Do those traits change from the beginning of the novel to the end? If so, when does she change?
• What are Esperanza’s emotions throughout the novel? How does she respond to challenges and changes in her life? What words would you add to her list of character traits based on those responses?
• How do others see Esperanza? How do their beliefs about her affect their relationship to her? What words might they use to describe Esperanza? Add those words to your list of traits.

Teaching Suggestion: The purpose of this exercise is to give students and opportunity to do an in-depth character analysis. The rigor of this activity can prepare students for essay writing and advanced literary analysis in future units of study. It also provides students an opportunity to engage with the novel’s three themes, especially Embracing New Beginnings, which is arguably the biggest driver of Esperanza’s character development.