NovelGuide: The House on Mango Street: Novel Summary: Sire

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Sire

Summary
Sire is a neighbor, presumably a boy at or near Esperanza's age, who watches Esperanza in a significant way whenever she walks past his house. Although Esperanza's parents warn her against having contact with Sire, and although Esperanza senses danger at some level in Sire's attention, she still craves it. As she sees Sire and his girlfriend together, she begins to imagine that Sire is holding and kissing her instead.
 
Analysis
Immediately after the na�ve view of sexuality Esperanza takes in "The Earl of Tennessee," here she takes a tentative step toward mature sexuality by imagining herself being held and kissed by Sire. Esperanza is emulating Marin: "I had to prove to me I wasn't scared of nobody's eyes." Esperanza recognizes that she is at a critical moment in her development: "Everything is holding its breath inside me." She is feeling a normal adolescent build-up of sexual and emotional energy, an energy that must eventually find release.