Beginning of Essay
“Goals determine your thoughts. Thoughts determine your life.” The quote means that what you are striving for often influences your thoughts. What you think then influences your life. Therefore your goals indirectly determine your life. Both “Barrio Boy” ....

Middle of Essay
.... confident in himself. This allowed him to run for president of his class in school. Ernesto’s attempts to succeed with his goals in his Barrio make it evident that the quote is correct. Esperanza’s life on Mango Street sustains the message captured by the critical lens. Esperenza and many other characters in this short novel are determined to escape Mango Street. They all have the same goal for different reasons. Esperenza longed to leave because she was ashamed of where she lived and she did not believe that she fit in. Her thoughts determined her life. She once told Alice that she did not live on Mango Street. She felt that she did not belo ....