Chapter 21 - The First Job
Esperanza must earn money so that she could continue attending the Catholic school, for she realizes that her papa is right - nobody attends public school who wants to turn out right. She secures a social security card and, as per her mother's orders, tells the people in Pan Photo Finishers that she is one year older than her true age.
She is uncomfortable, but simply must match the negatives with the prints. At lunch, she feels alone and secluded and waits in the coatroom for the shift to begin again. An oriental man enters and tells her that she is pretty and that he simply wants a birthday kiss. Nervously, Esperanza sees no harm, so she leans in to peck his cheek and he grabs her face and kisses her mouth without letting go.
Topic Tracking: Sexuality 4
View More Summaries on The House on Mango Street
