Final answer:
Esperanza feels shame and confinement in association with her name, which reveals the societal expectations and her awareness of them. These emotions indicate her desire for a personal identity that transcends societal norms and her cultural legacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Esperanza, the protagonist in Sandra Cisneros's novel "The House on Mango Street," associates her name with feelings of shame and confinement. The images and feelings tied to her name reflect the broader societal expectations and constraints placed upon her, as well as her own internalized struggles with her identity. She grapples with the meaning of her name and the inheritance of its past, including its associations with her grandmother, whom Esperanza describes as strong but defeated by life's circumstances.
These feelings reveal that Esperanza is both aware of and affected by the traditional roles and cultural expectations for females in her community. Yet, despite this, Esperanza strives for something beyond the limitations of her name and what it represents. Sandra Cisneros's portrayal of Esperanza offers insight into the complex emotions of growing up with cultural identities that can both burden and enrich an individual's life.
Answering the question, Esperanza associates her name with shame and confinement; these feelings reveal societal expectations and her own perception of her place within it. It indicates that she craves a different future, where she can create an identity separate from the cultural and familial legacies that restrict her.