Esperanza and Huck, Best Friends Forever

Huck and Esperanza have several similarities, albeit their differing skin colors and time periods, starting with their age. Both Huck and Esperanza are pre-teens, that age balancing between child and teenager, a balancing act between imaginative play, sexual tensions and deciding what kind of person you want to be. We see this as readers throughout Huck Finn’s tale, and many times in Esperanza’s. Tom Sawyer consistently plays in the world of imagination, whilst Huck lives real life, which is equally eventful. Esperanza is on that line when you stop playing with your imagination and start building more intrapersonal relations. We see this illustrated after she tries to tattle on Sally for kissing the boys who took her keys. Huck and Esperanza are no strangers to poverty, although Huck does get taste of wealth living. Huck, however, is not embarrassed or shamed by his impoverish state, he actually relishes in not bathing and getting to do what he wants. Esperanza is more shamed by her poverty as a girl, and there is more of a social stigma in her society about what you wear and where you live (not saying class level was not important back in Huck’s day, plus girls are more sensitive as pre-teens).