Why are the Four Skinny Trees important to Esperanza in The House on Mango Street?

The Four Skinny Trees are out of place on Mango Street. 
To a great extent, Esperanza identifies with them because she sees herself out of place,
to a large extent, on Mango Street.  In identifying with the trees, Esperanza is seeking
to explain her own state of being in the world.  She has demonstrated to a great extent
her ability to see through her own environment and her neighborhood.  She has shown the
ability to see herself in both the lights that which others view her and the prism
through which she sees herself.  In being able to do so, she is able to draw connections
between and against different elements in her neighborhood.  The Four Skinny Trees are
akin to her because they physically look out of place with the other trees on the
block.  Like Esperanza, while they might not appear to be in sync with what is there,
they are strong and extremely tough.  They have roots that go well beyond the surface,
and like Esperanza are tied to Mango Street.  In another sense, they are significant
because they are an embodiment of the transcendental qualities to which Esperanza ties
herself.  One of Esperanza's strongest traits is the idea that what is there in front of
her is not necessarily what will constitute the long- lasting vision of her state of
being in the world.  It is for this reason that she constantly looks to clouds and the
sky.  These elements represent a transcendental quality to her, something that goes
beyond and past the contingency of her world.  This is something that she identifies
with the trees as they "speak" to her.  Esperanza sees the trees as important because
they represent an element that is not contingent, but rather universal.  The connection
that Esperanza forms with them is reflective of those bonds that she will carry with her
outside of the socially dictated reality of Mango Street.  It is to this end that they
are important to her.