Why is hair important in The House on Mango Street?

To answer this question you need look no further than the
vignette entitled "Hairs," which comes towards the beginning of this excellent novella.
This short fragment explores the way that hair is important as a symbol of difference,
as, we are told, "Everybody in our family has different hair." Hair is important then in
how it differentiates the members of Esperanza's family, but also it is incredibly
important when she thinks of her mother's hair and the rich, sensuous images that come
to her when they are close and she can smell the aroma of bread in her hair. Note what
Esperanza says about her mother's hair:

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But my mother's hair, my mother's hair, like
little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in
pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and
you feel safe, is the warm small of bread before you bake it, is the smell when she
makes room for you on her side of the bed still warm with her skin, and you sleep near
her, the rain outside falling and Papa
snoring.

Thus we can see the
importance of hair relates also to a feeling of intimacy, closeness and warmth that
Esperanza experiences as a child, as she comes to associate the smell of her mother's
hair with being close to her and being allowed in the same bed as a child. Hair, and the
rich, evocative images it conjures up, are therefore very important as an image of
closeness and family love and unity.