As a character, Esmeralda is on multiple journeys. During the course of the book, she moves from city to city and out of childhood into something closer to adulthood. The clearest examples of her transition are in her increasingly mature emotional reactions. For instance, in the early stages of the book she blames her mother for many things that are not her fault. However, as Esmeralda grows, she begins to understand that her mother is in a challenging situation.

Esmeralda matures not simply through aging, but also by her experiences. She moves from a low-income neighborhood, into abject poverty, and then back, before moving to New York and a much more affluent situation. Her early romantic fantasies are sullied by experiences with inappropriate, exploitative men who cast shadows on her ideas about love. Perhaps most sadly, as a child who is only fourteen, she is already aware that she does not like people very much. These transitions are part and parcel of leaving childhood behind, but Esmeralda’s transitions are harsher than those of many children living in easier circumstances.