A space of her own

This interview with Sandra Cisneros, especially in the first minute, reminded me of Bread Givers and Sara's quest for a room of her own. She desperately wants to find a room of her own so she could form her identity. Similarly, Esperanza wants to live in a house she isn't ashamed of. And in the end, both characters get what they want. Or at least, Sara does and Esperanza likely will. And both books emphasize neatness and quietness as good attributes for their house.

Does this desire for independence and a different way of life signify a break in ethnicity, a desire to escape racial identity? Or does it simply mean these characters want to gain independence to further their already present ethnicity?