Woman Hollering Creek Analysis
Raynasha Grant
Dr. Fynboe
ENC1102
16 November 2014
Why I stayed
It happens more times than we care to admit. A woman leaves her family to marry the “man of her dreams.” They believe it will be a change for the better, but most women end up in a relationship that they are not happy with, much like the character of Cleofilas in Sandra Cisneros’ short story “Woman Hollering Creek.” Cleofilas decides to leave her home town and get married to fulfill her dreams of a more wonder life style in the United States. Cleofilas had these images of what her life would be like from watching the soap operas on TV, and it gave her this impression of life. This story suggests and supports the theme regarding the victimization of women in any abusive relationship. …show more content…
Cleofilas biggest obstacle in this story is the abuse she went through with her husband and her trying to find a way out of her marriage. Understanding why women stay in abusive relationships will reveal why Cleofilas stayed rather than leaving her husband.
This story takes place in Seguin, Texas. It is a very dramatic story; the reader is always kept wondering about what will happen next to Cleofilas. Her life is very dramatic, especially when the time comes for her to leave her husband. Her life experiences are also very real. Many women all over the country go through the same problems as Cleofilas. The story is written in limited third person, only knowing the thoughts of Cleofilas. Cisneros uses many Spanish phrases in her stories to help clarify specific ideas and to spice up the story.
In the story "Woman Hollering Creek" Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleofilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally. She is also a character who grows up without a mother and who has no one to guide and give her advice about life. Since Cleofilas grew up without a mother she had these images of what her life would be like from watching the soap operas on TV, and it gave her this impression of life.
First, as a young woman, she leaves her little town in Mexico with a new husband she hardly knows to cross north to Texas, "en el otro lado”--on the other side (Cisneros 247). Filled with images of fictional passions from “telenovelas”--soap operas Cleofilas can hardly admit it to herself, let alone to anyone else, when her dreams of romance and domestic happiness sour in the face of poverty, alcoholism, and abuse. She remains trapped by shame, disbelief, and the limitations of women 's traditional roles on the banks of La Gritona--Woman Hollering Creek.
Finally, a health care worker notices Cleofilas bruises during a prenatal visit and offers to help her escape. The clinician arranges for her friend to drive Cleofilas to the bus station to go back to her hometown Mexico. Crossing the bridge over the Woman Hollering Creek, Cleofilas is introduced to and amazed by new, stronger and more positive possibilities for womanhood.
Cisneros reveals in this story the way the Mexican culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. The story’s main character, Cleofilas, is an illustration of Latina women, and how non-Latinos recognize them. Which are women raised and groomed, in households mainly controlled by men their fathers and brothers (Burris 1). With the anticipation that they may someday find the right men who would decide to take them as a wives. “In the town where she grew up, there isn 't much to do except accompany the aunts and godmothers to the house of one or the other to play cards” (Cisneros 247). Using that, Cisneros helps the reader to get a taste of how the environment is. This was an environment which women don 't have a say in, an environment where woman don 't have the equal power as men; the environment Cleofilas was raised in. “In the Latina world women are always considered to be just someone’s wife and with hardly a chance to say no” (Burris 1). Cleofilas decides to leave her home town and get marriage to fulfill her dreams of a more wonder life style in the United States. “Another one of those brides from across the border, and all her family are all in Mexico” (Cisneros 252).
Within the story there is a lot of abuse that plays a major role on the family’s relationship and how it has affected on her life. It is often that you find this type of behavior within this Spanish cultural most women in this type of situation really have no way out other than to run away (Rouster 25). Cleofilas had to deal with the pain and suffering in a patriarchal world and a male dominated, society. The theme is clearly an issue of gender and abuse in this story. The issues of gender and prejudice are present in the story, from the beginning, as Cleofilas decides to leave her town to accomplish her dreams of a better lifestyle. Her understanding of images on TV gave her the impression that here, life is much better and would perhaps untie her from the conventions of the world she grew up in.
A central idea from the feminist perspective in Sandra Cisneros ' novel Woman Hollering Creek is that of control, specifically, a woman 's control over her own life. This is demonstrated in Cleofilas ' story. The most telling moment that emphasizes this idea is when Cleofilas realized that Felice owned her own pickup truck. “Everything about this woman, this Felice, amazed Cleofilas; it was the fact that she drove a pickup” (Cisneros 253). She realized Felice had control without a man.
Another feminist perspective is that Cleofilas is without a voice of her own. Cisneros suggested “Did you ever notice ... how nothing around here is named after a woman? Really. Unless she’s virgin. I guess you’re only famous if you’re virgin” (Cisneros 251). In that moment Cleofilas realized that women had no voice in society after all. To overcome having a voice of her own Cleofilas had to decide to take control over her own life.
All and all, the narrator 's point of view becomes abundantly clear as Cleofilas crosses Woman Hollering Creek on her way home to Mexico. When moving to her new home with her husband, Cleofilas wants to know whether "the woman has hollered from anger or pain" (Cisceros 248). The creek symbolizes the “road not taken” by staying in an abusive relationship. Indeed, crossing that river to her new home is like crossing into a world of both anger and pain. But leaving that world, and crossing the river in order to ultimately return to Mexico, gives Cleofilas a new perspective. Her companion, Felice hollers when they cross the river, but not in either anger or pain. She hollers "like Tarzan" (Cisneros 253). In the story Felice doesn’t care what a man thinks, at least to the point of allowing one to lower her self-esteem. Cleofilas needed that; she needed to actually see a woman hollering. She needed to know that life isn’t a fairytale and you must experience life, the good and the bad. Also in order to appreciate life you have to know what you want, so you can then truly achieve that fairytale ending of happiness. Cleofilas, the narrator tells us, she had expected "pain or rage, perhaps, but not a hoot like the one Felice had just let go" (Cisneros 253). Thus, "Woman Hollering Creek," when crossing it means returning to Mexico, becomes not angry or painful, but liberating.
It is important to understand information about how and why women remain in abusive relationships. Pointing out these key points gives us readers a better understanding as to why Cleofilas stayed in her abusive relationship. In "Women Hollering Creek" we see a young woman who moves across the border to an unknown town with her new husband. “The first time she had been so surprised she didn’t cry out or try to defend herself. She had always said she would strike back if a man, any man, were to strike her” (Cisneros 249). Once she settles into her new life, her husband begins to physically abuse and dominate her. She would not remember her father’s parting words until later, “I am your father, I will never abandon you” (Cisneros 246). He reminds Cleofilas that he is her father and that he will never throw away her. This is his way of letting her know that she will always be able to come home. She is faced with the important decision to return to her father or to stay and take more abuse. This story represents many stories that occur often today. Women are faced with these difficult decisions and many choose to stay in the abusive marriage because they do not have any means to provide for their family and they do not have any support or protection (Herbert 314). Since Cleofilas was from a non-dominant culture and she did not speak English, her situation was more difficult. If she could not turn to her family in Mexico, she could possibly have chosen to stay in the abusive environment. Most women do not know their options when found in a difficult situation like Cleofilas. In some cases if a wife chooses to leave, her husband may threaten her life as well as her children 's lives (Herbert 312). “Thus, an abused woman may be in danger of experiencing victimization both at the hands of her abuser and from others who learn of the abuse” (Herbert 312).
Internal and external conflicts are the types of conflict shown in the story.
The internal conflict is inside Cleofilas, for she cannot decide whether she should leave Juan Pedro. Cleofilas thought life would be wonderful with him. Cleofilas thinks, "This is the man I have waited my whole life for” (Cisneros 249). Then she realizes that she could never be happy with Juan Pedro. The external conflict is between Cleofilas and Juan Pedro. Juan Pedro beats Cleofilas and gets angry because of "her suspicious questions and her requests to fix this and that" (Cisneros 248). Both the external and internal conflicts are resolved when Cleofilas decides to leave her husband. When a person gets the courage to leave a destructive relationship they break free from life …show more content…
itself.
The final resolution in this story is left to the reader’s imagination.
It does not state what happened to Cleofilas and her husband after she attempted to leave her husband. The life that Cleofilas had was faced with many experiences and all types of hardships. Cleofilas thought her life would be like that, of the telenovela, only to see the episode got sadder and sadder and to make her believe that she could stay no matter what happens between her and her husband. Then she started to realize what the most important thing in life was, her children and herself. Sometimes we ignorantly base our view of the world on things we have seen on television shows or in Cleofilas case, telenovelas. This sense of blind ignorance can lead us to make decisions that we never thought we would have to make, such as deciding whether or not to stay in an abusive relationship. Sandra Cisneros uses "Woman Hollering Creek" to show her readers there is always a way out of an abusive relationship even if you stayed for so long.
Work Cited
Burris, Skylar Hamilton. "Formalist Criticism of Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros." Editor Skylar. N.P., 4 May 2000. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
Cisneros, Sandra. "Woman Hollering Creek." Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 246-53. Print.
Herbert, Tracy Bennett. "Coping with an Abusive Relationship: I. How and Why Do Women Stay?" Journal of Marriage and Family 53.2 (2000):
311-25. JSTOR. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Rouster, William. "An overview of “Woman Hollering Creek”." Short Stories for Students. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Oct. 2014
Dr. Fynboe
ENC1102
16 November 2014
Why I stayed
It happens more times than we care to admit. A woman leaves her family to marry the “man of her dreams.” They believe it will be a change for the better, but most women end up in a relationship that they are not happy with, much like the character of Cleofilas in Sandra Cisneros’ short story “Woman Hollering Creek.” Cleofilas decides to leave her home town and get married to fulfill her dreams of a more wonder life style in the United States. Cleofilas had these images of what her life would be like from watching the soap operas on TV, and it gave her this impression of life. This story suggests and supports the theme regarding the victimization of women in any abusive relationship. …show more content…
Cleofilas biggest obstacle in this story is the abuse she went through with her husband and her trying to find a way out of her marriage. Understanding why women stay in abusive relationships will reveal why Cleofilas stayed rather than leaving her husband.
This story takes place in Seguin, Texas. It is a very dramatic story; the reader is always kept wondering about what will happen next to Cleofilas. Her life is very dramatic, especially when the time comes for her to leave her husband. Her life experiences are also very real. Many women all over the country go through the same problems as Cleofilas. The story is written in limited third person, only knowing the thoughts of Cleofilas. Cisneros uses many Spanish phrases in her stories to help clarify specific ideas and to spice up the story.
In the story "Woman Hollering Creek" Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleofilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally. She is also a character who grows up without a mother and who has no one to guide and give her advice about life. Since Cleofilas grew up without a mother she had these images of what her life would be like from watching the soap operas on TV, and it gave her this impression of life.
First, as a young woman, she leaves her little town in Mexico with a new husband she hardly knows to cross north to Texas, "en el otro lado”--on the other side (Cisneros 247). Filled with images of fictional passions from “telenovelas”--soap operas Cleofilas can hardly admit it to herself, let alone to anyone else, when her dreams of romance and domestic happiness sour in the face of poverty, alcoholism, and abuse. She remains trapped by shame, disbelief, and the limitations of women 's traditional roles on the banks of La Gritona--Woman Hollering Creek.
Finally, a health care worker notices Cleofilas bruises during a prenatal visit and offers to help her escape. The clinician arranges for her friend to drive Cleofilas to the bus station to go back to her hometown Mexico. Crossing the bridge over the Woman Hollering Creek, Cleofilas is introduced to and amazed by new, stronger and more positive possibilities for womanhood.
Cisneros reveals in this story the way the Mexican culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. The story’s main character, Cleofilas, is an illustration of Latina women, and how non-Latinos recognize them. Which are women raised and groomed, in households mainly controlled by men their fathers and brothers (Burris 1). With the anticipation that they may someday find the right men who would decide to take them as a wives. “In the town where she grew up, there isn 't much to do except accompany the aunts and godmothers to the house of one or the other to play cards” (Cisneros 247). Using that, Cisneros helps the reader to get a taste of how the environment is. This was an environment which women don 't have a say in, an environment where woman don 't have the equal power as men; the environment Cleofilas was raised in. “In the Latina world women are always considered to be just someone’s wife and with hardly a chance to say no” (Burris 1). Cleofilas decides to leave her home town and get marriage to fulfill her dreams of a more wonder life style in the United States. “Another one of those brides from across the border, and all her family are all in Mexico” (Cisneros 252).
Within the story there is a lot of abuse that plays a major role on the family’s relationship and how it has affected on her life. It is often that you find this type of behavior within this Spanish cultural most women in this type of situation really have no way out other than to run away (Rouster 25). Cleofilas had to deal with the pain and suffering in a patriarchal world and a male dominated, society. The theme is clearly an issue of gender and abuse in this story. The issues of gender and prejudice are present in the story, from the beginning, as Cleofilas decides to leave her town to accomplish her dreams of a better lifestyle. Her understanding of images on TV gave her the impression that here, life is much better and would perhaps untie her from the conventions of the world she grew up in.
A central idea from the feminist perspective in Sandra Cisneros ' novel Woman Hollering Creek is that of control, specifically, a woman 's control over her own life. This is demonstrated in Cleofilas ' story. The most telling moment that emphasizes this idea is when Cleofilas realized that Felice owned her own pickup truck. “Everything about this woman, this Felice, amazed Cleofilas; it was the fact that she drove a pickup” (Cisneros 253). She realized Felice had control without a man.
Another feminist perspective is that Cleofilas is without a voice of her own. Cisneros suggested “Did you ever notice ... how nothing around here is named after a woman? Really. Unless she’s virgin. I guess you’re only famous if you’re virgin” (Cisneros 251). In that moment Cleofilas realized that women had no voice in society after all. To overcome having a voice of her own Cleofilas had to decide to take control over her own life.
All and all, the narrator 's point of view becomes abundantly clear as Cleofilas crosses Woman Hollering Creek on her way home to Mexico. When moving to her new home with her husband, Cleofilas wants to know whether "the woman has hollered from anger or pain" (Cisceros 248). The creek symbolizes the “road not taken” by staying in an abusive relationship. Indeed, crossing that river to her new home is like crossing into a world of both anger and pain. But leaving that world, and crossing the river in order to ultimately return to Mexico, gives Cleofilas a new perspective. Her companion, Felice hollers when they cross the river, but not in either anger or pain. She hollers "like Tarzan" (Cisneros 253). In the story Felice doesn’t care what a man thinks, at least to the point of allowing one to lower her self-esteem. Cleofilas needed that; she needed to actually see a woman hollering. She needed to know that life isn’t a fairytale and you must experience life, the good and the bad. Also in order to appreciate life you have to know what you want, so you can then truly achieve that fairytale ending of happiness. Cleofilas, the narrator tells us, she had expected "pain or rage, perhaps, but not a hoot like the one Felice had just let go" (Cisneros 253). Thus, "Woman Hollering Creek," when crossing it means returning to Mexico, becomes not angry or painful, but liberating.
It is important to understand information about how and why women remain in abusive relationships. Pointing out these key points gives us readers a better understanding as to why Cleofilas stayed in her abusive relationship. In "Women Hollering Creek" we see a young woman who moves across the border to an unknown town with her new husband. “The first time she had been so surprised she didn’t cry out or try to defend herself. She had always said she would strike back if a man, any man, were to strike her” (Cisneros 249). Once she settles into her new life, her husband begins to physically abuse and dominate her. She would not remember her father’s parting words until later, “I am your father, I will never abandon you” (Cisneros 246). He reminds Cleofilas that he is her father and that he will never throw away her. This is his way of letting her know that she will always be able to come home. She is faced with the important decision to return to her father or to stay and take more abuse. This story represents many stories that occur often today. Women are faced with these difficult decisions and many choose to stay in the abusive marriage because they do not have any means to provide for their family and they do not have any support or protection (Herbert 314). Since Cleofilas was from a non-dominant culture and she did not speak English, her situation was more difficult. If she could not turn to her family in Mexico, she could possibly have chosen to stay in the abusive environment. Most women do not know their options when found in a difficult situation like Cleofilas. In some cases if a wife chooses to leave, her husband may threaten her life as well as her children 's lives (Herbert 312). “Thus, an abused woman may be in danger of experiencing victimization both at the hands of her abuser and from others who learn of the abuse” (Herbert 312).
Internal and external conflicts are the types of conflict shown in the story.
The internal conflict is inside Cleofilas, for she cannot decide whether she should leave Juan Pedro. Cleofilas thought life would be wonderful with him. Cleofilas thinks, "This is the man I have waited my whole life for” (Cisneros 249). Then she realizes that she could never be happy with Juan Pedro. The external conflict is between Cleofilas and Juan Pedro. Juan Pedro beats Cleofilas and gets angry because of "her suspicious questions and her requests to fix this and that" (Cisneros 248). Both the external and internal conflicts are resolved when Cleofilas decides to leave her husband. When a person gets the courage to leave a destructive relationship they break free from life …show more content…
itself.
The final resolution in this story is left to the reader’s imagination.
It does not state what happened to Cleofilas and her husband after she attempted to leave her husband. The life that Cleofilas had was faced with many experiences and all types of hardships. Cleofilas thought her life would be like that, of the telenovela, only to see the episode got sadder and sadder and to make her believe that she could stay no matter what happens between her and her husband. Then she started to realize what the most important thing in life was, her children and herself. Sometimes we ignorantly base our view of the world on things we have seen on television shows or in Cleofilas case, telenovelas. This sense of blind ignorance can lead us to make decisions that we never thought we would have to make, such as deciding whether or not to stay in an abusive relationship. Sandra Cisneros uses "Woman Hollering Creek" to show her readers there is always a way out of an abusive relationship even if you stayed for so long.
Work Cited
Burris, Skylar Hamilton. "Formalist Criticism of Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros." Editor Skylar. N.P., 4 May 2000. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
Cisneros, Sandra. "Woman Hollering Creek." Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 246-53. Print.
Herbert, Tracy Bennett. "Coping with an Abusive Relationship: I. How and Why Do Women Stay?" Journal of Marriage and Family 53.2 (2000):
311-25. JSTOR. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Rouster, William. "An overview of “Woman Hollering Creek”." Short Stories for Students. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Oct. 2014