The dichotomy between Cleófilas’ silence and Felice’s yelling in “Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros is expressive of the empowering idea that women can still break out of society's limitations and become powerful humans, even after America’s long history of attempting to marginalize their voices. We can see the unfair power dynamic America has created between man and woman through the relationship of Cleófilas and her husband. In an extremely abusive relationship, Cleófilas is unable to voice her discontent because of the fear she has towards Juan Pedro: “she had been so stunned, it left her speechless, motionless, numb… She could think of nothing to say, said nothing” (Cisneros 48). The phrases “speechless,” “motionless,” and “she could think of nothing to say,” reflect a woman who wants to stand up to their aggressor, but is unable to do so because she has no power and influence in the relationship. …show more content…
Cleofilas is a victim of her husband’s dominance and control, forcing her to be unable to stand up for herself through her voice and opinion, even though she always believed she would “cry out” (47) or “defend herself” (47). Thus, Juan Pedro literally took away her ability to voice herself in the way she always thought she would, simultaneously taking away her individuality and
Women are seen as failure and can’t strive without men in the Mexican-American community. In this novel you can see a cultural approach which examines a particular aspect of a culture and a gender studies approach which examines how literature either perpetuates or challenges gender stereotypes. Over and over, Esperanza battled with how people perceived her and how she wished to be perceived. In the beginning of the book, Esperanza speaks of all the times her family has moved from one place to another. “Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler.
The story “Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros describes the lives of Mexicans in a Chicago neighborhood. She depicts the life that women endure as Latino wives through her portrayal of the protagonist, Cleofilas. For Cisneros being a Mexican-American has given her a chance to see life from two different cultures. In addition, Cisneros has written the story from a woman’s perspective, illustrating the types of conflicts many women face as Latino wives. This unique paradigm allows the reader to examine the events and characters using a feminist critical perspective.
The differences between Cleofilas and the Woman Hollering Creek, or La Gritona in Spanish, run throughout the story. Though the reasons that the creek is named this are never discovered, Cleofilas wonders if it was named because the woman was hollering in pain or anger. She comments, "Such a funny name for a creek so pretty and full of happily ever after." This is ironic, because though the stream's name carries negative connotations, it flows on, and is even considered beautiful. Cleofilas, whose name is derived from the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, admired for her beauty and charisma, faces her own obstacles in life, yet throughout the majority of the story, she is silent. Cleofilas is physically abused by her husband; the first time he hits her, "she had been so surprised she didn't cry out or defend herself...instead...it left her speechless, motionless, numb." (47, 48) The narrator tells us that Cleofilas could think of nothing to say: quite the opposite of the woman the creek was named after. Cleofilas is also silent when she goes to the ice house with her husband during their first year of marriage. She "sits mute beside their conversation...nods her head, smiles, yawns, politely grins, laughs at the appropriate moments" (48) However, Cleofilas does have moments of doubt and inward questioning. While listening to...
Sandra Cisneros short story “Woman Hollering Creek”, has many allegories about culture, morality, and gender roles.
Through American Literature many writers have given a voice to the once silent. Sandra Cisneros, a writer was one of those contributors. Very few writers of her time, explored and brought to light what she did. She started a movement in the United States and within her community to bring to light the issue that once were overlooked. The Stories, poems, novels and essays she wrote touch the lives of many people, of all walks of life. Cisneros did not have the best childhood but was able to overcome many obstacles through her life. Born in Chicago, Illinois into poverty to her first book The House on Mango street selling more than six million copies (Cisneros, 2017).
“Poverty and exploitation of women in Latin America can never be alleviated because they are rooted in machismo,” meaning that because of the way society was run in Latin American, women can’t advance from the ancient state of mind that they belong in the private sphere and should stay there, because only men are good enough to be out in the public sphere. The reason why society was run in this manner, was because of the machismo feeling engraved in the minds of men and, in some cases, women in society. Alicia, Carolina, and Nancy don’t really have any other choice, than try to survive on their own by doing acts that are not “approved” by the society they live in. Even now, because of their actions, we could even disagree with the way they decided to approach their situation, because even now a day, we could think that selling one’s body or being involved in “off the book”
It is pretty interesting how almost any factor of life can influence an individual’s state of mind. Factors like: social media, media, education, religion, kinship, and oneself has the power to persuade the mind on whether something is “good or bad”, “right or wrong”, “vice, or virtue”. In Woman Hollering creek and other stories is a book written by Sandra Cisneros a Chicana Author known for the widely admired House on Mango Street. Cisneros draws attention to all types of socio-economic statuses within this collection of short stories. Breaking down social construction built buy societies between our communities, religion, and education. In Women Hollering Creek and Other Stories, Cisnero’s representations of masculinities and femininities
Intertwined in allusions to women of Mexican history and folklore, making it clear that women across the centuries have suffered the same alienation and victimization, Cisneros presents a woman who struggles to prevail over romantic notions of domestic bliss by leaving her husband. In the story Woman Hollering Creek, Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleófilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally. Cisneros reveals the way the culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. In Woman Hollering Creek, we see a young Mexican woman, who suddenly moves across the border and gets married. The protagonist, Cleófilas’ character is based on a family of a six brothers and a dad and without a mom, and the story reveals around her inner feelings and secrets.
Cleofilas, must endure the hard labor of her husband’s temper and if she doesn’t take on both gender roles for example: housework, caring for her children, and the outside duties of the home, she suffers the consequences of her husband and the beatings. Juan Pedro, Cleofilas husband is just like society in this situation, he doesn’t think twice about laying a hand on his wife. Whereas, in Cleofilas situation, society doesn’t want to get involved and will place the incident “under the rug” they don’t want to be asked questions, by the husband or the
Throughout history, women and men alike, regard females as lesser, they get abused and taken advantage of time and time again. The strength of the women in the past have carried on and reached the women of today, who are able to feel empowered. Isabel Allende’s representation of women empowerment is beautifully woven into her novel The House of the Spirits, which display the viewpoints of many oppressed women who live in a patriarchal society. Despite this patriarchy, the women manage to gain control of their own roles in life. This control brings effects unto Esteban Trueba’s way of living , ultimately leading him down a path of self-despair and loneliness. Esteban’s first fiancée Rosa de Valle, his first wife Clara de Valle, and his only
She claims that families will flourish if “women are free from violence” and when families flourish, “communities and nations do as well” (“American Rhetoric: Women’s Rights are Human Rights”). By using pathos, this evokes a feeling of pity from the audience; furthermore, Clinton adds that women are having their human rights violated everyday just for being women. For example, “babies are suffocated” just for being girls and women are “set on fire and burned to death” because of small wedding dowries (“American Rhetoric: Women’s Rights are Human Rights”). Clinton wants women around this world to give the voices back to those who have been forced silent in fear. Her encouraging words add to her purpose and show the world the abuses that women go through on a daily basis. Her heart-wrenching pathos is ideal, but her persistent rhetoric doesn’t stop
In the story “Woman Hollering Creek” Sandra Cisneros covers the many challenges of being a married woman through the character Cleofilas. Cleofilas is married to a man that would not only mentally abuse her ,but physically also. Cisneros shows how double standards make it difficult for women; putting men above women. The culture has always been dominated by men.
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 .Cisneros reveals the way the culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. Cisneros has been famous about writing stories about the latino culture and how women are treated; she explain what they go through as a child, teen and when they are married; always dominated by men because of how the culture has been adapted. "Woman Hollering Creek" is one of the best examples. A character who grows up without a mother and who has no one to guid and give her advise about life.
In Latin America, women are treated differently from men and children. They do lots of work for unexplainable reasons. Others for religious reasons and family orders and others because of the men involved. Women are like objects to men and have to obey their orders to either be rich or to live. Some have sex to get the men’s approval, others marry a rich man that they don’t even know very well, and become slaves. An important book called Chronicles of a Death Foretold is an example of how these women are treated. Purisima del Carmen, Angela Vicario's mother, has raised Angela and her sisters to be good wives. The girls do not marry until late in life, rarely socializing beyond the outsides of their own home. They spend their time sewing, weaving, washing and ironing. Other occupations include arranging flowers, cleaning up the house, and writing engagement letters to other men. They also keep the old traditions alive, such as helping the sick, comforting the dying, and covering the dead. While their mother believes they are perfect, men view them as too tied to their women's traditions. The men are afraid that the women would pay more attention to their job more than the men. Throughout the book, the women receive the respect they deserve from the men and others around them.
This creates a despair, of hopelessness and of downheartedness. The woman, on multiple occasions, wrote down, “And what can one do?” This lets the reader know that women as a whole were very oppressed in ...