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The portrayal of women in literature
The portrayal of women in literature
Studying gender roles in literature
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Sandra Cisneros’ Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories centers around the emotional, mental and sexual development of women as they explore the limitations placed on them by their culture, families and religion. Through the tales of such historical figures as La Malinche, La Lloronoa and the Virgin of Guadalupe, each woman struggles to fulfill her placement within these guidelines set by her culture. Sexuality, female agency and identity are a struggle for these Chicana women because their relationships and culture place such a stronghold on the way that they are able to express themselves. In breaking away from these set roles, Cisneros’ characters are able to identify themselves as more than virgin, whore or mother; they are now their own …show more content…
Clemencia, named Malinche by her lover, is stuck with this whore persona that she fits in because of her similarities with La Malinche. Similarly Ixchel should, by her grandmother’s standards, feel shame for her actions but she knows nothing of shame because in her eyes, she has done nothing wrong. Clemencia and Ixchel share the pain of their sexuality, as they attempt to control themselves sexually and to embrace their sexuality as a positive, instead of the negative that their culture deems it. However, in “Women Hollering Creek,” identity and sexuality play a completely different role as Cleofilas must find herself through reexamining all of the maternal figures that her culture has supplied. Cleofilas is negatively impacted by her society through telenovelas and the romance novels that she reads as their replacement while living in Texas. These programs are created by the patriarchy and Cleofilas must realize the mistakes within them through her own life and then act out of the roles that society wants for her – not La Llorona as the maternal figure gone wrong or the Virgin of Guadalupe as the passive and gentle female, but as an individual. Cleoflias leaves her husband and her ideals behind in favor of saving herself and her children, and she does so while stepping out of the patriarchal and cultural guidelines that she has stood within for so
Symbolism is the key to understanding Sandra Cisneros’ novel, “The House on Mango Street”. By unraveling the symbolism, the reader truly exposes the role of not only Latina women but women of any background. Esperanza, a girl from a Mexican background living in Chicago, writes down what she witnesses while growing up. As a result of her sheltered upbringing, Esperanza hardly comprehends the actions that take place around her, but what she did understand she wrote in her journal. Cisneros used this technique of the point of view of a child, to her advantage by giving the readers enough information of what is taking place on Mango Street so that they can gather the pieces of the puzzle a get the big picture.
Cleofilas grew up in a male dominant household of six brother and father, and without a mother, she no woman figure to guide her, give advice on life, or how to love a man. Cleofilas turned to telenovelas for a woman’s guidance on love and appearance, and she began to imagine her ideal life through the television series. Once Cleofilas was married she moved away into a home with her husband, were she pictured everything to be like the couples on the telenovelas, but she soon starts to realize life isn 't exactly like how they view it in the telenovelas. In the story Sandra make the statement ‘From what see can tell, from the times during her first year when still a newlywed she is invited and accompanies her husband, sits mute besides their conversations, waits and sips a beer until it grows warm, twists a paper napkin into a knot, then another into a fan, one into a rose, nods her head, smiles, yawns, politely grins, laughs at the appropriate moments, leans against her husband’s sleeve, tugs at his elbow, and finally becomes good at predicting where the talk will lead, from this Cleofilas
In a couple between a man and woman, the man is known for being the dominant one in the relationship. In the story "Woman Hollering Creek", by Sandra Cisneros. Cleofilas Enriqueta Deleon Hernandez, is a woman who suffers from her husbands over dominance of the relationship. Cleofila is woman with ambitions to live a meaningful life filled with love and happiness just like in her telenovelas. Instead, she lives in isolation with Juan Pedro Martinez Sanchez, her husband who she loves dearly, but is constantly abused by him. The only friends Cleofila has are her lady neighbors, Dolores and Soledad. In their actions and responses, many women unwittingly reflect the viewpoints and focus of their friends and neighbors
Sandra Cisneros portraits Clemencia in various ways in “Never Marry a Mexican”. Clemencia is stuck in an interracial world, she wants to fit in, not only fit in but become better, become more powerful and loved. Clemencia is a very resentful woman, she is full of hatred, not only for others but also within her own self. Clemencia is a mistress of several men, but one in particular who she happens to find herself in love with, Drew. Clemencia becomes extremely obsessed with her relationship with Drew. “You think I went hobbling along with my life, whimpering and whining like some twangy country-and-western when you went back to her. But I’ve been waiting. Making the world look at you from my eyes.” (pg. 59) Clemencia’s resentment against Megan, Drew’s white wife, goes beyond the necessity of having Drew, but also involves the belief that she will never be like that “ redheaded Barbie Doll in fur coat” (pg. 64) referring to Megan due to the racial inequality she has grown to experience throughout her life.
Both of the women didn’t expect the misfortunes that was to come, they fantasized about a perfect marriage and having many children. The author uses a lot of connections to the legend La Llorona, but for Cleo it was a happier ending. La Llorona out of depression and anger she drowned her children. The legend says to make women feel the need to do the same, but for Cleo she beat the odds, she felt comforted by her cries. She knew that she was telling her to leave her husband and be independent. Cleo was surrounded around loneliness and sadness, but with the help of happiness Felice she became finally
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
In the first verse of “La casada infiel”, the reader is introduced quickly to the sexist narrative voice and Lorca’s criticism of societal values surrounding female sexuality and sex at the time:
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.
As an American short story writer, Sandra Cisneros was influenced by her mother. She made her get library cards and check out books to read when she was young. During her childhood experiences and ethnic heritage as the daughter of a Mexican father and Chicana mother, Cisneros adresses poverty. She is best known for the award winning House On Mango Street in 1983.This book mainly focuses on the treatment of woman in a Chicano community. The House on Mango Street as well as her recent books, Woman Hollering Creek and other stories have won critical condition of hispanic woman. She wrote the house on Mango Street which started without high expectations. Critics say that this book was highly acclaimed, but she then wrote a poem called The Wicked Wicked Ways, and it was perhaps the most widely read. As today, Sandra Cisneros is considered the most visible chicana in literary circles. She received her first fellowship in 1982,an which allowed her to write full time.She writes in very descriptive; yet simple language creating images through personification. She descriptively wrote on the House on Mango Street about Esperanza’s colorful world of beauty and ugliness. She is a writer who writes in her own way, she wanted to write books that were as unique as her. The books she writes are not like any other books she had checked out form the library or read in school. She wrote about her childhood memories and also the every day language she heard in her “vecindad’ meaning neighborhood in Spanish. She lived in an apartment that had no attic, she felt homeless because neither did she have cellars or crannies but, only a basement which consisted of spiders and mice where no one wanted to store things down there. She then realized that s...
In an audio Interview, done by Don Swain, Cisneros explains how she got the title of the story." The Creek" she says "is a real place" she explains how she wanted the title to be in Spanish but she wasn't allowed to; the reason, she explained, was because she was a Mexican woman. "The creek called La Gretna is a reminiscent of popular folktale about La Lorona, a nameless tragic woman drowned herself and her children"(Mullen 1).Cisneros creates the character from a background which explains why she doesn't know what the reality of life is; she comes from a family of a six brothers and a dad and without a mom, a male dominated family. Jeff Thomas, from the article" What is Called Heaven" says: "The union of gender, and gender based ideologies, is essential to the strong, feminine characters of the later stories of Woman Hollering Creek."(l) What Thomas means is that Cisnores focuses more on gender problems, discriminations and the conflicts in this story rather than love story and the lifestyle. Although Cleofilas finds a way to learn her womanly attributes, through television series .she imagines her ideal life through television series which she watches religiously. Cisneros created a great example. In the third world countries, communication outside of a city or country is very hard, so Cisneros used the telenovelas as the only tool for Cleofilas to see how life can sometimes be. She doesn't know being beaten by her husband is not a normal thing. She is living in the suburbs with her husband with neighbors who in their own way, are trapped as well. Cisneros also shows how life can be for Cleofilas when a mom is not present to guide heir, again, Cleofilas's only guide are the television series.
Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago and grew up in Illinois. She was the only girl in a family of seven. Cisneros is noted for her collection of poems and books that concentrate on the Chicano experience in the United States. In her writings, Cisneros explores and transcends borders of location, ethnicity, gender and language. Cisneros writes in lyrical yet deceptively simple language. She makes the invisible visible by centering on the lives of Chicanos--their relationships with their families, their religion, their art, and their politics.
Women Hollering Creek was considered one of Sandra Cisnero's best works. With a Texan view, this 22 short story novel was set upon the late 1960's to 1980's era. There are three distinct sections: “My Lucy Friend who smells like Corn”, “One Holy Night” as well as “There was a Man, There was a Woman”. Each part contains short stories within them. These all consist of a heartwarming girl, Esperanza,who matures into a woman and how she faces these gender roles through love and violence. Cisneros alters the name Esperanza with Chayo, Rachel, Lupe, Ines, and Clemenica, to explain differences between them along with to give the story more lewd effectiveness.
In the Book women are looked upon as objects by men whether they are boyfriends, friends fathers or husbands. The girls in the novel grow up with the mentality that looks and appearance are the most important things to a woman. Cisneros also shows how Latino women are expected to be loyal to their husbands, and that a husband should have complete control of the relationship. Yet on the other hand, Cisneros describes the character Esperanza as being different. Even though she is born and raised in the same culture as the women around her, she is not happy with it, and knows that someday she will break free from its ties, because she is mentally strong and has a talent for telling stories. She comes back through her stories by showing the women that they can be independent and live their own lives. In a way this is Cinceros' way of coming back and giving back to the women in her community.
...Halevi-Wise, Yael (1997). Story-telling in Laura Esquivel's Como Agua Para Chocolate. The Other Mirror: Women’s Narrative in Mexico, 1980-1995. Ed. Kristine Ibsen. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. 123-131.