Final paper on Woman Hollering Creek
Culture is the System of values, beliefs and ways of knowing that guide communities of people in their daily lives (qtd. In Rothstein-Fusch and Trumball 3). Every culture is different and unique in its own lifestyle. Culture is basically life itself. The short story Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros is a clear example of these characteristics by bringing together life in Mexico and the United States. The reader gets the opportunity to view both sides of Cleofilas, the protagonist of the short story, culture as she moves to a new place with her new husband Juan Pedro. She enjoys watching telenovelas because she knows her life will never measure up to the lives of beautiful women from the telenovelas. Cleofilas begins to encounter a dramatic situation by living with an abusive husband and being dominated by men. In the Latin society a common myth is the La Llorona, the weeping woman that Cleofilas seems to encounter. Recognizing the elements of Mexican culture is important in understanding Cisneross short story Woman Hollering Creek.
The telenovelas condition Latina females in their views about romance. The television shows describe the love and life many girls anticipate as they grow up to be young women. For example, Cleofilas wanted her life to be of passion in its purest crystalline essence (Cisneros 239). Before getting married, Cleofilas life consisted of never ending chores, putting up with her brothers and her fathers complaining. She did not have the life that she sought. When she married Juan Pedro, she thought her life would shift and be like the ones from the telenovelas. The influence of beautiful women in the soap operas is also seen when Cleofilas decides to make a change: Does she dye her hair you think? (Cisneros 239) Cleofilas decision to dye her hair shows that she is not content with her looks and appearance. She has an image that women from the telenovelas possess wonderful lives in both love and romance, only because they are beautiful and dye their hair like Lucia Mendez (239). Cleofilas husband doesnt appear to look like the handsome men from the soap operas: His face still scarred from acnethis man who farts and belches and snores as wellwho doesnt care at all for the telenovelas (Cisneros 241). This shows that Cleofilas wants her husband to watch the soap operas and be influenced by them like she is. The fact that Cleofilas mentions he does not like the soap operas shows how much she desires for her husband to be more like the men in the telenovelas. Having a different name would have probably made a difference in Cleofilas life: Somehow she would have to change her name to Topazio, or Yesenia, Cristal, Adriana, Stefania, Andrea, or something more poetic(Cisneros 243). Cleofilas thought that good things happened to women who were named after jewels, nothing good would happen to a girl with a name like Cleofilas.
From the very beginning, Cisneros exposes the control of the father, over to his daughter. In Mxico and the United States, the life of Clefilas is marked by a male-dominated society: look south, and dream of returning to the chores that never ended, six good-for-nothing brothers and one old man complaining (248). In Clefilass family, their conservative views about women mean that all the boys are outside helping their father, and women are virtual prisoners inside their homes, doing chores. In these times, women are not even allowed to be functioning members of society, just tend to their husbands. The men ask something, and the women obediently do it. In addition, Cisneross own life experiences reflect their concept: Born in Chicago in 1954, Cisneros grew up with six brothers and one father, or seven fathers, as she puts it (Becoming a Latina Writer 247). She also wrote that she was the keeper of six swans, as she ironically found out her name was translated to the meaning: Keeper of the Swans (Becoming a Latina Writer 247). Men have a tendency to physically abuse the women, and the women have to take it: But when the time came, and he slapped once, and again and again; until the lip split and bled and orchard of blood, she didnt fight back, she didnt break into tears (Cisneros 240). In this type of alpha-male household, the man wears the pants, and he is able to get away with abusing his wife or daughter(s). This is the cruel fate of Clefilass future. She was going to have to tough it out, every time that Juan Pedro got drunk and laid a hand on Clefilas. She is tough, considering how much abuse she has to take. The city was even a mans world, where the women were never outside, just stayed home, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children: Because the towns are built to you have to depend on husbands. Or stay home (242). Even then, it was considered taboo to have a woman in the workforce that was predominantly male. Unfortunately, in those times, a womans place in the world was a caretaker for the home and the children, according to men who lived in those times. Clefilas has spent her entire life trapped in a world that conditions her to see herself as inferior, and to feel that males, fathers, husbands, or brothers are somehow superior beings that she must serve and honor.
The myth of the La Llorona tale plays an important role in the story Woman Hollering Creek. Although the myth has many versions, the general idea is of a woman who is crying for the lover who has abandoned her and for her children that she has drowned in the river. The woman then is condemned to roam eternally looking for her dead children (La Llorona: The Weeping woman 1). The myth often influences superstitions about locations where people of Mexican decent live. Cisneros writes, La Gritona. Such a funny name for such a lovely arroyo. But thats what they called the creek that ran behind the house (239). When Cleofilas first arrives in Texas, she discovers the creek is called La Gritona, which means the cry in Spanish. She notes that she does not know whether the shriek comes from anger or pain (239), which relates to the myth of the La Lloronas wrath and sadness over her husbands behavior and the death of her children. This may also be a foreshadowing of Cleofilas unhappy life with Juan Pedro. Continuing with references to the creek, Cisneros comments on how only The natives only knew the arroyo one crossed on the way to San Antonio, and then once again on the way back, was called Woman Hollering, a name no one from these parts questions, little less understood (239). The origin of the title of the story connects to this quote, which is linked to the myth of the La Llorona tale, a story of a woman who was victimized by a man. The Latino people of the area know this myth as a part of their culture and accept the subtle programming that women cannot exist without a man and must accept pain as a part of relationships. As Cleofilas experiences more and more misery in her own life, she remembers the tale of the La Llorona from her childhood. Cisneros writes that Cleofilas believes, the La Llorona [is] calling to her (242). The fact that the La Llorona seems to cry out to Cleofilas suggests that she may be thinking of taking her own life since the La Llorona is associated with pain and death. Having been abused by her husband could have caused Cleofilas melancholy to be so great that she does not want to continue with her life. The woman who drives Cleofilas to the bus station, Felice, has a different response to the creek than the Latino women: the driver opened her mouth and let out a yell as loud as any mariachi (Cisneros 244). Cleofilas becomes frightened when Felice yells because she does not realize the creek can be viewed in more than one way. The sound Felice makes shows pride in the fact that the creek is called Woman Hollering because Felice sees hollering as an act of power while the local Latina women associate hollering with sadness. Although the myth of the La Llorona is mostly an account of a woman who was abused by a man, Cisneros uses Felice to convert the La Llorona from a crying woman to a hollering, resourceful figure (La Llorona: The Weeping Woman 4). Also, the change in the meaning of the myth brings optimism to Cleofilas as she crosses the creek for the last time. Similar to the La Llorona myth in the story, Cleofilass life alters from one of subjugation to that of a woman who will save herself from this image of victimization.
Telenovelas, male-dominance, and the myth of the La Llorona plays an important part in comprehending Cisneross short story. Cleofilas is a wife, a mother and a daughter and so often wishes her life were as perfect as the telenovelas she watched while living in Mexico. The soap operas portrayed a perfect life by demonstrating men and women are very beautiful with rich, comfortable lives. Cleofilas life has always been controlled by males and was hardwired to obey her male master and not fight back. Her life was always that of a servant or a lower-class citizen, rather than a wife, sister, family member or friend. Combining everything came the myth of the La Llorona for which influenced Cleofilas life as well as society. Living by a creek named Woman Hollering foreshadowed the pain she encountered. Cleofilas belief of the La Llorona calling to her made her realize what she had to do by breaking free of her abusive husband. Cleofilas leaves town with an amusing laugh and realizes her true identity: It was gurgling our of her throat, a long ribbon of laughter, like water (245).
Works Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. Becoming a Latina Writer. Di Yanni 246-248.
Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek. Di Yanni 238-245.
Di Yanni, Robert, ed. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: McGrawHill, 2002. Print.
La Llorona :The Weeping Woman. http://Users.polisci.wisc.edu/La260/llorona.htm. n.d. Web. 21 Sept 2010.
Rothstein-Fisch, Carrie and Elise Trumball. Managing Diverse Classrooms: How to Build on Students Cultural Strenghts. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD, 2008. 3. Print.
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