`Woman Hollering Creek` by Sandra Cisneros

Passing By The Creek Hollering

A Study on Sandra Cisneros ' Woman Hollering Creek

I . Story

The narrative focuses on Cleofilas , a woman whose penchant for telenovelas brought upon her eventual marriage to Juan Pedro Martinez - thinking that she would live the kind of life the telenovela protagonist had . To the latter , it was all about waiting for the love of her life no matter what happened . So , when Juan Pedro took Cleofilas ' hand in marriage and promised her a queenly life in the United States , Cleofilas took no time to

cross the Mexican b with her new husband . However she discovered that life in the new world with her new husband was unlike the romantic storyline of fiction - reality set in immediately when she had to care for her newborn son , their modest home that always seemed to be in need of repair , and Juan Pedro , who expected to be served hand and foot . A stronger dose of truth came when Juan Pedro started physically assaulting Cleofilas , rendering her black and blue in the face and scared to venture out of the house . Luckily , Cleofilas was later allowed to book a doctor 's appointment to check on the condition of their yet-unborn second child , and , through the help of the doctor 's assistants , she managed to escape the hell she was in and cross back to her family 's home in Mexico . Along the way , Felice , who volunteered to drive Cleofilas , screamed as they passed Woman Hollering Creek , out of habit and tradition - one Cleofilas found hilarious (Cisneros

II . Theme

Clearly , the issues of gender and prejudice resonate in the story , from the beginning , as Cleofilas decides to leave her town to fulfill her dreams of a more modern lifestyle in the United States . 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 . Juan Pedro was her key to a new life , a concept which she also learned from her beloved TV show . She would realize later that her decision to marry Juan Pedro , as well as settling down in what was supposed to be a land of freedom and choice , was actually a stronger and more domineering masculine presence . While life in Mexico was traditionally patriarchal , she had her family and friends to turn to - compared to her practically solitary life in Texas , where she was forced to fend for herself and her child , while still under the rule of her husband (Burris , 1999

III . Character

The story 's main character , Cleofilas , is generally a representation of Latina women , and how non-Latinos perceive them . They are raised and groomed , in households predominantly controlled by men (their fathers and brothers , with the hope that they may someday find suitable men who would decide to take them as their wives . Latina women are always thought to be just someone 's wife of mother , with hardly a chance for...