Woman Hollering Creek is a short story written by Sandra Cisneros and it deals with domestic violence. The main character is Cleofilas, a Mexican woman, who marries Juan Pedro and goes to live in the U.S. She is not happy in this marriage although they have one child and another on the way, because Juan Pedro abuses her, physically and mentally. Women help one another out in this story because Cleofilas does not know how to get away until she meets Felice and Graciela. Even though Cleofilas thinks suffering for love is good, she is faced with the reality of domestic violence that changes her mind.
Moreover, the story is set is a small town which is dominated by men because a person needs a car in order to get anywhere. “Or you stay at home. Or you drive. If you’re rich enough to own, allowed to drive, your own car” (Cisneros 224). Women need permission to drive because their husbands are their masters. However, Cleofilas is not one of those women, because her husband is primitive and he does not have enough money. She does not work or speak English, which is a problem that usually leads to domestic violence. The husband believes that he owns his wife and this causes many problems that lead to the mistreatment of Cleofilas. Men are not supposed to beat their wives, but it is not frowned upon in some cultures which promote male dominance. However, Juan Pedro is aware of the fact that he is not supposed to beat his wife. After the beating “She could think of nothing to say, said nothing. Just stroked the dark curls of the man who wept and would weep like a child, his tears of repentance and shame, this time and each” (Cisneros 223). Cleofilas is completely unprepared for such a life and for this kind of treatment and she does not know what to do. Juan Pedro is taking out his anger on her because he is unsatisfied in his life and his is powerless to change it. The only thing he has control over is Cleofilas and her life and he takes advantage of that. Instead of protecting her, he abuses her and does not even care about his baby.
Furthermore, telenovelas shaped the way Cleofilas thinks about love and marriage because everything looks nice on television. She is childish and immature and believes that what she sees in those TV shows exists in reality as well. Her notion about love is not realistic because it is romanticized: “Because to suffer for love is good. The pain all sweet somehow. In the end” (Cisneros 220). Cleofilas believes in real love and she wishes for her life to be like a telenovela, but that is not possible. She is an intelligent young woman and she quickly realizes what is best for her. Cleofilas loves her husband until she finds out who he really is, which is when she starts thinking about going home. She is afraid of shame because she would come back without a husband, pregnant and with a baby. The town is small and people have fun by judging other people and by gossiping.
Additionally, Cleofilas has good neighbors, two women who live alone because they turned out to be stronger than their husbands in life. Their names are symbolic because the meaning of Soledad is loneliness, while the meaning of Dolores is derived from pain. On top of that, it turns out that Cleofilas is the name of a martyr. Soledad claims to be a widow, but that does not necessarily mean that her husband is dead, but it certainly means that he is never coming back. On the other hand, Dolores had a husband who died after their sons got killed in a war. Men seem to be the weaker sex in this story because they are not capable of anything apart from beating their families, running away and dying. The plot is structured around the creek that is behind their houses. Therefore, the title of the story symbolizes a strong woman who hollers in order to show her dominance and strenght. The creek is named after her and her voice signifies that she is still alive. That is why Felice shouts after passing the creek with Cleofilas and her baby. She says: “Every time I cross that bridge I do that. Because of the name, you know, Woman Hollering” (Cisneros 227). This is a sort of empowerment and she is right in doing so because sometimes a person has to scream at the top of their voice just to feel life and strength. This feeling is good and Cleofilas understands it. Felice’s pickup is also a symbol of female independence and it does not take Cleofilas long to adapt herself to the new situation. She is happy to have abandoned her husband and has no worries about the future when she looks at Felice by her side.
Overall, the story is organized in such a way that Sandra Cisneros gives details whenever they are needed and she uses retrospective. The structure of the story makes it easy to understand because there is both narration and dialogue. It is easy to feel empathy for Cleofilas because she is an amazing woman. Cleofilas understands her own situation and decides to take the offer given by Graciela and Felice. She does not have second thoughts about leaving her husband. That makes her a courageous woman because she is going back home and is not afraid of her husband anymore. The moment she gets into Felice’s car, she forgets about telenovelas and the lifestyle they promote. Her new role model is Felice because she is different than anybody she had ever seen in her life. Cleofilas is impressed by Felice because “she said she didn’t have a husband. The pickup was hers. She herself had chosen it. She herself was paying for it” (Cisneros 228). This kind of behavior is unusual for women in Mexican culture and Cleofilas is amazed. Men are dominant in the culture presented in this story, but women are the ones who survive. Cleofilas goes through a rough time, but she manages to stay sane and does not let her unhappy marriage ruin her life. She decides to stay strong with the help of her father and her brothers. This is the right thing to do and she is happy when she is reunited with her family. Her perspective on life changes because of her encounter with Felice. She sees that there is more to life than marrying the first man who proposes to her.
In conclusion, Woman Hollering Creek is a short story about women who still have to fight for their rights because of the culture they live in. Women need to be more educated about the importance of independence and they need to know that they have a right to choose who to marry. Both partners need to be happy in marriage and that is why they have to get to know each other well prior to getting married.
Works Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories. New York: Vintage, 1992. Print.
