Analysis Of For All Tuesday Travelers By Sandra Cisneros

The poem was part of a Sandra Cisneros’s book called, My Wicked Wicked Ways, collection of poems that has the themes of Chicanas’ sexuality, culture, and history. It is a narrative because it paints a picture in my head even though it has a few words. For All Tuesday Travelers is an empowerment poem because it tells a story of a woman acting against the traditional role of being woman by using allegory, mood, and alliteration.
Each line has a meaning that helps convey the message of empowerment and embracing sexuality. For example, in the first line, “I am the middle-of-the week wife.” (Cisnero,77). She is not a ‘traditional’ wife because a ‘traditional’ wife’s role is to overall take care her husband and her family every day; not just for one day. Unless she is a marry woman, who acts like a traditional wife for one day while the rest of the week, she spends her free time alone. However, she proclaims herself the “middle-of-the week wife”. This means that she is a mistress of a married man and she comes over in the middle of the week such on Tuesdays or even Wednesday to adultery. She calls

herself a wife to tell the reader that she has been with this man for so long that it feels like she is married to him. The poet used a hyphen in the first two lines because it wants to emphasize the what kind of wife she is. It is like an adjective, rather than the poet describe the wife to be loyal to her partner all the time, it was written as she was loyal for a few days.
The second lines are, “The back-door sneak.” (Cisnero,77). This proves the idea that she is a mistress to a marry man and would go to the back of the house to sneak out. If he was a lonely man why would he be sneaky about it, there are two possibilities; one she is a prostitute he orders or two, another woman who he regularly cheats with. This means that he probably does not want anyone to see her leaving out of the house like that no one could tell his wife or to judge him. In addition, their relationship is a “no strings attach”, both parties do not have romantic feeling for one or the other. A person with a relationship would like their partner to stay with them overnight. The reason is, in this line of the poem, it did not say or imply that one of them had feelings for each other. For example, of her wanting to stay in bed with him or he did not want her to leave. Since it was a simple “back- door sneak.”, this means it was purely just sex hence she leaves.
The fourth line is, “who wonder at who arrives so late” (Cisnero,77). After they wake up, the neighbors are curious of who is the mysterious person is. Another thing about this line, is that the mistress arrives late meaning that he picked her up or she arrives at his house. She could be referring to a ‘booty call’, a slang term when a person receives a phone call or message like that they can have causal sex, usually happens at night than the day. However, we do need to consider that she is a “middle-of the-week wife” meaning that there is a schedule. Therefore, she would constantly be at his house, sleeping with him similar how a wife would be, except she would be with him in those specific day. This where we see alliteration, this creates the mood of wonder without using a question mark.
The fifth line is, “departed so early” (Cisnero,77).

In this line, it implies that she leaves in the morning. Once again, it is confirming that their relationship is a one-night stand. In the tenth line, “without the labor.”. She means that she doesn’t have to put any effort to either fall in love or to have sex with this man because he is a regular and it is a meaningless fling.
The eleventh line is, “It is a good life.” (Cisnero,77). She enjoys her life even though sleep around with men. The twelfth line is, “I would not trade it” (Cisnero,77). The, “it” in this line would either be her job of being an escort, a lavish prostitute or a mistress who is with a married man. In society, a woman who has casual sex or has a job like that would be consider looking down on. That is why she would not trade her improper life for another ‘normal’ life because she relishes her

lifestyle.
The fourth teen line is, “I who am the topic” (Cisnero,77). She knows that people talk because of her personality. She knows that what she is doing is consider unacceptable, that’s how she knows is the center of “topic”. In the sixteen line is, “Who in her lone society” (Cisnero,77). She feels that she is the only woman against society’s guideline of woman’s role. The role of raising a family and being married. She does not desire to have that kind routine and she is a few women who is against the ‘rules’ of society. In the seventeen line is, “Politely sips the breakfast given her.” The use of the word, “politely” gives of the character a calm personal. This implies that the gossip about her does not affect her any way since she is confident woman who enjoys having intercourse.
In the beginning of the poem, the mood is curiosity, asking the audience why would she sleep around when she would look down upon and she would be the center of attention. However, at the end of the poem, the mood changes to content because the woman does not care what others think.
In conclusion, the poem is conveying the message of a woman has the freedom of doing any activities even if it is about sex, however, she will be judged. In the Chicano world, a woman’ world, the role is to get married and have a family. While this poem is stating that this woman does not want to be a wife and rather be free of who she is.