Domestic abuse within the Hispanic community is prominent. I have lived within a large Hispanic community for the majority of my life, and it is something that I would not find in statistics. With insider information from family, friends, acquaintances, friends of friends, people I have gone to school with, neighbors, local news, and so much more, I can say that I have seen enough to know that the truth is not reported when gathering information for statistics. This is due to the fact that in our community domestic abuse is dismissed, a topic refused to be acknowledged, or dealt with under the circumstances of the person. This can be seen with the main character, Cleofilas, in “Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros. Earning a Psychology …show more content…
This can be seen in “Woman Hollering Creek” with Cleofilas, who married a loving man who showed his true self not too long into the marriage. And even if there is a way out, what if the partner changes or loves her like before the abuse begins? It does not help that novelas portray these dramatic scenarios that people watch and live for. Cleofilas wanted her life to be like the novella. This false hope is painted in several ways that lead Hispanic women to stay in these misfortunate situations. As many survivors of domestic abuse have experienced, it is common for a feeling of shame to stop them from reaching out for help. As Cleofilas debated going back home, she also thought of how she would be viewed. “But how could she go back there?” (pg 50) She thought to herself that she cannot go back home because of what people at home might think of her. However, it was reassuring to read that the ladies ended up choosing to help her escape and live a better life with her children. They pushed to help her, and it reassured her to know that everything would be …show more content…
I have briefly spoken about our culture and Catholicism in my previous essay writing about the same kind of awareness. Our religion is heavily emphasized in our marriages. Adding to the list of things that are stopping Hispanic women from leaving their abusive husbands. There was a line in Woman Hollering Creek that was a perfect example, “[...] this husband till kingdom come.” (pg 49) After having to list out reasons she loves him despite his behavior, she ended it with this line. This is a line that comes out in one of the Catholic prayers, “till thy kingdom come.” In my introduction I mentioned that I have seen enough to know that statistics are not telling the full truth for this reason. Not only will they not admit the full truth to others, but mainly to themselves as well. Because of the influence Catholicism has on our religion, women must remain with their husbands even if they happen to be abusive. Many are told to pray and believe it in their hearts that he will change. That divorce is never allowed, and if they do, they will have to spend the rest of their lives alone because they have made a vow to God. Many of these women, such as Cleofilas, are dependents and need their husbands. It is not easy to report or seek help, let alone admit it. This is not to say that our religion is causing this to happen, but it is definitely a profound influence in the way it has been
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 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.
Admittedly, the first time I listened to Sonia Sanchez read her “Poem for Some Women” the words stung a bit. As her voice oscillates between a soothing and demanding tone, the topic shifts from a drug addicted mother to a child’s traumatic experience of rape and assault. Briefly put, in a desperate attempt to quell her addiction, the poem’s narrator trades her seven year old daughter in exchange for drugs. In the end, the child runs away from home. Despite its graphic imagery and poignant portrayal of both sexual assault and addiction, the poem is not criticizing the actions of the women it depicts.
Disillusion is defined as “the condition of being dissatisfied or defeated in expectation or hope” especially in the case of love (“Disillusion”). This is the case for the two protagonists in the written works “Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway. The two short stories share a similar theme of the protagonists’ suffering from disillusions, their resolutions are extremely different due to the epiphanies.
The story “Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros describes the lives of Mexicans in a Chicago neighborhood. She depicts the life that women endure as Latino wives through her portrayal of the protagonist, Cleofilas. For Cisneros being a Mexican-American has given her a chance to see life from two different cultures. In addition, Cisneros has written the story from a woman’s perspective, illustrating the types of conflicts many women face as Latino wives. This unique paradigm allows the reader to examine the events and characters using a feminist critical perspective.
Sandra Cisneros’s short story “Never Marry a Mexican” deals heavily with the concept of myth in literature, more specifically the myth La Malinche, which focuses on women, and how their lives are spun in the shadows on men (Fitts). Myths help power some of the beliefs of entire cultures or civilizations. She gives the reader the mind of a Mexican-American woman who seems traitorous to her friends, family and people she is close to. This causes destruction in her path in the form of love, power, heartbreak, hatred, and an intent to do harm to another, which are themes of myth in literature. The unreliable narrator of this story was created in this story with the purpose to show her confusion and what coming from two completely different cultures can do to a person, and what kind of confusion it can bring.
Women’s Escape into Misery Women’s need for male support and their husband’s constant degradation of them was a recurring theme in the book House on Mango Street. Many of Esperanza’s stories were about women’s dreams of marrying, the perfect husband and having the perfect family and home. Sally, Rafaela, and Minerva are women who gave me the impression of [damsel’s in distress].CLICHÉ, it’s ok though. It’s relevant They wished for a man to sweep them of their feet and rescue them from their present misery. These characters are inspiring and strong but they are unable to escape the repression of the surrounding environment. *Cisneros presents a rigid world in which they lived in, and left them no other hope but to get married. Esperanza, however, is a very tough girl who knows what she wants. She will keep dreaming and striving until she gets it. She says, "I am too strong for her [Mango Street] to keep me here" (110). Esperanza learned from all of these women that she was not going to be tied down. She said, "I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain" (88). **Especially after seeing that Sally was suffering so much. Sally’s father is making her want to leave home by beating her. Sally "said her mother rubs lard on the places were it hurts" (93). There is not enough lard in the world to be able to cure the pain within Sally’s heart. Sally, "met a marshmallow salesman at a school bazaar" (101). Pretty soon " sally got married, she has her house now, her pillowcases and her plates" (101). Her marriage seems to free her from her father, but in reality she has now stepped into a world of misery. This was supposed to help her heal; " she says she is in love, but I think she did it to escape." (101). Unlike the other women Sally has no escape, no poetry, not even papaya coconut juice, not to mention, " he does not let her look out the window" (102). That is why "she sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission."(102). Rafaela’s situation also involves imprisonment in her own home. Cisneros introduced us to Rafaela, a young beautiful girl whose expectations from marriage were to obtain a sweet home to live in. Instead...
The main character in “Woman Hollering Creek” is Cleόfilas Enriqueta DeLeόn Hernández, a woman who leaves her home in Mexico to marry a man, Juan Pedro Martinez Sánchez, in Texas. Flowing behind Cleόfilas’ new house in Texas, is a stream named Woman Hollering. Cleόfilas imagines her marriage to be filled with joy and love. To Cleόfilas’ surprise, Juan Pedro is a vile husband that is both physically and verbally abusive. Cisneros brings attention to a recurrent issue within the Chicana community. According to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, “The majority of abused women, (75%) of Mexican-American women reported spousal abuse”
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
“Such a funny name for a creek so pretty and full of happily ever after” (Cisneros,1991, p.248).The story “Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros described the lives of Mexicans in a Chicago neighborhood. She depicts the life that women endure as Latino wives through her portrayal of the protagonist—Cleofilas. Cisneros, a Mexican-American, has given Cisneros a chance to see life from two different cultures. Cisneros wrote the story from a woman’s perspective, demonstrating the types of conflicts many women face as Latino wives.
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.
When Sandra Cisneros wrote “Women of Hollering Creek” she reflected back on her own life experiences. This is a story that is told from the female perspective from start to finish. Like the lead character, Cleofilas, Cisneros is Mexican-American and the only daughter in a family that has seven children. Cisneros studied creative writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and earned her Masters of Fine Arts degree in 1978, (238). Growing up she traveled back and forth to Mexico to visit her father’s family and Cleofilas flees to arms of her father later in the story. She has a blended cultural identity that is relevant in the story by how she uses Mexican and English words together. For example when describing soap operas she calls them by the Spanish name telenovela. This story made me reflect on my own life experiences while I was reading it. I thought about my parents divorce, my aunt’s extremely abusive marriage of eleven years and why women, like me, tend to seek that silver lining when it comes to broken relationships.
In the story "Woman Hollering Creek" Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleofilas; 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. Cisneros has been famous about writing stories about the latino culture and how women are treated; she explain what they go through as a child, teen and when they are married; always dominated by men because of how the culture has been adapted. "Woman Hollering Creek" is one of the best examples. A character who grows up without a mother and who has no one to guid and give her advise about life.
I do believe Atahualpa held the Bible to his ear. There is reason to believe so. He could have held it to his ear because he is used to hearing his past religion presented orally (by word of mouth). Another reason could be that he didn’t know how to open the bible at all (Document B). Let’s dig deeper into this subject. What we do know for sure is that Atahualpa threw the Bible to the ground and sparked the attack of the Spaniards. This has been confirmed. We would have no idea what the reason was unless we heard it from Atahualpa himself why he disapproved of the Bible. Maybe he didn’t wanna convert. This would explain his actions out of anger. In conclusion, I have reason to believe he held it up to his ear. He was used to all of these sermons
The researcher Michael T Johnson in 1995 investigated data from the National Family Violence Survey. Johnson reported that “…young married Hispanic women were more likely to experience domestic violence” (). The racial and ethnic groups revealed differences in rates and the forms of abuse. Researchers reported than African American and Hispanic women with low household income and educational status experienced greatest rates of family and domestic violence. According to Women of Color Network (2006) “African American women reported 29.1% intimated partner violence (sexually, physically, and mentally); on the other hand, Hispanic females reported 21.2%” (p. 1-4). The domestic violence rates among African American and Hispanic women have beben related to the sociocultural beliefs of the acceptance of marital abuse; especially, if women have low educational levels and are financially