Review of Woman Hollering Creek

Summary Woman Hollering Creek is a short story by Sandra Cisneros that published in April 1991 which tells about a woman live in Mexico named Cleofilas who was married to a man named Juan Pedro from Seguin, Texas. Cleofilas is the protagonist in this short story. On the other side, there is Juan Pedro as the antagonist in this story. Initially, Cleofilas used her marriage to Juan as a ticket to leave her hometown because she was tired of living there. When they were married, Juan Pedro took Cleofilas to Seguin. At first, Cleofilas thought her marriage world would be like at the telenovelas (Mexican soap opera) that she likes to watch. In fact, her marriage to Juan Pedro was not as beautiful as she imagined. Juan Pedro often commits domestic violence. Cleofilas was pressured by her husband's domestic violence. She endured persecution from her own husband.Sometimes, Cleofilas thinks of returning to her father's house. But then she thought too much of her neighborhood's opinion when she came home without her husband. She is afraid of the gossips that will be aired on the town. Juan also have a toxic friendship. One of his friend is a criminal named Maximiliano who was said to have killed his wife in an ice-house brawl. It also turns out that Juan Pedro also lied about his wealth. When meeting with Cleofilas, Juan confessed that he had worked at a beer company. But in reality, he didn't even have enough money to support his family. Cleofilas can't even watch her favorite telenovelas because there is no television in their house. She regretted that her life was not as beautiful as in telenovelas. One day, when she was about to give birth to her second child, she was worried because she doesn’t have money to pay the bills. Then, she met Graciela who realized that Cleofilas was experiencing a lot of violence and asked her friend Felice for help to take Cleofilas away and drop her to Greyhound in Santo Antonio, across arroyo. Arroyo is a steep-sided gully formed by the action of fast-flowing water in an arid or semi-arid region found chiefly in the southwestern US. Then, she met Felice which amazed her so much because of her independency. Personal Feedback In my opinion, the story of Woman Hollering Creek tells about oppression of women. Cleofilas as the main character symbolized racial oppression from Americans to people of Mexican descent at that time. In addition, Cleofilas was pressured by her husband's domestic violence. She endured persecution from her own husband. Cleofilas is a dreamer girl. She dreamed of the happily life just like on the telenovelas. Unfortunately, life turns her dreams down. She is afraid to leave her husband and be independent. Then, she met a woman named Felice which amazed her. Because Felice is such a brave woman unlike her. On the other side, there is Juan Pedro as the antagonist in this story. He is abusive towards his wife and irresponsible for his family. He doesn’t have enough money to support his family. Cleofilas tried to defend her marriage to Juan for fear of what neighbors might say. She regrets that her current life is not as beautiful as telenovelas stories. Until she met Felice, woman who help her to across arroyo. She amazed by Felice’s independency without having a husband. Woman Hollering Creek means woman who screams to cross the Creek. I think Creek in this story represents the boundary line of Cleofilas' life. Meanwhile, arroyo is Spanish which means flow. I thought it was symbolic of the heavy flow of life. Cleofilas fought across arroyo, to get her freedom. Her fear of not having a husband vanished when she saw a very brave and independent Felice. And when Cleofilas was about to cross the arroyo, Cleofilas shouted asking for a sudden change in her. What she used to be a woman who gave up, became a new woman. A woman who lives independently. If I were Cleofilas, I would definitely not have been able to bear to remain married to Juan Pedro. I would go back to my father's house regardless of the neighbor's gossip.