“In the morning sometimes…Cleofilas thinks, This is the man I have waited my whole life for. Not that he isn’t a good man. She has to remind herself why she loves him when she changes the baby’s Pampers, or when she mops the bathroom floor, or tries to make the curtains for the doorways without doors, or whiten the linen…He is not very tall, no, and he doesn’t look like the men on the telenovelas…this man, this father, this rival, this keeper, this lord, this master, this husband till kingdom come.”
Of all the passages in “Woman Hollering Creek,” the three paragraphs on page forty-nine were most striking to me. It marked an important turning point in which the protagonist, through reflection, unintentionally reveals her pent up frustration toward her subordinate role. For me, this was the climax in which the themes of female oppression, a longing for freedom, and reality vs. illusion were made clear.
Growing up in a family of men and lacking a maternal figure, Cleofilas came to learn of women’s societal roles through the viewing of telenovelas; dramatic programming that, unlike their soap opera counterparts, come to a conclusive end after about a year. Much like any young girl raised on Disney films today, Cleofilas developed an overly romanticized perception of the world around her, viewing life through a rose-tinted lens that left her blind to the bitter truth that not all endings are “happily ever after.” It is my belief that telenovelas, aside from being dear to the protagonist, are also an allegoric representation of her married life—filled with brief passion that eventually ceases.
While analyzing the above paragraph, I picked up on subtle choices that Cisneros made in regards to language that gives readers the faintest hints of the protagonist’s true feelings, even if she may not be aware of them herself. One such example that is easy to overlook, but powerful when noticed, is the line, “She has to remind herself why she loves him…” For me, this was one of the saddest quotes of the piece. Cleofilas is incapable of effortlessly listing admirable traits found in her husband, and is instead forced to justify her “love” by providing examples of her daily chores, as if to reassure herself that she has worth in his life.
The author applies syntax in a similarly potent manner. The line “this man, this father, this rival, this keeper, this lord, this master, this husband till kingdom come” is ordered in such a way that it forms a sort of spectrum that grows progressively more condescending as the protagonists frustration builds. This quote is also an excellent example of iambic meter, in that every noun following the word “this” has a rhythmic emphasis, as if she’s beating a fist on a table or stomping her foot. It is also interesting to note that, while we know the husbands name is Juan Pedro, Cleofilas constantly refers to him in ways that avoid specifically naming him (“he,” “this man,” etc.), thus creating an emotional barrier between the couple.
While there is an obvious struggle between Cleofilas and her husband, I believe the true conflict of this story is man vs. self. Despite suffering physical harm at the hands of her husband, Cleofilas is at first quick to overlook this abuse because of her “silver lining” view on life. Even after proceeding to list off her husband’s offensive traits, Cleofilas has been so influenced by the telenovelas that she has convinced herself that her role as a house-keeper and child-bearer are proper duties as a woman. Never once does this belief cause her to question whether or not she could survive independently from men. It is not until later that this internal conflict is solved with the help of the stories dues ex machine, Felice.
Though it is unrelated the specific passage I chose to discuss, I wanted to ask if you think Cleofilas’ father said “I am your father, I will never abandon you” out of pure paternal affection, or because, as seen with Juan Pedro, it is expected that the men in their society provide care for the women?
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