Through her distinctive narrative style, author Sandra Cisneros crafts stories that delve deeply into themes of cultural identity, personal struggle, and transformation. Exploring her work, one finds an intricate tapestry of narrative techniques, character development, and symbolism that serve to illuminate the Latina experience in America. Cisneros's literary approach is both unique and deeply rooted in her cultural background, contributing to an evocative and resonant voice in contemporary literature.

The Awakening of a Unique Voice

Cisneros began writing during her childhood and adolescence, yet it wasn't until her time at the University of Iowa's Writers Workshop in the late 1970s that she recognized the distinctiveness of her perspective as a Latina woman. This realization led her to focus on crafting narratives that explore conflicts tied to her upbringing, such as cultural loyalties, feelings of alienation, and the struggles associated with poverty. Her acclaimed novel, The House on Mango Street (1983), marked her foray into Latina fiction, where she described her work as a series of vignettes, akin to "a string of little pearls." Each story stands alone and yet forms a cohesive narrative when read collectively.

Cisneros has been recognized among a group of contemporary Latino writers, including Gary Soto, Ana Castillo, Pat Mora, and Luis Rodriguez. Her works often engage in dialogue with these authors, responding to and building upon shared themes. Critics have observed the influence of the Mexican ballad, or romantic song, in Cisneros's writing. This is particularly noted in her use of epigraphic structures, as seen in "Woman Hollering Creek."

Point of View and Style

The narrative style of "Woman Hollering Creek" shifts between third-person omniscient and first-person perspectives. The sections detailing Cleofilas's life in Mexico are imbued with longer, more lyrical sentences, contrasting sharply with the terse and fragmented style that depicts her life in Texas. The opening sentence of the story sets the stage for this stylistic dichotomy: "The day Don Serafra gave Juan Pedro Martinez Sanchez permission to take Cleofilas Enriqueta DeLeon Hernandez as his bride, across her father's threshold, over several miles of dirt road and several miles of paved, over one border and beyond to a town en el otro lado—on the other side—already did he divine the morning his daughter would raise her hand over her eyes, look south, and dream of returning to the chores that never ended, six good-for-nothing brothers, and one old man's complaints."

In these passages, the contrasting styles mirror Cleofilas's sense of nostalgia for her past life in Mexico, which increasingly appears idyllic as her Texas life descends into abuse and isolation. Short, choppy sentences portray the bleakness of her current reality. As she sits by Woman Hollering Creek, the narrative reaches a crescendo where "La Llorona calling to her. She is sure of it. Cleofilas sets the baby's Donald Duck blanket on the grass. Listens. The day sky turning to night. The baby pulling up fistfuls of grass and laughing. La Llorona. Wonders if something as quiet as this drives a woman to the darkness under the trees."

The narrative voice shifts to first person when Graciela, the clinic physician, contacts Felice by phone. This change signals a pivotal moment, where Cleofilas's life, silenced by abuse, finally receives a voice through the intervention of women determined to help her escape.

Setting as a Character

The titular creek in "Woman Hollering Creek" acts as a symbolic and literal borderland, marking the intersections of culture, language, gender, and personal identity. Cleofilas's Mexican hometown, described as "a town of gossips ... of dust and despair," stands in stark contrast to Seguin, Texas, where her environment is fraught...

Sandra Cisneros first introduced "Woman Hollering Creek" in her 1991 collection titled Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. Through the perspective of a young Mexican woman named Cleofilas, Cisneros explores the cultural challenges Mexican women encounter after relocating from Mexico to the United States.

1. Investigate the folklore surrounding the mythical woman, La Llorona. How have Chicana writers reimagined her as a role model for contemporary women?

2. Contrast Gloria Anzaldua's narrative of the Spanish conquest of Mexico with the account found in an encyclopedia or a world history textbook. What defines her perspective? How and why is it unique?

3. Compare the works of Chicano writers (Rudolfo Anaya, Tomas Rivera, Rolando Hinojosa) with those of Chicana writers (Gloria Anzaldua, Denise Chavez, Ana Castillo, Sandra Cisneros). What common characteristics do these works share? In what ways do they differ?

4. Investigate the resources available to abused women, particularly those living on the fringes of society. Does Cleofilas's rescue seem like a realistic outcome for many abused women? Explain why or why not.

Mexico: The Early Years
In the unfolding drama of history, Mexico’s narrative begins prominently with the rise of the Aztec Empire in the fourteenth century. This formidable civilization expanded its dominion over what is today known as Mexico through the conquest of neighboring tribes. The empire flourished under the reign of Montezuma II from 1502 to 1520, marking its zenith just as the Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortes, arrived. On August 13, 1521, Cortes seized the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, a pivotal event that marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. The aftermath saw Cortes take La Malinche, an Aztec woman, as both his interpreter and mistress, symbolizing the complex interweaving of cultures that would shape the region’s future.

Post-Colonial Times
Following three centuries under Spanish rule, Mexico emerged as an independent nation in 1821. This newfound autonomy, however, was accompanied by territorial losses. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848 concluded the Mexican-American War, resulting in Mexico ceding extensive lands north of the Rio Grande and the Gila River to the United States. This reshaping of boundaries continued with the Gadsden Purchase in 1853, when Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana sold additional southern territories to the United States. Such shifts in borders not only altered maps but also left indelible marks on the cultural and social landscapes of the region.

Changing Borders and Cultural Metaphors
The history of Mexico is not merely a chronicle of battles and treaties; it is a tapestry of human stories woven through the metaphor of borders and borderlands, a theme richly explored by Chicana writers like Sandra Cisneros and Gloria Anzaldua. These borderlands, where the United States and Mexico collide, are more than just geographical; they represent a space where cultures meet, clash, and blend, creating new identities. Cisneros’s acclaimed work, including her 1991 collection Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, captures these nuances. Her stories, such as "Woman Hollering Creek," delve into the lives of those living on "el otro lado"—the other side—and highlight the struggle of individuals like Cleofilas, who navigates the challenges of linguistic isolation, domestic violence, and poverty while living in the American Southwest.

Chicana literature frequently draws from the historical context of shifting borders, a reality where treaties can redefine nations overnight, yet fail to alter the essence of the people caught within them. These communities, once Mexican and now American by political decree, find themselves in a state of cultural limbo. The Mexican residents of regions like Texas and Arizona, annexed by the United States, are emblematic of this tension. Deprived of an "old country" to return to, and not fully integrated into the new one, they inhabit a twilight zone where hybrid cultures and languages flourish. In this context, Cisneros and her contemporaries articulate the profound dislocation and resilience of those living at the crossroads of nations.

The narratives crafted by Chicana writers explore the persistent theme of identity and belonging against the backdrop of historical upheavals. Through the lens of personal and collective struggle, they give voice to those who live on the margins, illuminating the enduring human spirit amidst changing geopolitical landscapes.

Texas: Based on 1995-96 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 17 percent of the population in Texas lives below the poverty line, which is set at $16,036 for a family of four.

New Hampshire: The same data indicates that 5.9 percent of New Hampshire's residents live below the poverty threshold.

Texas: In 1996, statistics show that 2.5 million people in Texas speak Spanish, with 714,958 of them classified as "linguistically isolated," meaning they have limited English proficiency.

Maine: According to the same 1996 statistics, 4,527 individuals in Maine primarily speak Spanish.

Texas: The U.S. Census Bureau reports that, as of 1996, nearly 25 percent of Texas residents speak Spanish.

California: Census Bureau data reveals that 30 percent of California's residents speak Spanish, totaling 4 million people, with 2 million of them being "linguistically isolated."

For more works by Latina authors, consider Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (1987). This primarily nonfiction book, which also includes poetry, delves into the experiences of Mexicans/Chicanes in the United States. Another notable work is Latina: Women's Voices from the Borderlands (1995), edited by Lillian Castillo-Speed. This anthology features writings from thirty-one Latina authors, including short stories, novel excerpts, and essays that explore life at the intersections of language, race, and community. Additionally, Cuentos: Stories by Latinas (1983), edited by Alma Gomez, Cherrie Moraga, and Mariana Romo-Carmona, presents narratives of Latina women navigating the complexities of their cultural environments.

Readers interested in the stories of marginalized women from other cultures might also enjoy "Woman Hollering Creek." Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior (1976) tells the story of an Asian-American woman through the lens of family history, myth, and personal memories. Sandra Cisneros has mentioned this book as an inspiration for her acclaimed 1983 work, The House on Mango Street. Another compelling read is Leslie Marmon Silko's Storyteller (1981), a collection of stories by a Native American author that interweaves Pueblo heritage, myths, autobiography, and community history to underscore the significance of storytelling as a means of knowledge.

Sources

Anzaldua, Gloria, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Spinsters/Aunt Lute, 1987.

Campbell, Bebe Moore, "Crossing Borders," in The New York Times Book Review, May 26, 1991, pp. 6-7.

Candelaria, Cordelia, "La Malinche, Feminist Prototype," in Frontiers, Vol 5, No 2, 1980, pp. 1-6.

Candelaria, Cordelia, "Letting La Llorona Go, or Re-reading History's Tender Mercies," in Heresies, Vol 7, No. 3, 1993, pp. 111-15.

Cisneros, Sandra, "Ghosts and Voices: Writing from Obsession," an excerpt from "From a Writer's Notebook," in The Americas Review, Vol 15, No. 1, Spring, 1987, p. 73.

Doyle, Jacqueline, "Haunting the Borderlands: La Llorona in Sandra Cisneros's 'Woman Hollering Creek'," in Frontiers, Vol 16, No. 1, Winter, 1996, pp. 53-71.

Dasenbrock, Reed and Feroza Jussawalla, Interviews with Writers of the Post-Colonial World, University Press of Mississippi, 1992.

Paz, Octavio, Labyrinth of Solitude: Life and Thought in Mexico, translated by Lysander Kemp, Grove Press, 1950.

Prescott, Peter and Karen Springen, "Seven for Summer," in Newsweek, June 3, 1991, p. 60.

Wyatt, Jean, "On Not Being La Malinche: Border Negotiations of Gender in Sandra Cisneros's 'Never Marry a Mexican' and 'Woman Hollering Creek'," in Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, Vol 14, No 2, Fall, 1995, pp. 243-71.

Further Reading

Chavez, Lorenzo, "Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories," in Hispanic, April, 1991, p. 52.
Provides a brief summary of Woman Hollering Creek, highlighting the collection's language, humor, and authentic portrayal of barrio life.

Ponce, Mernhelen, "A Semblance of Order to Lives and Loves," in Belles Lettres: A Review of Books by Women, Vol. 7, No. 2, Winter, 1991-92, pp. 40, 44.
A positive review of Woman Hollering Creek, asserting that, unlike Cisneros's earlier works, this collection "resonates with the voices of wiser Mexicanas/Chicanas."

"Sandra Cisneros," in Contemporary Literary Criticism, Volume 69, edited by Roger Matuz, Gale, 1992, pp. 143-56.
Includes reprinted critiques of Cisneros's early writings. The volume features excerpted essays by Julian Olivares, Barbara Kingsolver, and Bebe Moore Campbell, among others.