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Essay / Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros: an interpretation of the dichotomy here and there
Deconstructing the CreekThe deconstruction of literary texts underlines the idea that there is no meaning except its relationship to signs and symbols (words ). In “Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros, the “here and there” dichotomy is deconstructed by reversing the many dualities presented at the end of the novel. The protagonist's preferences regarding her lifestyle and choices change from beginning to end, changing the reader's opinion as well. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The text begins to lay the groundwork for a traditional tale of a young girl leaving home for her new life as a wife with expectations of romance and luxury. Before beginning deconstruction, the author must first present the idea to be compared in relation to another idea, or the "here and there" dichotomy. The reader thus finds the traditional narrative of the protagonist's old life as boring and her new life as exciting, correlating equally with the old country (Mexico) and the new country (the United States). Her former life is described as one where there wasn't much to do besides cleaning up for the men in her family, visiting church, and watching telenovelas. Cleofilas' new life with her husband seems dreamy; they will have money and romance in a city with a beautiful name. Here, his current reality in Mexico, and there, his future life in Texas. We are first introduced to a deconstruction of gender experiences in both cultures. We meet Cleofilas' neighbors, Soledad and Dolores (their names translate to loneliness and pain). These women are presented as widows, even though Soledad's husband may have left by choice. This presents a contrast with the final story, where it is Cleofilas (the woman) who leaves her husband. These widowed neighbors mourn the loss of their husbands, which contrasts with the violence and death linked to the surrounding marriages that Cléofilas reads in the newspapers: too many stories of women mistreated or beaten by the men in their lives, as Cléofilas experienced. Currently. These men do not mourn their dead; maybe only, like Juan does, when he cries tears of regret after beating Cleofilas, but he never stops. Telenovelas may seem like the fantasy opposite of reality, but Cisneros deconstructs the dichotomy when the two begin to mix. At first, it is the fantasy that Cleofilas hoped for, which is quickly shattered during his new life. It's also worth noting that she can't watch novels because she doesn't have a TV, which further isolates her from her fantasy. As her husband's beatings continue, it becomes clear to Cleofilas that the romantic aspect of romance is no longer an option; instead, she encounters the difficulties that female protagonists endure in these soap operas, but with no happy ending in sight. His life seems stuck in these scenes of adversity. The only problem was that she was still caught up in the idea of romance learned from novels: “Because to suffer for love is good” (2). Ironically, it was this fantasy world that kept her from leaving, but it was also through facing reality that she finally had the courage to leave her abusive husband. Although the arroyo is believed to be named after a woman who cried out due to pain or anger, through the character of Felice, Cleofilas encounters an entirely different possibility. Felice presents a deconstruction of the here and there dichotomy of women in both places, who for Cleofilas was always mother or daughter. Much like the surrounding story of La Llorona, a mother who.