Cisneros

I really enjoyed reading Woman Hollering Creek. I had become so engaged in the stories and i felt like one of the characters in the book specially  In the childhood stories and  even though I'm not chicana, I felt the pain that the women had felt in the different stories.   There were times that Cisnero's language broke me laughing aloud in the bus or the library feeling awkward, and there were times that It hurt so much that I had to take a break and breath. I'm not too good when it comes to stories of violation, rape or betraying women. 

What amazed me the most was how Cisnero could put herself in the skin of all these characters. Their prespective, language and emotions seemed so real. The language she uses in the chapter Eleven is exactly how an eleven year old school girl would talk. 

There were times that her tone, or language sounded like north american "O My God!" type of girls, who use a lot of "like...like.... o my god!"....and I felt like I was stuck in the bus listening to one of these "o my god conversations, and i just wish I could fast forward it or put on my Ipod and not listen.  This is an amazing skill, to be able to write in so many different ways. 

The best example of language style would be chapter Little Miracles, Kept Promises. Cisneros uses a different language and humor in each letter. 

ie. 

Dear San Lazaro,

My mother's comadre DEmetria said if I prayed to you that like maybe you could help me because you were raised from the dead and did a lot of miracles and maybe if I lit a candle every night for seven days and prayed, you might maybe could help me with my face breaking out with so many pimples. Thank you. 

Rubén Ledesma

Hebbronville, Texas (p121)

What I find very interesting is when she uses a semi dialogue in some parts where there is a woman having a conversation, explaining a story to someone, but the reader can not see the other character in this dialogue, or it's not obvious who she's talking to. So the reader has to guess. And most importantly is that the author does not give a voice to the other person in this dialogue. sO I guess it's not a dialogue!

I think p126-127 are very important. Some quotes that stood out for me were:

" Do boys think, and girls daydream? Do only girls have to come out and greet the relatives and smile and be nice and quedar bien?"( p126)

just below that the family friends ask the girl about what she wants to study and when she's going to get married.... and It's so painful to read that paragraph

"she's gona be a painter.

A painter! Tell her I got five rooms that need painting.

When you become a mother...." p 126

As if it's been written on girls fourhead since they're born, MUST MARRY, BECOME A MOTHER, HAVE CHILDREN. 

Being anything other than that is unacceptable in the societies that Cisneros describes.  

Then she follows:

"I wouldn't mind being a father. at least a father could still be artist, could love something instead of someone, and no one would call that selfish." p 127

Of course! if women want to pursue their own dreams, they're selfish, and they represent failure of the family and the society. If a woman starts doing anything other than what she's told to or expected of, she's a Malinchista, Hocicona..  Malinche, or la chingada, is seen as the traitor, who let down all mexicans Of course it had to be a woman. It's blamed on the women instead of seeing the whole picture. the narrator expresses a great pain being called Malinche. 

I could go on for so much longer, but i have to rap it up. i enjoyed very much reading Cisneros' book, some parts were really poetic and it really touched me, ie. Chapeter There was a man .There was a woman. Even though this chapter is only two pages it's really powerful and beautifully written.