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The Role of the Woman

Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that focus on

the social role of women and their relationships with men and other women in their communities.

The stories were written and published by Sandra Cisneros. In the stories, the female characters

are exposed to various challenges where the narrations follow how they both accept and push

back against how they are treated. Sometimes, they follow what is expected of women in their

society but more often, they find ways to navigate the negative treatment that they face. The

author uses these stories to imply that being a woman in a patriarchal society requires them to

embrace and accentuate their sexuality to gain some control over male-dominated relationships.

It is from this perspective that the role of the woman within Woman Hollering Creek and Other

Stories by Sandra Cisneros includes; submitting to male-gendered expectations, empowering

fellow women, and determining whether or not the romantic relationships will proceed.

One of the roles of women in the novel is submitting to male-gendered expectations.

Consider the House on Mango Street where the movement of women in the community is

restricted within the barrio. Because women are confined, they are more likely to become victims

of male domination. Esperanza is angered by how men and women relate to each other in Mango

Street. Esperanza mentions that “the boys and the girls live in separate worlds” (9) and views
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acts of rebellion as a way that women can use to gain power. Esperanza is contrasted to

Celeófilas who conformed to her expected gender roles and gets married to Juan Pedro Martínez

Sanchez. As a result, she gives up her freedom and spends her life trapped in an abusive

marriage. Celeófilas is expected to fulfill her role as a wife despite being abused by her husband.

As such, she is afraid that she will be considered a “disgrace” for “coming home without a

husband” (76). This reveals that women are expected to fulfill the wishes of their husbands

regardless of their desires.

Another role of women in the novel is empowering fellow women. This is illustrated

in Woman Hollering Creek when Celeófilas is introduced to Felice by the doctor. Celeófilas was

worried that her husband would find her “until the woman in the pickup drove up” (79). Felice is

an independent woman who owns her truck, has a job, and has no husband. She uses her role as

an empowered woman to help Celeófilas and her baby to escape Juan Pedro’s cruelty. In so

doing, Felice helps Celeófilas regain her freedom.

The role of the woman is also to determine whether or not their romantic relationship will

proceed. In Never Marry a Mexican,  Clemencia tells her lover that he is “nothing without [her]”

and that she can “snuff [him] between [her] finger and thumb if [she] wants to” (54). In this

sense, Clemencia feels that she has the opportunity to destroy Drew’s marriage. Clemencia is

also capable of using her lustful influence to control her relationship. Further, at the end

of House on Mango Street, Esperanza realizes that her experiences on Mango Street have

influenced her identity. Esperanza mentions that “they will not know I have gone to come back”,

vowing to help the people she will leave behind even when she moves (19). As such, she views

her role as empowering the women she grew up with.

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In closing, the role of the woman in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories is

determined by society as well as the women themselves. While society dictates what the

expected gender roles are, it is the women who choose whether they will conform to these

expectations. From the illustrations in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra

Cisneros that the role of the woman is; submitting to male-gendered expectations, empowering

fellow women, and determining whether or not the romantic relationships will proceed.
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Works Cited

Cisneros, Sandra. Woman hollering creek: and other stories. Vintage, 2013.