Domestic Abuse in Woman Hollering Creek Essay

Domestic abuse is more than just a good pilot on Lifetime television. It is prevelant in society and the homes of millions around the world. Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return. It is estimated that approximately 3 million incidents of domestic violence are reported each year in the United States.

In the story of Woman Hollering Creek, written by Sandra Cisneros, themes of domestic abuse underlie the story of a woman, Cleofilas, falls in love and marries a man, Juan Pedro, who is physically and emotionally abusive to her during the course of their marriage. In Cesar Burgos, written by Sandra Benitez, it is conveyed that a female presence in the typical family structure is needed as Cesar Burgos tries to fathom ways in which to comfort his son, and assuage his own voids after the loss of his wife, Concha in a terrible accident. Each story relays the struggles with shame and embarrassment that comes with falling from grace, and the ideology of what family means, but also embodies the tale of success and triumph in once again finding solitude in realizing that from the bottom, the only way to go is up.

In the Cleofilas story, she is a young woman who seemingly lives under the false pretense that life is like a telenova, or soap opera. As a child she dreams of moving away from the dusty town, full of gossipers and whisperers, and women who live their lives in parallel with the status of their husbands. Ideally, she must do the same, and to achieve anything but, is to be shunned, shamed and to bring embarrassment to herself and her family. She grows older, and marries a man, that she initially esteems, but as time progresses, finally sees the real side of him that is domineering, controlling, and sadly abusive in both physical and emotional ways. She always wonders why Woman Hollering is the name of the creek that she holds such admiration for, but it is not until later that she realizes that the creek derives its name from a woman looking to end her sorrows, and thus drowns her children in that creek. Symbolically, for that woman, La Lorna, it means drowning the anguish of abuse that comes with the burden of living in a domestically abusive relationship.

Out of fear, Cleofilas is even afraid to ask her husband for the most basic of essentials, which include a ride to the doctor in order to check on the health of the unborn baby. She desires to move back to the town that she calls home, and where her father is, but feels as if she cannot because if she does, she will bring shame to her family. She continues to inhabit the house of her husband where he throws objects at her, and physically harms her, so that signs of the abuse become visible to the outside world. Taking it upon herself, she makes it to the doctors office, and there she is discovered to have bruises and marks from her husband, and then finds help through the kindness of a stranger.

I believe it to be discouragingly sad that women must face and endure physical harm and pain in order to appease the voids of a husband who satisfies himself by being physically abusive to his wife. Furthermore, it is even sadder to know that a majority of women never report such violent acts against themselves, in order to save their status in the community and spare themselves the embarrassment and shame that comes with coming forth about physical abuse.

On the contrary, the story of Cesar Burgos depicts the need for the female presence in the family, as Cesar and his son try to cope with the loss of Chanco. This story relays that women are greatly appreciated for all that they do.