What function do the telenovelas play in “Woman’s Hollering Creek”?

The telenovelas in the story are representative of Cleofilas aspiration of love. Cleofila imagines her romance to be like Lucias Mendez, “you or no one” she imagines. Cleofila imagines that if she is ever in an abusive situation with a man, she will fight back or run. Never did she imagine that she would stroke the hair of the man who hit her, consoling him instead. As well, she compares physically her husband to the men in telenovelas, nothing on how her husband is short and has acne scars. She also mentions the hair and makeup of the women on the telenovela serve as unrealistic life which doesn’t mirror her own. Cleofila compares her own life to that of the show. The soap opera is the unrealistic expectation. No one can live up to the fantasy in his or her mind. When Cleofila in place in a confrontational situation with her husband, she can’t cope. She see’s how her life is dependent on her husband and the little amount she gets to do things by herself. Without the telenovela, Celofila would not have it to compare her life to. Celofila is worried about the gossip and what people will say about her, and she thinks of the disgrace she will be to her family.

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What function do the telelnovelas play in the Woman Hollering Creek?

Cleofilas is a woman from Mexico who grew up her watching telenovelas while she was still with her parents. She grew up fantasizing her own life would be similar to the ones she watched. When she is in the States she is married with a kid and spends a lot of time alone. She doesnt have the luxury of a television set anymore so she often goes to her neighbors house to enjoy this taste of fantasy she used to lose herself in. At this point it is the only escape she has from her painful life with her husband who doesnt seem to treat her with much respect. The telenovelas give her a little bit of hope for the future and for the lack of love in her current relationship. She is able to live vicariously through the telenovelas

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The telenovelas describe the love and life many girls anticipated as they grow up to be young women.  Clefilas enjoyed watching telenovelas.  Although often in the telenovelas, hearts were broken and betrayal was common, they depicted the perfect life to live. She has an image that women from the telenovelas possess wonderful lives. She would do her hair and wear her make just like they do. This shows that she is not content with her looks and appearance.  They were also her guide for learning about love. She fantasized of finding her true love, “the great love of one’s life” as she stated.  When she married Juan Pedro, she thought her life would shift and be like the ones from the telenovelas. She dreamed of living a life similar but she finds out that life does not always turn out the way she wants it to be.   Telenovas can also been seen as an escape for Cleofila from the reality of her own life in which the “kind of the books and songs and telenovelas describe when one finds, finally, the great love of one’s life and does whatever one can, must do, at whatever the cost” (page 280, paragraph 1).  She constantly evaluates her love for her husband to that of a soap opera.  She finally realizes that marriage is not always like a fairytale or as it is portrayed on soap operas.  After that she gets the courage to leave her abusive husband for a simpler life back at home and possibly live with her father and six brothers.

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In the short story “women Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros, Cleofilas who marries Juan Pedro. She leaves behind his father and six brothers who looked over her for an unknown future for her. She feels trapped in an abusive marriage She finds out that life does not work like the telenovelas she watched at home. Cleofilas looks back to the days before she is married and remembers how happy she was. She got married and moved to Seguin, Texas, She think you have to suffer for love to be good. She knows from watching her telenovelas, but life will not always be easy but things will work out. Soon her husband begins to beat her and she realizes that her life is not a dream life. Her marriage did not contained positive scene from the telenovelas but just the negative side. She goes to the doctor and they notice her bruises from an abusive relationship and arrange for her escape back home.

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The Telenovela in “Woman Hollering creek” by Sandra Cianeros stands as a blueprint for the life that Cleofilas sought for when she married Juan Pedro. The telenovela functions asher escape and a comparison to her abusive husband. The soap opera conditions her view about romance. It has fixed views on love and life and Cleofilas anticipated this same treatment from her husband. She wanted “passion in its purest crystalline essence. The kind of books and songs and telenovela describe when one finds, finally, the great love of ones life.”(Cisneros 1401)

Before getting married, her life was full of chores and dealing with her family. Getting married she thought her life would be different but it took a different road.she became a victim of domestic violence , “when the moment came, and he slapped her once , and then again and again; until the lip split and bled an orchid of blood.”(1403)

The telenovela also functions as enjoyment to Cleofilas in “Women Hollering creek”. She enjoys watching the soup operas because she knew her life will never be like the beautiful married and happy people she sees. Every time her husband puts his hand on her, she explains a new telenovela she has been watching . The telenovela serves as a friend to Cleofilas and something to confines too. It’s very important to her.

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