Blog Post #4, Topic 4

In a “Woman Hollering Creek”, Sandra Cisneros attempts to describe the lives of Mexicans who face difficulties when coming to the United States. In this story, a woman, Cleofilas, accepts the proposal of a young man, Juan Pedro. Once they marry they decide to move to “el otro lado” to start their lives, but soon after, Cleofilas realizes that things are not as she expected because her husband becomes abusive. In fear, she tries to hide her bruises when going to a pregnancy check up appointment for her second incoming baby. The doctor realizes she is being abused without any help, so she calls her friend and asks her to drive Cleofilas and her child to a bus station returning to Mexico.

Just like Cleofilas, many people decide to leave Mexico for a better life without thinking of the possible difficulties they may encounter in the U.S.. Cisneros does a great job showing immigrant’s beliefs on coming to the U.S. for a better life and how that sometimes doesn’t turn out as expected. Although times have changed, this still seems to be an issue today. A couple years ago one of my mom’s friend found a job, but after two months of working, she noticed her boss lowered her salary below minimum wage and he told her that if she complained he would call Immigration and Customs Enforcement. To this day, she still works for him earning a salary below minimum wage, but due to fear she sticks along with it. There are millions of immigrants living in the United States under scanty conditions, with the fear of being sent back, and being hurt. Cisneros makes us sympathize with these people and make us understand that the U.S isn’t as welcoming to immigrants.

One thing I noticed Cleofilas did not emphasize on was the minimum opportunities immigrants have. She concluded the story with Cleofilas moving back to Mexico but realistically speaking, that happens very rarely. As a first generation person, I have seen my parent’s friends and family members struggle in the United States without being able to go back because they do not have the opportunity or enough money to afford that location shift. Cisneros also did not focus on the difficulty of coming to “el otro lado”. I think this would have changed some things because the audience would understand why she didn't want to speak up the first time she was hit. It takes great effort to cross the border, so deciding to leave because someone mistreated you isn't really considerate for yourself. There's also the risk of leaving and probably never being able to come back to the United States. I think these points, although small, make an impact on the reader’s way of reasoning Cleofilas motives. If I was the author, I would head the same direction as Cisneros, but I would make sure to include the small details that allow us to comprehend the second- guessing of Cleofilas and other immigrants.