“Woman Hollering Creek” Questions What do you learn about Cleófilas in the very first section of the story, which is told as a flashback? What are the in this contrasts between “then” and “now” that Cisneros establishes section? 2. How does becoming a mother change Cleófilas’s outlook on her situation? Does she define herself through motherhood? Explain. 3. How does the assumption that is good. The pain all sweet somehow. In the “to suffer for love behavior? Does she ultimately reject this view? How can end” (para. 8) help shape Cleófilas’s you tell? 4. Cleófilas behave as she thought she would when Juan Pedro first struck her? Why Why didn’t do you think she (para. 24)? was “speechless, motionless, numb” 5. What is the importance of the character of Maximiliano? What perception of does Cleófilas’s him tell us about her? 6. In her new home in Texas, Cleófilas lives between Dolores and Soledad. In Spanish, Dolores and means What does the choice of these names soledad means “sorrow” “solitude.” author’s for neighbors suggest about life in this Texas town? What other evidence can you Cleófilas’s find to support this interpretation of life in Seguin? Cleófilas’s 7. How does Cisneros portray the situation of both men and women—the community in general—who have immigrated to the United States from Mexico? Judging from the depiction in have they found a better life than the one they left? “Woman Hollering Creek,” 8. Why Cleófilas want to return to her home in Mexico? Describe the various doesn’t father’s she considers over the course of the story. Why does she finally decide to return “ways out” to Mexico? 9. Why are important in this story? What role do they play in How telenovelas women’s lives? do they affect views about love and relationships? Cleófilas’s 10. What finally causes Cleófilas to reconsider her ideas about love? At the end, do you think that she still believes in in and love of “passion its purest crystalline essence” finding “the great (para. 6)? one’s life”
“Woman Hollering Creek” Questions What do you learn about Cleófilas in the very first section of the story, which is told as a flashback? What are the contrasts between “then” and “now” that Cisneros establishes in this section? 2. How does becoming a mother change Cleófilas’s outlook on her situation? Does she define herself through motherhood? Explain. 3. How does the assumption that “to suffer for love is good. The pain all sweet somehow. In the end” (para. 8) help shape Cleófilas’s behavior? Does she ultimately reject this view? How can you tell? 4. Why didn’t Cleófilas behave as she thought she would when Juan Pedro first struck her? Why do you think she was “speechless, motionless, numb” (para. 24)? 5. What is the importance of the character of Maximiliano? What does Cleófilas’s perception of him tell us about her? 6. In her new home in Texas, Cleófilas lives between Dolores and Soledad. In Spanish, Dolores means “sorrow” and soledad means “solitude.” What does the author’s choice of these names for neighbors suggest about Cleófilas’s life in this Texas town? What other evidence can you find to support this interpretation of Cleófilas’s life in Seguin? 7. How does Cisneros portray the situation of both men and women—the community in general—who have immigrated to the United States from Mexico? Judging from the depiction in “Woman Hollering Creek,” have they found a better life than the one they left? 8. Why doesn’t Cleófilas want to return to her father’s home in Mexico? Describe the various “ways out” she considers over the course of the story. Why does she finally decide to return to Mexico? 9. Why are telenovelas important in this story? What role do they play in women’s lives? How do they affect Cleófilas’s views about love and relationships? 10. What finally causes Cleófilas to reconsider her ideas about love? At the end, do you think that she still believes in “passion in its purest crystalline essence” and finding “the great love of one’s life” (para. 6)?
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