Friday, October 9, 2009

Saldívar-Hull's Argument

I think Saldívar-Hull's Argument is a good summary for what “Women Hollering Creek” is about as a whole. Particularly the claim that it “decenters white feminism and destabilized class assumptions”. In the story we see how Cleofilas is completely worn down and subjugated by the abusive relationship she is in. We get a first hand account of the struggles that a typical Mexican-American women would have to face, and this kind of perspective was drowned out by white feminism or simply overlooked due to racism. Sandra Cisneros attempts to bring to light the domestic plight that Mexican-American women had to face, perhaps to provide them a voice, or show that the Mexican and White women had to face the same kind of struggles. Because white feminism overshadowed minority womens rights, I think the piece “decenters” the white feminism dominance and shows Mexican-American women perhaps had it even harder, considering they were not only fighting against sexism, but racism as well.
Also, the claim that it destabilized class assumptions is expressed when we consider that situation that Cleofilas and her husband are in. Living in the border region of the United States which was ripe with racism and inequality. In my opinion, Cisneros is trying to show how Mexican couples and White couples are similar in that they both must work and raise children, but in the details we also note the air of racism that they must live under. I think that because Mexican-Americans were regarded as second class citizens, perhaps the dominant class did not really take notice at the wide array of relationship problems and abuse that is not just a thorn in White society, but something that is prevalent in all societies.

1 comment:

  1. Nice job, Lucián.
    You've captured very nicely the context out of which Saldívar-Hull is writing. What you describe so well is related to the "overdetermination" of identity for Chicana/Mexicana, working-class subjects. Though you don't say this directly, you seem to acknowledge that Saldívar-Hull's discussion of the limitations of popular culture circumscribe or determine Chicana/Mexicana women's roles in complicity with both patriarchal and white supremacist systems.

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