Copy of Discrimination in "The House on Mango Street" and "Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories"

~ Racial Discrimination

~ Gender Discrimination (Sexism)

"Woman Hollering Creek & Other Stories"

Woman Hollering Creek

"Because the towns here are built so that you have to depend on husbands. Or you stay home. Or you drive. If you're rich enough to own, allowed to drive, your own car."(Cisneros 50-51)

The only thing women were allowed to do were household chores and take care of their children. They were basically slaves to their husbands. Their husbands would beat them, most of the time for no reason, and expected them to stay with them. Women had little to no power and no rights.

In Cisneros' vignette "Woman Hollering Creek" it focuses on sexism. Cleofilas married a man who beat her and did not respect her at all. However, she could not do anything to leave him because being an independent woman in her society was almost unheard of.

Discrimination in

"The House on Mango Street" &

"Woman Hollering Creek

and Other Stories"

"The House on Mango Street"

Boys & Girls

"The House on Mango Street"

There are plenty of examples of sexism in Cisneros' writing. Most or even all of these examples are discrimination against women. For instance, in Cisneros' vignette "Boys & Girls" she is describing how Esperanza's society teaches men how to treat women.

The boys in Esperanza's society are influenced to ignore women and not to be seen with them in public; even if they are family. Cisneros' also stated that "the boys and girls live in separate worlds." This shows how much they are separated.

"The boys and the girls live in separate worlds. The boys in their universe and we in ours. My brothers for example. They've got plenty to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But outside they can't be seen talking to girls. Carlos and Kiki are each other's best friend...not ours." (Cisneros 8)

Cathy Queen of Cats

Cathy's parents wanted to move because "the neighborhood was getting bad". What they meant is that more hispanic people were moving in the area and they did not like it.

"You want a friend, she says. Okay, I'll be your friend. But only till next Tuesday. That's when we move away. Got to. Then as if she forgot I just moved in, she says the neighborhood is getting bad." (Cisneros 12)

Many people in Esperanza's society discriminate against hispanic people. In Cisneros' "Cathy Queen of Cats" she writes about a girl around Esperanza's age, Cathy, who's family is racist against hispanics.

"Woman Hollering Creek & Other Stories"

Barbie-Q

"So what if our Barbie's smell like smoke when you hold them up to your nose even after you wash and wash and wash them. And if the prettiest doll...has a left foot that's melted a little-so?" (Cisneros 16)

A Barbie doll is supposed to represent a perfect woman so the fact that the Barbie dolls are burned and melted is very significant. The Barbies were sold at a cheaper price at a flee market because they weren't perfect.

Also, this shows how they cannot buy toys from a big company; they have to go to a flee market to buy things that aren't even that new. This show's how hispanic people are stereotyped as poor.

By: Jenna Amoroso

In "Barbie-Q" Cisneros touches upon the subject of perfection. She shows how women's beauty is the most important feature about them. In the vignette the main character and her friend were very excited to hear a big toy warehouse burned down so vendors at a flee market were selling the burned toys.

"Woman Hollering Creek & Other Stories"

Never Marry a Mexican

Women are always taken advantage of in the society Cisneros portrayed in her book "Woman Hollering Creek & Other Stories" In Cisneros vignette "Never Marry a Mexican" the narrator, Clemencia, changes her mind constantly from wanting to being a wife to wanting to be a one-night-stand. At first, she want's nothing more than to be a wife, however, she realizes how they get taken advantage of so she decides to "date" men instead.

"Dark bars, dark restaurants then. And if not-my apartment, with his toothbrush firmly planted in the toothbrush holder like a flag on the North Pole. The bed so big because he never stayed the whole night. Of course not."(Cisneros 68-69)

Clemencia decides to invite a man to her house for the night but he does not sleepover. This shows how men just take what they want then leave. Also, the line "Of course not" is very significant because it shows how society knows that a man would never be curtious or respectful to a woman. Men are the respected ones while the females are treated like animals.

Two Types of Discrimination

Discrimination:

Racial Discrimination

Gender Discrimination (Sexism)

treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.