Society’s idealized identity for women often involves staying at home. Today it is not so much emphasized as in earlier centuries, however, as a married woman in the late 19th century; it was really hard to ignore t

expectations are just as a wife but not as herself. Cleófilas has an identity crisis when she sees that her life was not like those in the telenovelas. There was not even a commercial in between for comic relief. Cleófilas’ husband hits her, but in her soap opera identity she would hit him back, then run away, never letting another man hit her. In the real world, the first time he hit her she was shocked. Although Cleófilas may want to leave him, she feels she would be considered a failure if she did. Therefore, her entire identity seems tied to her marriage.

“Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros deals with a different character. This character, unlike Mrs. Mallard is referred to as Cleofilas, her first name. Cleófilas is referred to by her first name because when she is introduced she is not yet married. Cleófilas comes from a working class family. She was raised with no mother, only a father and several brothers. The setting is in the 20th century. As the reader proceeds it is mentioned that Cleófilas bases her whole life on telenovelas. She believes that everything is like that in reality, that her whole identity should be based on a “perfect” marriage just as in these shows. Cleófilas has to maintain her own household; she is not rich and can not afford a servant. There is a point in the story where she mentions that as newlyweds her husband would invite her to accompany him to social gatherings with people from work and friends. This ties back to the theme that she was happy once but not anymore, for she now has to sit and listen to him talk to his friends and complain. “At any given moment, the fists try to speak” (Cisneros 4). Being hit does not make anyone happy, especially when that person is married to someone who is supposed to love them unconditionally. “Cleófilas thinks, this is the man I have waited my whole life for” (Cisneros 4). In other words, she is losing her fairy tale identity of having prince charming and the “perfect” marriage.

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