Cisneros: Woman Hollering Creek II

    Sandra's Cisneros' writing style is certainly a unique one. She utilizes a wide variety of techniques to establish her voice, and the individual voice of the characters in each story. I like how the beginning of the book is united with the child-like viewpoint, manifesting in the slant of naivety and honesty. The first sections of stories, including; 'My Lucy Friend Who Smells Like Corn', 'Mericans', and 'Tepeyac' communicate the directness of children, even in their titles.  I really find it wonderful how Cisernos changes her diction and syntax based on the voice she is speaking from, it adds true authenticity to her writing. 

  Her book is structured like a life cycle, with the titles of the section again congruent with the stages of a woman's life. For example, the diction and structure of the opening section, 'My Lucy Friend Who Smells Like Corn' is obviously grammatically incorrect and bears the stamp of a child.

   The mid section, 'One Holy Night', is short in both title and size, but the words each hold gravity and near melodramatic importance. This is very reflective of the emotions associated with adolescence, and the formative events (such as loss of virginity) in the story. Lastly, the section 'There Was a Man, There Was a Woman', is descriptive of the life of a grown woman. Male-Female romantic (or not so much) relationships are the central focus of this section, and the family that form out of them. The importance has shifted from that of the platonic ('My Lucy Friend') to heterosexual partnerships. This is also the longest section of the tale, like adulthood in one's life.