Essay Ally

L’Écriture Féminine de Sandra Cisneros 

It has long been the task of feminists to promote an egalitarian society, where men are not held above women. In literature, the task of dissolving patriarchal constructions is little different than elsewhere. There are several methods that feminists employ to attack such creations of society. Some feminists attempt to prove that men and women are no different, that such binary oppositions are inherently false and problematic, whether through biology or culture, and that on this basis, women deserve equal treatment. Other feminists seek to embrace a philosophy of “different but equal,” they seek to celebrate women as unique but powerful in their own right. Hélène Cixous, a literary critic and French feminist, proposes in “The Laugh of the Medusa” that there exists a language unlike that of the esteemed literary canon. This type of literature she dubs Écriture Féminine or feminine writing (Cixous, 2042). While Cixous argues that few women are represented fairly in literature, she states that both men and women can use this so-called Écriture Féminine to help women elevate their positions in western culture to those of men (Cixous, 2042). Sandra Cisneros in The House on Mango Street uses Écriture Féminine to express her womanhood in a beautiful and self-reflective manner. Cisneros’ work is a fine example of Écriture Féminine. It is sharply contrasted to men’s writing, which is directional, epic, and obsessed with time and logic. This is not to say that Cisneros’ writing is illogical, meandering, or pointless; Écriture Féminine is concerned more with emotion, feminine form, and self-reflection. The logic of beauty dominates her writing; it is systematic, but the system is not one of linear time or goal-orientation. “The House on Mango Street” celebrates for a woman, what Homer’s “Odyssey” celebrates for a man. The values in each story are different, but are not comparable in a binary manner; in fact, there is very little correlation at all. The sensibilities of men and women according to Cixous and Cisneros, are independent of each other, women are not men wired backwards and they are not men lacking genitals. Cisneros writing does not appear to envy men, and she does not define her writing by men’s. Cisneros writes her story against all the masculine literary tradition. She does not write her story like a man to achieve power; she denies that the masculine system is superior, or necessary in order to be self-fulfilling.

Cixous proposes two aspects are necessary for a woman to write Écriture Féminine (Cixous, 2043). The first is that they must write as an act of defiance. This property is inherent in any female writing. What Cixous is proposing, is that in order to achieve equality we must first obtain a voice. Cisneros book is an act of expression. She is a woman writing as a woman and so the first aspect of Écriture Féminine is achieved.

The second property of Écriture Féminine is more difficult to define and certainly more difficult to achieve (Cixous, 2044). Women must write individually. This does not mean that they must not receive help from peers, and that they must not read others writing or let it influence them. What Cixous intends when she says writing individually, is that women must express themselves and their womanhood through their writing. There is no simple answer for what defines a woman, but Cixous proposes that women should write about what concerns them; their body, their unconscious, their motherhood, their sexuality (Cixous, 2043). If any solid example of this aspect of Écriture Féminine, it is Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street.

The first thing Cisneros does to claim the writing as her own style, is to reject traditional models of poetry and prose. The traditions of novels with large chapters or poems with strict meter are ignored for a series of small prose poems. She weaves the story of a Chicano girl growing up with an identity crisis through these short intervals. Because of their irregularity and non-linear arrangement, the book might be taken as illogical. But Cisneros is careful in her words, and her prose poems are eloquent. They enhance the voice of the child narrating, and let the reader feel their way into womanhood.

A child narrator opens new doors for expression of femininity. As Cixous suggests, one way to reclaim the canon for women is to explore our bodies and our sexuality. Because of the taboo nature of these topics in Chicano culture, an adult would never be able to treat these subjects fairly. As a child, Esperanza has the ability to express her concerns and explore herself in the text without fear of retribution of humiliation. Through her self-deprecation, she elucidates the female mind, shows our concerns with body and societal status. In one vignette titled “Hairs” Esperanza discusses the hair types of everyone in her family. Her father’s is like a broom (Cisneros, 6), her mother’s smells like bread (Cisneros, 7). “Hairs” could be about the hair of her family, but there is more at work here. She talks of her own hair as lazy. To Esperanza, the hair tells something of self. Physical appearance is an outward manifestation of inner purpose. Her mother’s hair is compared to rosettes, candy circles, to Esperanza, her mother is beautiful, strong, and sweet (Cisneros, 6). While masculine writing could make such comparisons, it is unlikely that they would be left so freestanding. This is the way that a woman might interpret character in mind.

Another moment that Cisneros manages to catch perfectly is in “The Family of Little Feet.” Esperanza is constantly observing peoples feet and the shoes that cover them. Each person in a household has unique feet that express qualities about them like Esperanza’s family’s hair. The grandfather has feet there are fat and doughy like thick tamales, grandma has feet as lovely as pink pearls (Cisneros, 39). Esperanza is aware of the differences in gender, and Cisneros is inventing her own way to discuss these perceptions. Esperanza constantly notices women’s features as delicate, submissive, and beautiful. Men’s features are described as domineering and utilitarian.

The House on Mango Street is a perfect ode to womanhood. In “Hips” Cisneros captures an element of femininity and body unique to women. Like the title, the text here is about hips. It is not a simple description of hips however; Esperanza notes that her hips are simply there one day ready “like a new Buick with the keys in the ignition.” This seems a funny simile at first, but the ramifications of her statement are out there. Hips are a sexual part of a body, and she acknowledges their purpose. They are ready to be used, and to what end? Esperanza explains: “One day you might decide to have kids, and then where are you going to put them? Got to have room. Bones got to give (Cisneros, 50).” Cisneros is being ironic, the beautiful body that is unique to women is there for a purpose, and she is highlighting the traditional masculine perception of this purpose. Women are here to make babies, she asserts, although the assertion when given through the voice of child, is meant to be questioned. This is the beauty of Écriture Féminine, perceptions and stereotypes may be challenged through manipulation of language and voice.

Cisneros is not entirely bound to the philosophy of her culture and gender. Though a child, Esperanza often notices the injustices around her, even when she fails to act upon them. In “Linoleum Roses” Esperanza talks of the plight of Sally. She does not make judgments about her; she simply discusses what life is like for Sally when she is married. Sally likes being married because she gets to buy things when her husband gives her money, but Sally spends most of her day’s home alone staring at the ceiling “like wedding cake” (Cisneros, 102) While the situation is not unusual by itself, Esperanza’s telling of it is quite special. Since Esperanza is telling the story of her life, she is free to pick and choose which parts of her life she tells. She chooses this part about Sally because it is significant to her. She is aware of the oppression of women, and while she narrates the events without reflecting on the patriarchal constructions associated with them, she still makes it obvious that she is aware. We return to Cixous first property of Écriture Féminine, that women must write as an act. By telling the story of Sally, Esperanza is contributing to feminine discourse, and making a positive and woman affirming contribution to the literary canon.

While Esperanza struggles with identity, finding a name, and finding a home, she inadvertently is making it easier for all women to do that. Cisneros uses her voice to manipulate perceptions of women, bring to light oppression of her gender, and leading the way for women in the arts. While the vocabulary is simplistic, the writing has an eloquence of function that is seldom achieved by any writer. The House on Mango Street may not change the lives of many women but it has the potential to change their self-perceptions at the very least.

Works Cited:

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street New York: Vintage Books. 1991

Cixous, Hélène. “The Laugh of the Medusa” The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. General Editor Vincent Leitch. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2001