How Christianity Contributes to Patriarchy-Research Paper Essay

How Christianity Contributes to Patriarchy-Research Paper - Essay Example Once they’ve entered into that ‘happily ever after’ world following the wedding at the end of the story, the patriarchal concept of women has them managing the household, caring for the children and entirely confined within the boundaries of the husband’s property. While the fairy tale suggests this life will be full of fancy dresses, grand parties, leisure and pleasure in domestic felicity within the grand castle of the prince – the songbird in the golden cage – the reality is all too often a life dominated by the dragon. When the story takes this turn, women find themselves as the beaten-down house slave forced to bend all of her effort to someone else’s thoughtless whims and desires regardless of the harm this might bring upon herself. It is only with the assistance of other women that they are finally able to break the vision of the fairy tale to understand their realities and find a new means of approaching life. An understanding o f how this patriarchy has affected the female psyche, whether it is the actual fairy tale presented or merely stories couched on a similar theme, provides a great deal of insight into the feminist issues illuminated through Sandra Cisneros’ stories â€Å"Woman Hollering Creek† and â€Å"One Holy Night.† In â€Å"Woman Hollering Creek,† Sandra Cisneros’ main character, Cleofilas, grows up watching telenovelas on TV, which are like soap operas, in which the classic Cinderella themes are played out over and over, reinforcing Cleofilas’ fantasies regarding what her future life will be and the patriarchal vision of women’s approved roles in society. In the telenovelas, life was seen to be full of â€Å"all kinds of hardship of the heart, separation and betrayal† (220), but a loving woman, always patient and always kind, could expect happiness in the end. â€Å"Cleofilas