A woman in “La Fabulosa: A Texas Operetta” who likes to call herself “Spanish” even though she’s from Laredo, Texas. Because Carmen has very large breasts, men rarely make eye contact when talking to her, preferring to lustfully stare at her chest. Though this is unfortunate, Carmen has found ways to subvert this kind of misogyny, turning the power she has over men into personal agency. When a famous senator named Camilo Escamilla takes an interest in her, she doesn’t hesitate to leave behind her “sometimes boyfriend” José, who goes crazy with jealousy and tries to kill her, then tries to kill himself. In the end, Carmen winds up running away with a professional wrestler named King Kong Cárdenas. Despite José’s violence and this whirlwind of love triangles, Carmen seems to be doing well these days, as evidenced by the fact that she buys the narrator a drink in Helotes, Texas and spends the night dancing.
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Carmen Berriozábal Character Timeline in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
The timeline below shows where the character Carmen Berriozábal appears in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
La Fabulosa: A Texas Operetta
The "Fabulosa" narrator describes Carmen Berriozábal, a woman who likes to call herself “Spanish” even though she’s from Laredo, Texas....
(full context)
...why, but when you treat men bad, they love it,” says the "Fabulosa" narrator. When Carmen meets a well-known Texas senator named Camilo Escamilla, she quickly abandons José. As the senator...
(full context)
