Death Foretold Masculinity

"Any man will be happy with them because they've been raised to suffer" (Márquez 31). Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez occurs in Latin America during the 1950's. This is the height of machismo, "a strong or exaggerated sense of traditional masculinity placing great value on physical courage, virility, domination of women, and aggressiveness" (machismo). The men in the novel, such as Pedro and Pablo Vicario, Santiago Nasar, and Bayardo San Román, are constantly reminded of the machismo standards because of the stress of performing to the expectations created. The women, for example those in the Vicario Family, Plácida Linero, and María Cervantes, are subject to this culture and become victims of the stress put on the men.
The men in the book are constantly striving to fulfill their given duties of portraying a 'manly man'. Angela Vicario, the twins' sister, establishes Santiago Nasar as the man to blame for the loss of her virginity. Pablo and Pedro believe it is their responsibility to kill him. Although the Vicario twins seem eager to seek vengeance on Santiago, they are only trying to keep their family honor. The narrator states, "So he put the knife in his hand and dragged him off almost by force in search of their sister's lost honor" (Márquez 61). Their society expects them to defend their family name and the twins must abide, despite their obvious reluctance. They continuously persuade the town to stop them, but no one believes men so innocent would actually follow through with killing a man. The people act as if the murder is so unexpected and horrible, but in the end, no one actually feels bad because it was the machismo thing to do. The town has been raised to believe this 'display of masculinity' is normal, even if they attempt to hide it. The men are told to provide for the women and their families, no matter the circumstance or consequence. They live by the saying, "Honor is love" (Márquez 97). Pedro and Pablo have no choice but to fit into this societal mold set in place by machismo. The stress produced by this culture forces the men to act upon their expectations, affecting the
In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the men not only execute power, they dominate all aspects of the women's lives. Purísima del Carmen, Angela's mother, has been raised to believe she is only valued for her feminine attributes, such as taking care of her home. The narrator demonstrates this view others have of her when Marquez writes, "She devoted herself with such spirit of sacrifice to the care of her husband and the rearing of her children that at times one forgot she still existed" (Márquez 31). Purísima is not regarded as strong, but is seen as devoted because she is hidden behind her role as a homemaker. Not only is Purísima controlled by machismo, but Angela, her daughter, is as well. Angela is forced to marry Bayardo San Román, a man she does not love, only because he is wealthy and charming. She sacrifices her happiness so her family will be successful. "Angela Vicario only dared hint at the inconvenience of a lack of love, but her mother demolished it with a single phrase: 'Love can be learned too'" (Márquez 35). Her mother has taught her to follow society and learn to love someone as arrogant as Bayardo for the benefit of those around her. Santiago's mother, Placida Linero, did the same for her family by marrying into a 'convenient marriage'. These women are unique and independent, but machismo has taught them to rely on men for protection and monetary needs.