What Is The Hypocrisy In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold Religion

While religion serves as tool for understanding, followers manipulate it into justifying bigoted and hypocritical actions. Religion unifies groups through culture, and Catholicism is the foundation for such a culturally-homogenous small town that Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold describes. In his novella, key characters justify their horrendous acts with their religion, despite of how far they stray from the actual biblical text. Characters appear to use Catholicism as a crutch to lean on when threatened, and through his characters, Marquez mocks the extent to which religious followers can shrug off religious hypocrisy. The irony within character names, juxtaposed with their actions, exposes the hypocrisy this small Colombian
Pura’s name suggest thats she embodies purity, but manages to catalyze violence whenever possible. Immediately after Bayardo San Roman describes her as “a saint”, Pura beat Angela Vicario “with such rage that [Angela] thought she was going to kill [her].” (46) Pura is contrary to purity because she abuses Angela, and her violence contradicts religious values that emphasize purity’s meaning. While Catholicism as whole may not be the center of criticism, the contrary names assigned to each character criticizes religious people who pick and choose from their religions. Pura perpetuates her own hypocrisy through the expectation that Bayardo San Roman must respect Angela. She "laid down the condition that Bayardo San Roman should identify himself properly,” (32) but beats Angela after she discovers that she is not a virgin out of wedlock. Pura's double standards develop her as an ironic character, highlighting how corrupt religion can degrade the practice’s values. By focusing on bad religious followers, good religious followers seemingly cease existence due to being overshadowed by negativity. Pura is not accountable for her actions but demands that Bayardo San Roman show Angela respect. Pura also opposes her name by her demand for Santiago Nasar’s blood. Pedro and Pablo are “urgently summoned by their mother” after she discovers that
Considered pure because of her chastity, Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’ name exaggerates her ironic role as the town prostitute that receives frequently visitations from the key male characters, who are Catholic. Although she lives in Catholic society, Maria Alejandrina Cervantes is “the most serviceable in bed.” Cervantes shares a name with the Virgin Mary to contrast the sexuality between both characters, soiling Maria’s reputation. Although Mary is notable for being a virgin, she is shamed by the community surrounding her out of suspect to having an affair, but Maria, publically known as a prostitute, does not receive the same criticism. Juxtaposition of Mary and Maria contributes to the idea that a Catholics do not value sins when those sins benefit them. Maria Alejandrina Cervantes also evokes criticism on the male characters in the novella. The narrator and his friends “had been together at Maria Alejandrina Cervantes' house,” typifying all of them as Catholic hypocrites. Whereas Pura beats Angela for having sex, the male characters are not held accountable for their sexual sin. Cervantes, as a tool for the men to sin, characterizes the face of patriarchy embedded in an array of