Men and Women in 1950s Columbia

While reading Gabriel García Máquez’s novel, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, I was very interested with the culture presented in the story, especially that between the roles of men and women. As we discussed these ideas in class, the cult of machismo, and the cult of virginity came up in our conversations. My interest level spiked. I had heard of “Latin macho” but I never fully understood it until I read this book. Pedro and Pablo are the prime examples of the Latin culture. They must stand up for their family honor, and kill Santiago Nasar. What is interesting about this story is to look at all of the different types of expectations of the culture on all of its people.

Women as a whole are not taken seriously in this culture, but class plays a large role in the expectations for women. Upper class women in a small town in 1950s Columbia, were expected to be mothers and wives when they grew up. They were taught important skills from their mothers, such as embroidery, cooking, childcare, and any other skill that might be necessary to take care of a family after they left their homes. They are expected to be pure on their wedding nights. Working class women are viewed as men’s play things, but they are also not taken seriously at all. Clotide Armenta tries multiple times to help Santiago Nasar. She even attempts to enlist the mayors help but he does nothing as well. She is powerless to help Santiago, because no one will take her seriously. Santiago Nasar is also guilty of treating women with no respect. He assumes that Divina Flor will very soon be an extension on his desires. He treats her with no respect, but also feels no guilt for his actions. Angela Vicario, on the other hand, can not be treated like that. When Bayardo San Roman was courting Angela, he did not ever touch her. She was a lady of prominence, and he would wait until the wedding night to take her. When she is not pure, it not only disgraces her family, but also disgraces Bayardo. He had spent thousands of pesos on the wedding, and he was humiliated to have to return his bride. He even did it in the middle of the night, and did not start up his car so that no one in the town would know for at least a couple of hours.

Men of this time are another story completely. They are expected to uphold their family honor, and be well versed in the bedroom. Young men often lose their virginity to the local prostitutes. The narrator, in fact, was in the arms of Maria Alejandra Cervantes when Santiago Nasar was murdered. I believe that the Vicario twins show the most obvious example of the Latin expectation for men. After Angela is disgraced and returned to her family, they must redeem the family honor. To do so, they either must kill Santiago Nasar, or threaten to do so, and be stopped in an honorable way. This would restore the honor, but keep their hands clean of blood. Pedro and Pablo do their best to be stopped by someone. They tell everyone they know that they are going to murder Santiago Nasar. Unfortunately, no one takes them seriously except for Clotide Armenta, and she is powerless to stop their actions.

The differences between men and women in this culture are absolutely fascinating. Women take a very primitive role, having no voice, and no rights. Men are expected to hold up the family. Honor is incredibly important to this society, and it is for this reason that Santiago Nasar was killed. The ideas that Gabriel García Márquez presents in this novel is an inside view to a culture he loves. (635)