Examples Of Machismo In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold

Detrimental Cult of Machismo in Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Machismo is a cultural attitude especially prevalent in Latin-American societies that emphasizes aggressive male behavior and violent masculinity. In the novella, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Marquez not only depicts the toxic Latin American male culture through the actions of the characters, but he also condemns it by exposing its deathly consequences. The narrator in the novella hunts for the real convict of a homicide and explores the events that led to the terrible event. Although the mystery was never uncovered, Marquez suggests that the burden of one’s honor and the detrimental effects of machismo are the causes that eventually lead to an atrocious crime. The perpetuation
No one in the town is wholly guilty for the crime, nor is anyone the only victim. The values of machismo have been instilled in both genders since a young age, and therefore, it controls the actions of the townspeople that eventually led to Santiago’s demise. Bayardo San Roman returns Angela Vicario after she was found to be impure, initiating the ultimate downfall of the community that appears benevolence at a glance. Angela then suffers from the double standard because she is condemned for having premarital sex and gets by her mother, Pura Vicario, “with such rage that [Angela] thought [her mother] was going to kill [her].” (Marquez 46) When her brothers ask her who the perpetrator was, she knows that she has to give a name. Angela is at fault because she knows that whoever’s name comes out of her mouth will be killed by her brothers, but that did not stop her from wrongly accusing Santiago
They do not need someone to tell them to carry out the “horrible duty that’s fallen on them” (Marquez 57) because they “were brought up to be men.” (Marquez 31) Pedro and Pablo repeatedly vocalize their plans to “more than a dozen people” (Marquez 66) hoping to be stopped, or at least, have someone forewarn Santiago. When the townspeople failed to do so, the Vicario brothers had to feign a “much more unforgiving bloodthirstiness than really was true.” (Marquez 49) Although the brothers were wrong to commit a horrendous crime, they cannot be blamed for being unfortunate puppets controlled by the cult of machismo. Lastly, the blame is also placed upon the townspeople for allowing the inhumane act to happen. Some even agree to the Vicario brothers’ decision because they too believe that a man is responsible to defend his pride, as seen when Prudencia Cotes said “I never would have married [Pablo] if he hadn’t done what a man should do.” However, because the culture encourages them to not get involved in matters of honor, they cannot be completely blamed for not having stopped the