Social Norms And Expectations In Bayardo San Roman By Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Bayardo San Roman, just like every other character in the novel, is a product of Colombian values and traditions. These values are not in sync with those shared by many modern viewers like the readers Marquez purposely creates this stark contrast between different views on Bayardo San Roman, successfully illustrating the evolution of societal norms and expectations through time. The townsfolk see Bayardo San Roman as the perfect man. He arrives with “saddlebags decorated with silver” to match the “buckle of his belt and the rings on his boots”. A byronic man, Bayardo San Roman is a 30-year-old who accentuates his “novice bullfighter” waist with a “short jacket and very tight trousers, both of natural calfskin, and kid gloves of the same color”.
The perfect man has “golden eyes” and “swims in gold”. Not only does Bayardo San Roman have all the knowledge, wealth, and power, but he uses it to exploit others. Xius dies because of Bayardo San Roman’s greed. The Vicario brothers murder Santiago Nasar because he allegedly deflowers Angela, whom Bayardo returns after realizing she is no longer a virgin. Yet, Bayardo shows no love for Angela Vicario. He does give her a music box, but only as a symbol of his wealth and power. “He hadn’t even tried to court her, but had bewitched the family with his charm”. Whereas the community in the novel see Bayardo San Roman as the perfect man, even resembling a “fairy”, he is in fact the “height of machismo”. In fact, the “immense majority of people” see Bayardo San Roman as the “only victim” amongst all the “actors in the tragedy” of the murder, completely oblivious to Santiago Nassar. Marquez purposefully creates such a character to contrast it with more modern views and values, feminist ones, who do not use culture and tradition to exploit and abuse one gender.