One Hundred Years Of Solitude Gender Analysis

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Traditional gender roles exist in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, but traditional distribution of power between the genders does not. In analyzing each character and their life, it’s easy to see how Marquez presented each in terms of his own view on gender constructs. Marquez portrays femininity and masculinity very differently. But why would Marquez choose to make such a clear distinction between the roles of each gender? Marquez sees women as spiritual and overpowered by traditional standards, and men doomed by their own obsessions. Men are wily and therefore vulnerable, whereas women are dignified and durable, and survive for much longer. We all know that the Buendia men in are a mess when it comes to self-control. …show more content…

He was every bachelor’s dream self. He traveled the world with gypsies and got every tattoo he could think of. He drank, slept around, and women idolized him. Unfortunately, his personality wasn’t as fabulous. He defied his mother’s direct orders and married his adopted sister, Rebeca. In a fight with Pietro, he states, “Fuck nature two times over” (92). He doesn’t care about what the laws of nature, the actual law, Ursula, or his family has to say about his marriage to Rebeca because he has no wish to control his desires. He has always been able to get what he wanted, and he doesn’t plan to stop that type of behavior any time soon. Because he defies Ursula, he gets banished from her house, and eventually killed- supposedly by an act of God against his actions, but the exact circumstance is unclear. What we do know is that Jr. overindulged in every desire he had, and he died for that. We can contrast this with the fate of Remedios the Beauty, who is the feminine-stereotype equivalent of Jose Arcadio Jr. Remedios ascended into heaven instead of receiving an almighty punishment. This contrast is a perfect example of Marquez’ views on

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