One Hundred Years of Solitude/Cien Anos de Soledad : The Buendía Family

983 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Machismo in Hispanic culture

One Hundred Years of Solitude/Cien Anos de Soledad : The Buendía Family

Bibliography w/3 sources The family is at the center of Latin American society. It provides a sense of stability amidst economic and political instability. Blood ties often become business contacts, and keeping in touch with as many relatives as possible is an economic advantage.

The male is the dominant figure in Latin American families. He supports the family financially and decides the family's residence. As a result of his authority, he is often distant from his children (Barroa 75). He must prove himself muy macho (very much a man) through the conquest of several women (74). In fact, many Latin American men maintain separate houses from their family with a mistress (74). Poet Octavia Paz comments on machismo, saying that the ideal male "must never give in,' that is, allow the exterior world to penetrate his interior self, his maleness" (74).

In Latin America, the female runs the household (74). She educates the children and manages the finances. As a result, the Latin American family is matriarchal. Whereas the father is distant, the mother is "linked with love and proximity" and has a greater influence on the children (75).

The Buendías of One Hundred Years of Solitude fit this model in several ways. Family ties are strong within the family. Everyone lives in the same house. One of two family names--Aureliano and José Arcadio-- is passed down to all male Buendías.

The men in the novel fit into one of two categories (Bell-Villida 95). The José Arcadios are on one side of the spectrum, exhibiting an extreme form of machismo. When they make a decision, no one...

... middle of paper ...

... strong, and the men are either muy macho or extremely remote from the rest of the family. However, the Buendías digress from this model in several instances. The men are not family leaders, and the women take on the traditional roles of both parents in the family. Another key deviation from the traditional family structure is the Buendías' failure to form relationships with the community. They resort to incest, a digression from the norm which possibly causes the eventual destruction of the Buendía clan.

Bibliography

Bell-Villada, Gene H. Garcia Marquez: The Man and His Work. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990.

Gonzalez, Anibal. "Translation and genealogy: One Hundred Years of Solitude." In McGuirk and Cardwell, 65-79.

James, Regina. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Revolutions in Wonderland. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1981.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

    2349 Words  | 5 Pages

    Junot Diaz’s novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is focused on the hyper-masculine culture of the Dominican, and many argue that his portrayal of the slew of women in the novel is misogynistic because they are often silenced by the plot and kept out of the narration (Matsui). However, Diaz crafts strong women, and it is society that views them as objects. The novel recognizes the masculine lens of the culture while still examining the lives of resilient women. In this way, the novel showcases a feminist stance and critiques the misogynist culture it is set in by showcasing the strength and depth of these women that help to shape the narrative while acknowledging that it is the limits society places on them because of their sexuality

    Read More

  • Theme Of Irony In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    Flannery O’Connors’s “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” is filled with irony. Verbal, dramatic, and cosmic, without irony of these kinds, this short story would not be as powerful as it is. O’Connor’s use of several different kinds of irony helps in communicating a strong message about humans and human condition and to successfully engage her readers.

    Read More

  • How the Sandinista Revolution Changed Traditional Gender Roles in Nicaragua

    1807 Words  | 4 Pages

    Before the Nicaraguan Sandinista Revolution had taken place in the late 1970s, male and female gender roles had been clearly and traditionally defined as to how one should behave and conduct one’s self. Men and women identified these ideal traits and behaviors for potential husbands and wives, or as guidelines in how to raise their children, and even so that the family order of gender role was not upset. Traditional male behavior had originally been based around the notion of machismo. In this way, they are meant to act aggressive, violent, dominant, sexually conquer and drink and gamble. Women on the other hand were expected to be soft spoken, obedient and caretaker of the household. Once the Revolution started, and as times were getting harder, the idea of the ideal New Man and woman had changed.

    Read More

  • dominican republic

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Structure of families is sometimes based on gender. Gender roles in the Dominican Republic are similar to the roles that use to be the norm in America and that is still present in some households. The men are treated as superiors while women are seen as house wives. Women are the primary caregiver, either through divorce or widowhood or if the husband is working far away from home (“Roles of Women”). Also women are expected to be dedicated in being a mother and a daughter and by their late twenties to be married (“Dominican Republic Traditions and Etiquette”). It is interesting that they are expected to be married at a certain age. The men take on the role that is traditional which is being the one who enforces rules. The role of the men and women is also based on the social class they are in. The middle and upper class families are called patriarchal and the father is the norm (“Dominican Family Structure”). In the lower classes of the Dominican Republic the women are taking on the role of the men, which is to support the family. In the lower class families the structure is sometimes matriarchal because the father does not live in the house (“Dominican Family Structure”). It is interesting that depending on the social class it determines the structure of the household. Also the family structure can also depend on the oldest married couple or within their extended family the oldest male would holds authority....

    Read More

  • Granny Weatherall and Emily Grierson: Comparisons and Contrasts

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" by Katherine Anne Porter features an elderly woman named Ellen Weatherall who faces her last moments alive recounting her memories and regrets. "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner introduces the reader to Emily Grierson, a gothic southern belle who lacks charm and dies somewhat alone. Both Ellen Weatherall and Emily Grierson share traits, but they also contrast from one another throughout their stories. Each author's stream of consciousness writing style invites the reader straight into the different minds of Weatherall and Grierson. Comparing and Contrasting the two women shows their unqiue traits and eccentric ways.

    Read More

  • Frank Lloyd Wright As An Architect

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    He’s the American architect who influenced architecture around the globe. He’s the individual who influenced the mindset of others. In addition, he was a writer and an educator that lectured the younger generations. The name of this man should have already crossed your mind. He is Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the best American architects. Wright was born on June 8, 1867, in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Even though he had many hardships in his life and struggled, he always had a goal. He once said, “…having a good start, not only do I fully intend to be the greatest architect who has yet lived, but fully intend to be the greatest architect who will ever live. Yes, I intend to be the greatest architect of all time.” Today, Wright is known around the world, especially from his masterpiece, Fallingwater. Fallingwater was designed by Wright in 1935. The engineers started building in 1936, and it was completed in 1939. The house was for built for Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr., a successful businessman. The building was located in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. Additionally, the building was named “best all-time work of American architecture” by the members of the American institute of Architects in 1991. Wright believed in designing architecture that was in accordance with humanity and its environment. He called this philosophy, organic architecture. Fallingwater was designed according to the organic architecture.

    Read More

  • Hispanic Cultural Culture

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a traditional, collectivistic cultural group, the Latino population is believed to adhere deeply to the value of familismo. (Arditti, 2006; Calzada, 2014). Familism is an emphasis on the importance of the family unit over values of autonomy and individualism”. (Santistaben, 2012). Family is considered to be the top priority in the Latino culture. Comparatively, at times, this isn’t true of our busy, work devoted western culture. In western culture we think of our family in a nuclear sense made up of a: mom, dad, and siblings. Conversely, Hispanic culture focuses on the whole extended family including aunts, uncles, grandparent, and cousins. Their culture believes having close connections with the entire extended family benefits the development of their children. The entire family helps the child by giving them differing levels of social and emotional support. (American Home Resolutions,

    Read More

  • Song Of Myself By Walt Whitman And Perry Farrell

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    Essentially, Whitman and Farrell both propose that modeling society after the natural world will provide society with an equal footing for all. This idea according to both men are democratic forces that can advance American society across the obstacles of morality, class, and sexual orientation, barriers that do not exist as issues in nature, to confront indiscriminate thinking. Progress in American society is slow because we have lost touch with nature and must return to this simpler and better way of living. This is the means that both Whitman and Farrell avidly propose in order to achieve the belief of “America…the beautiful” (Assignment).

    Read More

  • Leonardo Da Vinci: A Man of Many Things

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Leonardo Da Vinci was born on Saturday April 19, 1452, just outside the small village of Vinci, in Italy’s Tuscany region (Kalz 20). He was born from a peasant woman named Caterina and fathered by a lawyer with the name of Ser Piero Da Vinci. His parents were not married (Macdonald 5). When Leonardo was a one year old his mother left him with his father for some other man. His father wanted him to be successful, so at the age of fourteen his father sent him to become an apprentice of a famous artist in Florence, Italy called Andrea Del Verrocchio (Macdonald 5). His apprenticeship lasted twelve years (Kalz 23), in which time Verrocchio inspired and encouraged Leonardo to be a free-thinker (Reed 28). Before his apprenticeship Leonardo had little formal education (Reed 9). After his apprenticeship under Andrea Del Verrocchio he began to work under Lorenzo de’ Medici (Kalz 23). In 1482, at the age of thirty, Leonardo moved to Milan and gained favor of the duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza due to his singing voice and talent on the flute (Kalz 23). In 1483, while still living in Milan, Leonardo started his Treatise on Painting, which has many notes on experiments he continued on different ideas on optics such as the eyes, light, and shapes (Reed 28). Leonardo’s good fortune was interrupted in 1499 when the French inv...

    Read More

  • Aphasia: A Mental Disease

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Expressive Apahasia (non-fluent): The person knows what he or she wants to say yet has difficulty communicating it to others. It doesn't matter what the person is trying to say or write what he or she is trying to communicate. Receptive Aphasia (fluent): The person can hear a voice or read the print, but may not understand the meaning of the message. Someone with Receptive Aphasia take language litterally. Their own speech may be disturbed because they don't understand their own language. The most severe type of Aphasia is Global Aphasia: Global Aphasia is often seen right after someone has a stroke. The person has difficulty speaking and understanding words. In addition the person is unable to read or write. (www.webmd.com)

    Read More

  • Historical Themes of Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    Garcia Marquez has said that "One Hundred Years of Solitude is not a history of Latin America, it is a metaphor for Latin America" (Dreifus 1983:1974). The historical themes include conquest and colonization, settlement and scientific discovery, civil wars, foreign economic intervention, technological change, and finally the decay and disappearance of a long-established way of life.

    Read More

  • Stolen Legacy

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... name on the works, he had stolen or sent them to his friends.” Books he did not like or recognize, he had destroyed.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Latin American Societies

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    Latin American society places a great deal of importance on the family as a support network; it is not uncommon for several generations to reside in the same house. This emphasis is called familismo, and the mother in the family is usually the most important figure. She “is seen as the primary nurturer and caregiver in the family…[and] plays a critical role in preservation of the family as a unit, as well as in...

    Read More

  • Leonardo Da Vinci’s Inventions and Other Contributions to Civilization

    1416 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a small town near Florence called Vinci, on the 15th of April, 1452 Piero Da Vinci, and a peasant girl, Caterina bore a son who would become the start of a new era, the Renaissance. Leonardo Da Vinci was a illegitimate son this meant that he could not have a prestigious position such as a notary or a doctor. In a sense this was in his favour as he had the chance of perusing his own interests. Da Vinci was born in the Province of Florence. At the time Da Vinci was born, Florence had become a fast growing city, which was wealthy enough to fund many acknowledged craftsmen. This gave Da Vinci the chance to become the apprentice of the famous artist, goldsmith and sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio. Verrocchio at that time owned an important workshop in Florence and he shared his workshop with fellow colleagues such as; Domenico Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Botticello and Lorenzo de Credi. These men would have been scholars in; art, science and engineering. This granted Da Vinci to observe other professional fields of work and to get in contact with the different professions

    Read More

  • Influence Of Columbian Culture In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through the personalities and narrative of Angela and her fiance Bayardo, the author introduces the foundation and builds the understanding of the Columbian sense of the machismo and the marianismo. Machismo is defined as strong or aggressive masculine pride, where men are allowed to have different partners. Women, on the other hand, are only allowed to have one partner and it cannot be outside of the marriage; it’s also a way for men to express their dominance over the women. For example, it was said that “No one would of thought, nor did anyone say, that Angela Vicario wasn’t a virgin… ‘The only thing I [Angela Vicario] prayed to God for was to give me the courage to kill myself’’’ (Marquez 37). This clearly tells the reader that Angela had failed to fulfill her culture 's expectation, because “no one” would 've thought that she “wasn’t a virgin” and now she is living in fear, similar to living beside a bomb, because you have no idea when the bomb is going to explode. She tried to pray for “courage” in order to kill herself because she knew when her family find out about the truth, either she or the man who took her virginity would end up dead. On the other hand, it was said that “...Bayardo San Roman was going to marry whomever he chose...‘love can be learned too.’”(Marquez 34). This quote serves as an example of the power and choice that an upper

    Read More

More about One Hundred Years of Solitude/Cien Anos de Soledad : The Buendía Family

Open Document