Machismo in Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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Characters are made to present certain ideas that the author believes in. In Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold there are many characters included that range from bold, boisterous characters to minuscule, quiet characters but one thing they all have in common is that they all represent ideas. Characters in the novel convey aspects of Marquez’s Colombian culture. The machismo expected of Latino men is exemplified by Santiago Nasar. Machismo men as stereotypically thought of as strong, rich, loud, and as womanizers. They are often associated with violence. Nasar would be a prime example of this because in his closet he has a “Mannlicher Schoenauer, 30-.06 rifle, a .300 Holland & Holland Magnum rifle, a .22 Hornet with a double-powered telescopic sight, and a Winchester repeater.” (Marquez 5). This is ironic because even with a multitude of weapons Nasar ends up dead. The irony of this highlights Marquez’s criticism of the violence aspect in machismo. The details suggest that weapons were important in the Colombian culture because they are accustomed to violence and expect it from the men. Another example of the importance of weapons and violence in the Colombian culture is how ‘“in the country [Nassar] kept a .357 Magnum on his belt, and its armored bullets, according to what he said, could cut a horse in the middle,” (5). The hyperbole emphasizes the strength of the bullets which corresponds to how people expect the men to strong. The pattern of weapons in the novella illuminates the idea that weapons and violence are a part of machismo, which the character Staniago Nasssar symbolizes. Another important aspect of machismo is being able to take care of one’s family. Nasar does this after his father’s death; his... ... middle of paper ... ...assive hemorrhage brought on by any one of the seven major wounds,” (76). The details allude to the idea that the tone of this novel is investigative. The “massive hemorrhage” is a detail that suggests Santiago Nasar was going to die soon anyway; which means that Father Amador is giving an excuse for the murder. But in all reality the thing that killed Nasar was in fact Pablo and Pedro. Used to convey characteristics of Colombian culture characters in the Chronicle of a Death Foretold are interviewed by the narrator. This format contributes to the investigative tone of the book. Marquez used character to portray his feeling about some aspects of the Colombian culture aiding one to discover a new culture while reading. Works Cited Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Trans. Gregory Rabassa. 1928. New York: Vintage-Random House, 2003. Print.

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