NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF STUDY AND RESEARCH IN

LAW, RANCHI

MID SEMESTER PROJECT

ESSAY AND ARTICLE REVIEW

Submitted by,

Submitted to,

Vishakha Rajgarhia

Ms. Arpita Ghosh

Semester 2 A
Roll No. 417
1

REFERENCES

1. Cianelli, Rosina; Lilian Ferrer and Beverly McElmurry (2008). "HIV Prevention and
Low-Income Chilean Women: Machismo, Marianismo and HIV
Misconceptions".Culture, Health & Sexuality 3: 297306.. Retrieved 5th May, 2015

2. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A critical companion, Ruben Pelayo, Web. 06 January,2014,

Retrieval date<7th May, 2015>

3. The Latin American Family: Familism vs. Machismo by Bron B. Ingoldsby.

Published in Journal of Comparative Family Studies, Vol. 22, No. 1, (SPRING 1991),
pp. 57-62.

DISCUSS HOW COMMUNITIES IDENTITIES ARE NEGOTIATED THROUGH

HYPER-MASCULINE CULTURE (MACHISMO) IN GABRIEL GARCIA
MARQUEZ CHRONICLE OF DEATH FORETOLD.
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INTRODUCTION
Machismo is a strong or exaggerated sense of manliness, sense of power, or the right to
dominate. The theme of Machismo can be observed as a form of emphasis on male pride and
on characters sexual behavior. Machismo is a cultural value that bestows upon men rights and
privileges that would never be thought to worthy of women. It is entirely based on gender,
and not on the ethical treatment of every member of society as an equal. Moreover,
Machismo carries with it a sense of entitlement that is dependent on factors such as virility,
strength and physical domination. Strong community leadership and defending family, family
honor, emotional connectedness are source of pride to men. In practice, it is but a small step
from the self sacrificing patriarch to the manipulative egoist who uses an ideology of the
protective roles as a pretext of exercising total control over the family members. This being
said, Machismo is not only expected to take an effect on women as a weaker sex, but also
on weaker and less able males who become followers of what is commonly known as the
more powerful Alpha male. Similarly, in the novella, the power to dominate is aimed
towards women when women used to be treated as a possession. Machismo is focused in the
society because this society is patriarchal and the men are supposed to defend their family
and make a name for their selves which is so not true. This paper will deal with the
negotiation between the community and hyper masculinity culture and how social
expectations and obligations play a role of paramount influence in Marquezs Chronicle of
Death Foretold.
ILLUSTRATIONS
ReputationMachismo males have an expansive and almost uncontrollable sexual appetite, and it is their
right to satisfy their desire in the ways they choose. In contrast, female sexuality is seen as an
object over which the male has control. Females are expected to have only one sexual partner,
none before or outside of marriage. Machismo sexual behavior is a source of ride for men and
they must prove their manliness by upholding their sexual dominance. In this way, reputation
is one of the driving forces behind Machismo.
Extra-Marital affairs-

Extra marital affairs are the primary way in which males prove their masculinity. By having
sexual intercourse with several women, in addition to their spouses men demonstrate their
expansive sexual appetite. Men create an underlying culture in bars and brothels where there
is a mutual trust and understanding that they will cover for one another.
Honor killingOne of the basic principles of Machismo is to defend your honor. Similarly, in the novella,
honor is a societal expectation for all men. The vicario brothers feel compelled to defend their
family name by seeking revenge against the man who deflowered their sister.
Domestic Violence:In many cases, a mans position of superiority over a female partner can lead him to gain
control over different aspects of her life. Since women are viewed as subservient to men in
many cultures, men often have power to decide whether his wife can work, study, socialize,
participate in the community, or even leave the house. This leaves many women particularly
vulnerable to domestic violence both because it is justified through this belief that men are
superior and thus are free to express that superiority and because women cannot leave such
an abusive relationship since they rely on their husbands to live.1

NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN COMMUNITY IDENTITIES AND MACHISMO IN

CHRONCLE OF DEATH FORETOLDA chronicle of death foretold takes place in a town where everyone knows everyone, and
everybody knows everything about anyone. The central action which shapes and informs
every page of chronicle of death foretold is the murder of the twenty-year-old aristocrat,
Santiago Nasar, by the Vicario brothers, in a legitimate defense of their sisters honor. In a
society of rigid hierarchies and strict code of behavior such as the one Garcia Marquez
examines in the novel, deeper motivations can be seen to have at work in influencing the
actions of the townspeople. Economic and social inequities make Santiago Nasar a target of
hatred even as he is an object of admiration. Handsome a man of his word, and with a
1 Cianelli, Rosina; Lilian Ferrer and Beverly McElmurry (2008). "HIV Prevention and Low-Income
Chilean Women: Machismo, Marianismo and HIV Misconceptions".Culture, Health & Sexuality 3:
297306.. Retrieved 5th May, 2015.
4

fortune at twenty-one, Nasar moves freely to the town in a privileged existence afforded by
money and maleness.
Social expectations and obligations play a role of paramount influence in Marquezs
Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Women in the text have unconsciously accepted themselves as
the inferior gender, and conform to the expectations of society rather than their individual
desires. Society has normalized a chauvinistic attitude, leading women to intrinsically accept
the values of society as their own. This notion also explained why Angelas confidantes
helped her hide the loss of her virginity. Society upheld the value of virginity and chastity,
and so the women wished to help Angela hide her impurity. It was societys belief, and
therefore their own, that women had to enter marriage as virgins. Thus, Angela embodied
something shameful that needed to be hidden.2
In contrast, men are expected to embody an aura of machismo. The discussion of this idea
provided insight to why Angelas brothers, Pedro and Pablo Vicario, killed Santiago Nasar,
despite the fact that he was their friend. It was not merely the defending the honor of the
family, but also the expectation that the men of the family to take it upon themselves to right
such wrongs. This provides validation for the theory that Pedro and Pablo were announcing
their intentions to murder Santiago in the hopes that someone would stop them. Their
murderous intent stemmed from societal obligations and reflected the macho ideal rather than
an actual desire to kill Santiago. This is also identified through Poncio Vicario sacrificing his
sight through his fine work with gold in order to defend the familys honor. Society obliges
men to assume a masculine role and defend the family regardless of the sacrifice.
Machismo being a vital part in the Chronicle of Death Foretold can be seen as an emphasis
on male pride on the characters.3 An important example in the novel is the brothel that
narrator, Santiago and all of that male age group would go to. They took pride in visiting the
Cervantes brothel, where they used women for sex. They are not even ashamed of their
actions, because their society endorses such desires and deeds. Also, when Bayardo San
Roman returns Angela Vicario, he demonstrated Machismo by suggesting that a woman is
2 Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A critical companion, Ruben Pelayo, Web. 06 January,2014, Retrieval
date<7th May, 2015>
3 The Latin American Family: Familism vs. Machismo by Bron B. Ingoldsby. Published in Journal of
Comparative Family Studies, Vol. 22, No. 1, (SPRING 1991), pp. 57-62.

only worth marrying when she is a virgin, after that she is soiled. The Vicario brothers
murder of Santiago Nasar is also a Machismo act because it was an attempt to take back
Angelas honor by killing the man who deflowered her. One Mans Machismo commits
another mans Bayardos refusal to accept Angela lead the Vicario brothers to kill Santiago
without trial or evidence.
CONCLUSIONThe concept of Machismo is the nucleus of the novel the Chronicle of Death Foretold
because it influences every aspect of society. The analysis presented here has identified
significant evidence by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that it is highly possible to place blame on
society for the murder of Santiago Nasar, thus promoting a collective guilt for the loss of life
based upon little more than a need to restore status quo of the community and honor of the
family. There can be a little doubt that the concept of honor is prevalent in the societal
discourse within the town and is visible within the actions of individuals from the very outset.
Indeed, the evidence presented within the analysis here demonstrates that it underpins the
foundation of society as a whole and therefore must be considered as a major factor in the
death of Nasar. This is especially true given that, despite the guilt over the murder that
manifests itself in both society and the consciousness of the twins in the years following the
murder, it appears that very little has changed. The absolution received by the twins from the
political and social institutions within the town certainly point to a fundamentally flawed
society that will continue to be so, with the loss of a single individual being unable to change
the thought processes and rituals within the area. Thus this essay tried to show the
negotiations between the community identities and Machismo and came to an end by
concluding that community identities plays a vital role in developing the hyper masculine
culture.