In Like Water for Chocolate and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, tradition and honor are used to critique Latin American society. Laura Esquivel and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, respectively, create tension between honor and society through character interactions and guilt. At the forefront of Like Water for Chocolate is a deconstruction traditional honor and familial structures, as Tita grows and learns that her belief in love can in fact change her family’s fate. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, traditional honor is used to show the conflicting views in society, as no one speaks up about Santiago’s death, but everyone feels guilt. In Like Water for Chocolate, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Vandello’s study on honor and infidelity, Latin
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When Tita tells John Brown that “[she] had relations with a man [she’s] always loved ... [she] can’t marry [him] anymore.” Latin American custom requires that he break off the engagement, and that her family and John would be dishonored. However, John Brown is from the northern United States, which means he does not have the traditional views of honor that Tita’s family has. “It doesn’t matter to [John] what [she] did...what [she] told [him] hasn’t changed the way [he thinks],” and he allows Tita to choose who she is truly in love with (Esquivel, 223). This shocks Tita and the reader, as John’s reaction is a tangible example of Esquivel’s commentary on traditional honor. The modern view of marriage, where marriage is based on love, shows the difference between North American and Latin American ideals. As a result, Esquivel’s commentary shows John as being more respected for not abusing Tita for her infidelity, which contrasts Marquez, who criticizes society through traditional honor …show more content…
Latin American “gender roles imply a more active role for men and a passive role for women” where honor is found within a man’s sexual prowess but a woman’s virginity (Vandello, 998). As Marquez delves into Angela’s purity as a focal point, Vandello states “family honor...[constrains] the sexual activity of single daughters and married women” so that the male head of household would not have his honor threatened (Vandello, 999). Tita expects a violent reaction from John due to the belief that “a man’s lost honor can be at least partially redeemed through...violence” which explains Esquivel’s juxtaposition of the traditional and modern views to urge societal change (Vandello, 1008). Vandello’s study provides scientific concurrences to Esquivel and Marquez’s writings, as the differences between Latin and North American ideologies is tangible and the longing for change can be
When Tita tells John Brown that “[she] had relations with a man [she’s] always loved ... [she] can’t marry [him] anymore.” Latin American custom requires that he break off the engagement, and that her family and John would be dishonored. However, John Brown is from the northern United States, which means he does not have the traditional views of honor that Tita’s family has. “It doesn’t matter to [John] what [she] did...what [she] told [him] hasn’t changed the way [he thinks],” and he allows Tita to choose who she is truly in love with (Esquivel, 223). This shocks Tita and the reader, as John’s reaction is a tangible example of Esquivel’s commentary on traditional honor. The modern view of marriage, where marriage is based on love, shows the difference between North American and Latin American ideals. As a result, Esquivel’s commentary shows John as being more respected for not abusing Tita for her infidelity, which contrasts Marquez, who criticizes society through traditional honor …show more content…
Latin American “gender roles imply a more active role for men and a passive role for women” where honor is found within a man’s sexual prowess but a woman’s virginity (Vandello, 998). As Marquez delves into Angela’s purity as a focal point, Vandello states “family honor...[constrains] the sexual activity of single daughters and married women” so that the male head of household would not have his honor threatened (Vandello, 999). Tita expects a violent reaction from John due to the belief that “a man’s lost honor can be at least partially redeemed through...violence” which explains Esquivel’s juxtaposition of the traditional and modern views to urge societal change (Vandello, 1008). Vandello’s study provides scientific concurrences to Esquivel and Marquez’s writings, as the differences between Latin and North American ideologies is tangible and the longing for change can be