Márquez’s representation of women Chronicle of A Death Foretold explores the roles of systematic female oppression and multifaceted gender relationships in the establishment of Latin American culture. Sympathetic to the degrading position assigned to women under the patriarchy, he depicted the harsh judgment placed on women by defining the specific categories they were forced to correspond with. By providing a critique on the chauvinistic beliefs held by many Latin Americans, Chronicle shed light on the prejudiced gender identities that beset society.
Rigid gender roles characterized Colombian culture, resulting in one-dimensional views of women and their various roles in society. Women, as seen by the female characters in the novella, were …show more content…
Despite widespread oppression of female sexuality, whores were viewed as important members of society, for they offered male gratification. The prostitute, María Alejandrina Cervantes, is praised for eroticism. The narrator declares her “the most elegant and the most tender woman I have ever known” (Pg. 64), commending her for her sexual prowess and attractiveness. However, heedless of the flattering descriptions of María and “her pleasurable mulatto girls” (Pg. 64), male characters, including the narrator, regarded them as sex objects whose sole purpose was to provide sexual pleasure. Whores were respected for their promiscuity, but nothing beyond that, as seen by Ibrahim Nasar punishing Santiago for his passionate romance with María. Márquez, who frequently sought companionship through the use of prostitutes, displayed his grievances towards their discrimination by making the hooker, María Cervantes, a respected, knowledgeable member of society, regardless of her lack of purity. It’s stated by the narrator that María ”did away with my generation’s virginity” (Pg. 64), of course referring specifically to male virginity. This assertion appears to be an exception to the traditional principles concerning the significance of virginity, yet the entire concept of virginity is rooted in gender-biased thinking, assuming that a woman’s entire being is altered after her deflowering, while a man remains
Rigid gender roles characterized Colombian culture, resulting in one-dimensional views of women and their various roles in society. Women, as seen by the female characters in the novella, were …show more content…
Despite widespread oppression of female sexuality, whores were viewed as important members of society, for they offered male gratification. The prostitute, María Alejandrina Cervantes, is praised for eroticism. The narrator declares her “the most elegant and the most tender woman I have ever known” (Pg. 64), commending her for her sexual prowess and attractiveness. However, heedless of the flattering descriptions of María and “her pleasurable mulatto girls” (Pg. 64), male characters, including the narrator, regarded them as sex objects whose sole purpose was to provide sexual pleasure. Whores were respected for their promiscuity, but nothing beyond that, as seen by Ibrahim Nasar punishing Santiago for his passionate romance with María. Márquez, who frequently sought companionship through the use of prostitutes, displayed his grievances towards their discrimination by making the hooker, María Cervantes, a respected, knowledgeable member of society, regardless of her lack of purity. It’s stated by the narrator that María ”did away with my generation’s virginity” (Pg. 64), of course referring specifically to male virginity. This assertion appears to be an exception to the traditional principles concerning the significance of virginity, yet the entire concept of virginity is rooted in gender-biased thinking, assuming that a woman’s entire being is altered after her deflowering, while a man remains