Agency and Empowerment through Sexuality:
A Feminist Critique of Garbiel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Gabriel García Márquez’s novella, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, tells the disjointed story of a murder that took place many years prior to its narration. The identity of the victim is Santiago Nasar; a handsome, wealthy, and young Arab man. He is murdered because a young woman names him as her partner when she is disgracefully returned to her parents’ home on her wedding night. Examining this novella through the lens of Feminist Theory provides multiple insights into culturally imposed sexism, and causes the reader to reconsider the identity of the true victim of this disjointed male-driven tale. In an article titled "Feminist …show more content…
Furthermore, Rhodes writes that “what distinguishes feminist critical theories from other analysis is both the focus on gender equality and the conviction that it cannot be obtained under existing ideological and institutional structures” (619). The application of these concepts to literature through Feminist Literary Theory brings to light the male dominance asserted in the literature as well as the inequality and male dominance that unfolds within its pages. The male dominance reflective of society asserts itself in Chronicle of a Death Foretold through many forms. Most obvious of these forms is male characterization. Immense space in the novella is devoted to numerous details and descriptions of male characters like Santiago Nasar, Bayardo San Román. Even substantially more effort is spent describing minor male characters such as Bayardo’s father than other key female characters. Márquez makes a point to describe to the reader Nasar’s choice of dress, routines, …show more content…
This is indicated when Márquez writes, “mistress of her fate for the first time, Angela Vicario then discovered that hate and love are reciprocal passions” (93). Only by destroying herself in society’s view, is she free to be herself. She exercises new power in writing letters to Bayardo; it becomes an obsession. Despite this exercise of power, though, Bayardo comes back to her without acknowledging the power that she has exercised in her writing. He only recognizes her devotion to him through the numerous letters which remain unopened. She has gained a sense of power which obtains her what she wants, but it is still on Bayardo’s terms after she has spent half of a lifetime in pursuit of him and after he himself had claimed her so easily when he intended to marry her. It is only after he has lost his good looks and youth that he is willing to accept her as she is, discrediting her as a woman and
A Feminist Critique of Garbiel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Gabriel García Márquez’s novella, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, tells the disjointed story of a murder that took place many years prior to its narration. The identity of the victim is Santiago Nasar; a handsome, wealthy, and young Arab man. He is murdered because a young woman names him as her partner when she is disgracefully returned to her parents’ home on her wedding night. Examining this novella through the lens of Feminist Theory provides multiple insights into culturally imposed sexism, and causes the reader to reconsider the identity of the true victim of this disjointed male-driven tale. In an article titled "Feminist …show more content…
Furthermore, Rhodes writes that “what distinguishes feminist critical theories from other analysis is both the focus on gender equality and the conviction that it cannot be obtained under existing ideological and institutional structures” (619). The application of these concepts to literature through Feminist Literary Theory brings to light the male dominance asserted in the literature as well as the inequality and male dominance that unfolds within its pages. The male dominance reflective of society asserts itself in Chronicle of a Death Foretold through many forms. Most obvious of these forms is male characterization. Immense space in the novella is devoted to numerous details and descriptions of male characters like Santiago Nasar, Bayardo San Román. Even substantially more effort is spent describing minor male characters such as Bayardo’s father than other key female characters. Márquez makes a point to describe to the reader Nasar’s choice of dress, routines, …show more content…
This is indicated when Márquez writes, “mistress of her fate for the first time, Angela Vicario then discovered that hate and love are reciprocal passions” (93). Only by destroying herself in society’s view, is she free to be herself. She exercises new power in writing letters to Bayardo; it becomes an obsession. Despite this exercise of power, though, Bayardo comes back to her without acknowledging the power that she has exercised in her writing. He only recognizes her devotion to him through the numerous letters which remain unopened. She has gained a sense of power which obtains her what she wants, but it is still on Bayardo’s terms after she has spent half of a lifetime in pursuit of him and after he himself had claimed her so easily when he intended to marry her. It is only after he has lost his good looks and youth that he is willing to accept her as she is, discrediting her as a woman and