In the short story Chronicles of a Death Foretold by Garcia Marquez, the different roles of men and women in Latin American society in the 1990s 1950 are highlighted by various characters. The designated perpetrator of a young bride is assassinated to save the honor of the woman and her family. Apparently, in Colombia in the 1950s, men were expected to take care of the family and protect family dignity, while women were raised to marry and maintain the home. In this novel, Garcia Marquez uses his characters as tools to display cultural gender roles within the Chronicle. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The men portrayed by Garcia Marquez are expected to defend the family's honor, whatever the cost. It was with this principle in mind that Garcia Marquez created the Vicario twins, Angela's brothers. Garcia Marquez emphasizes the theme of “twins” with the Vicario brothers to convey a motif of duality. This double-sided meaning relates to the fact that there are two brothers (twins), but also has a deeper meaning; boys have two ways of thinking about murder. On the one hand, they believe that killing Santiago is necessary to redeem their family's honor. On the other hand, the Vicario brothers don't really want to murder Santiago; the severity of the situation (determined by their cultural norms) practically forces them to do so. Clotilde remarks, “She was certain that the Vicario brothers were not so eager to carry out the sentence as to find someone who would do them the favor of arresting them” (Marquez 57). The boys attempt to avoid killing Santiago several times, first announcing to the market that they were actually going to commit the murder (a ploy that could lead to the murder being prevented). They also talk about their project to twenty-two people. Despite their fight, defending their sister's honor is more important than going to prison for murder. The Vicarios are primarily concerned with matters of family reputation, while Pablo's girlfriend and other members of society are concerned with being associated with them. Pedro Vicario, “the most energetic of the brothers” (28 years old), almost refuses to carry out the plan to assassinate Santiago. Pablo, surprisingly, takes over and convinces his brother to follow the plan: "So he put the knife in his hand and dragged it almost by force to seek their sister's lost honor" (49). This shows that cultural norms come before even the emotional well-being of the twins. This is precisely how Garcia Marquez uses the Vicario brothers to illustrate the expectation of men to uphold honor in this society. Garcia Marquez also employs various other male characters to implement the theme of male domination over women. One of the most important characters here is Santiago Nasar, the protagonist of the story. While we never really know if Santiago is guilty of deflowering Angela, his reputation doesn't do much to help his case. Santiago is known for his arrogant passes towards young women in the village, including Divina Flor. Divina's name symbolizes her purity, which can be strongly juxtaposed with Santiago's aggressive sexuality. In fact, Santiago's sexual advances toward women demonstrate the normality of men using women as objects in this society. Another important character in light of this theme is Bayardo San Roman. Bayardo practically forces Angela to marry him when the two don't even know each other. He buys his love with expensive things, but doesn't take the time toreally appreciate it; he thinks his money and his good looks will be enough. This maneuver shows how men expected women to only want to marry them because of their wealth and looks, once again demonstrating a woman's expectations of marriage. There are other aspects in which Garcia Marquez relies on the Vicario family as the main example of gender roles. Angela Vicario is probably the character in Chronicles of a Dead Man who most clearly demonstrates the expectations placed on women in the community. Angela's name literally means "angel", an extremely ironic fact given her situation. However, Angela's name is not simply a contradiction of her true self; it also reflects the expectations of the people around him. The villagers assume that Angela is pure and angelic; one of the most important values ​​in this society is virginity. Women were expected to remain chaste until marriage, and this sacred idea held a crucial place in this city. The best example of the importance of virginity was Angela's discretion. Angela Vicario's name symbolizes the gender role expected of young women in Chronicle society. Garcia Marquez also uses Pura Vicario to develop this theme. Pura has a social obligation to care for her daughter and ensure that her household follows the rules of society. Its name is also symbolic and means “pure”. Naturally, Pura's frustration and anger towards Angela could be based on how important purity is to her. Make it original! We will create a custom essay on "Gender Roles as Depicted in 'Chronicles of a Death Foretold'" written to your specifications. Order a Custom Essay Garcia Marquez uses various other female characters, somewhat more minor, to illustrate the theme of feminine virtue and its social importance. Another interesting character here is Prudencia Cotes. Prudencia's name means cautious, a quality that can certainly apply to her situation. Prudencia states during the interview with the narrator: “I would never have married him if he had not done what a man should do” (62). Prudencia's very name suggests that her belief is considered wise, astute, and with good judgment by the townspeople. This further highlights the confusing value of respect for honor in this society. This also demonstrates that men are expected to respect honor. A final female character who exemplifies cultural gender roles is Clotilde Armenta. Clotilde shares ownership of a dairy with her husband. By day, milk is the store's main product. Garcia Marquez uses milk to symbolize female education; Clotilde sort of watches over the twins, telling them not to kill Santiago in front of the bishop, and confiding in the colonel that none of the boys really want to commit the murder. At night, the milk store transforms into a bar, with alcohol being the main product. Alcohol generally symbolizes violence and turmoil and is known as a "man's drink." Clotilde's boutique symbolizes the contrast between men and women in this society. A third female character employed is Divina Flor, whose name actually means "Divine Flower". Divina is another example of society's expectations of women; she is pure and chaste and rejects the aggressive advances of Santiago Nasar. Through the use of female characters, Garcia Marquez demonstrates the cultural gender roles assigned to women. In almost every culture, a series of fundamental gender roles have influenced the lives of ordinary people from their youth; in some cultures, these rules are as concrete as the law. Culture.