Although prostitution is today one of the oldest professions in the world, it is considered a degrading and disrespectful career, especially when it concerns prostitutes. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the town is very critical and strict when it comes to chastity and premarital sex. Maria Alejandrina Cervantes is the town lady who by society's standards makes her the most marginalized, but ironically she is not brought down by the rules of her society. Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses characterization and irony to demonstrate the contradictory role of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes and to develop the theme of opposition to society in Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Garcia Marquez presents Maria Cervantes as a highly respected and powerful woman through the use of religious allusions or references when developing Maria Cervantes. At the beginning of the story, the narrator says that he was sitting “on the apostolic knees of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes” (5). By calling Maria Cervantes' knees apostolic, Garcia Marquez creates an irony in the situation. The apostles were the disciples of Jesus Christ, so by giving Maria apostolic qualities it creates irony, mainly because Maria Cervantes' profession is more than often condemned by religion. By placing the narrator on Maria Cervantes' lap as a child, the author creates a presence of domination in Maria Cervantes as she shaped the lives of the men of the city. Another religious allusion is the name of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes. Her first name Maria is a reference to the Virgin Mary, which creates more irony given Maria's career. Despite the city's use of religion as an argument to justify their criticism, they failed to realize their hypocrisy because Jesus Christ was known to show compassion to prostitutes like Mary... middle of paper. ..... is in an extremely vulnerable state. which creates irony because she is in the opposite paradise because of Santiago's death. His grief creates more sympathy in the reader and creates more depth. Maria Alejandrina Cervantes is a rare dominant woman in the novel who, according to society's standards, should be marginalized due to her career and gender, but she refuses to conform and chooses to go against her Company. She is stubborn and fiercely protective of her friends and always accepting of others. Through his use of situational irony and characterization, Gabriel Garcia Marquez portrays the town madam, Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, as a contradictory character and her struggle against the restrictive beliefs of her society.Works CitedMarquez, Gabriel Garcia . Chronicle of a death foretold. Trans. Grégory Rabassa. New York: Vintage International, 2003. Print.