The Asymmetry of Gender Roles (Chronicle of a Death Foretold)

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How do gender roles influence society? Taking place in a city with a culture dominated by by traditional gender roles, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of A Death Foretold may contain the answer. Garcia Marquez was raised in Aracataca, Colombia and his eloquent writing style has earned him a Nobel prize, legitimizing him among the top contenders to answer this question. Furthermore, Chronicle of a Death Foretold is considered by many to be among his best works. As the novel develops, the divide between men and women becomes increasingly bold. Parallel to many cultures, men are identified as the superior gender, and with this stereotype, men are expected to maintain and defend family honor. For that reason it is considered the duty of Pablo and Pedro Vicario to regain the lost honor of their sister Angela. The action taken in restoring the honor was killing Santiago Nasar, the man that allegedly took Angela's honor. Although this is murder, a serious crime, Prudencia Cotes stated she would not have married Pablo if "he hadn't done what a man should do, 62." Even the priest thought that "perhaps before god, 49" the Vicario twins were innocent. Contrary to their final actions, Pablo and Pedro did not want to kill Santiago, but due to the fact that it was a matter of honor they felt forced too. Several measures were to taken to attempt to avert the outcome, some as blatant as when Pablo outright stated "we're going to kill Santiago Nasar, 52" while sharpening their knives. Many peers did nothing about it though, as they believed they should not interfere with a matter of honor. Although it was Angela that had lost her honor, due to social protocol it was the brothers' duty to regain it. The respect of women is much different and far more complex than that of men. Though Santiago has slept with Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, for whom he “lost his senses the first

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