Society in Which Angela Vicario and Bayardo

¶ … society in which Angela Vicario and Bayardo San Roman lived? Use specific examples from the book to illustrate your points.

The society in which Angela Vicario and Bayardo San Roman lived can best be described as a small Latin American community with traditional values. Everyone in the town knows each other by name, and knows each others' business. It is also a relatively stratified society with a coded social hierarchy. One's position in society is determined by gender and class, as well as family name.

For example, the plot is driven by the story of Bayardo San Roman coming to the town in order to find a bride. This represents the patriarchal culture in which both the protagonists live. Furthermore, the fact that Angela's family was poorer than Bayardos also reveals the importance of social class. Everyone ends up knowing the personal business of the couple, including intimate details such as whether Angela Vicaro was a virgin upon her marriage.

What were the rights and duties of women in this society? Please use at least three quotes from the book to illustrate (cite page numbers) your answer.

The rights and duties of women in this society are much different from the rights and duties of men. This is a patriarchal society, with strict gender roles and norms that restrict women to the domestic sphere, especially the sphere of the bedroom. For instance, Bayardo expects to marry a virginal woman, but the woman has no such expectation in return. This exhibits the a double standard for women, who are supposed to be passive and subservient. "Bayardo San Roman, the man who had given back his bride" is one who views a wife as a piece of property (25). She is something he can take, and then "give back."

Then, on page 34, we learn that Angela Vicaro "didn't want to marry him" but had no choice in the matter. On the other hand, "Bayardo San Roman was going to marry whomever he chose." Clearly, the man has a right to choose his own destiny but the woman has no such right. It is the duty of the man to keep a wife as a helper and domestic servant. The duty of the woman, on the other hand, is to remain chaste so that the man's honor will be preserved. Nowhere is the extent of sexism clearer than in the fact that women have no worth except for their value to men. In one line it states that brothers, in their world, "were brought up to be men," whereas "the girls were brought up to be married," (p. 31).

3- According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, machismo is defined as a "strong sense of masculine pride." Name at least two characters who showed signs of machismo. Please use specific examples from the book to illustrate your response.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is largely about the theme of machismo or extreme masculinity characterized by stereotypical traits like dominance and abuse of power. Machismo is socialized and becomes normative in societies like the one depicted by Marquez in Chronicle. The character that most exemplifies machismo in the novel is Bayardo San Roman. He waltzes into the town expecting to take a bride as if he is buying a horse. He is depicted as the quintessential man: physically strong and also wealthy and therefore powerful.

Then, Bayardo San Roman selects his bride but when he discovers she is not a virgin (and how could he know for sure?), he is angry because this insults his masculinity. It is more than that, though. He must know deep down that Angela Vicaro made up the story about her loss of virginity to Santiago simply because she did not love Bayardo. Her rebuff is an insult to him, which is a blow to his machismo. One of the features of machismo is fierce pride. He must protect his reputation as a man who gets whatever he wants, whenever he wants it.

Bayardo proceeds to act aggressively in the matter of Angela's virginity, because his honor was insulted. He is not concerned with Angela's reputation as much as his own. By confronting Angela's family and then becoming determined to kill the man who took Angela's virginity, he exudes machismo. Interestingly, Angela herself says that Bayardo was "too much of a man for me," (p. 31).

Most of the male characters in the novel demonstrate the importance of machismo in this society. Vicario brothers exemplify extreme machismo, for instance. They feel they are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the virginity and honor of their sister, which is why they become determined to hunt down Santiago Nasar "immediately," (p. 49). They are even less complex characters than Bayardo because of their extreme version of machismo.

4- According to this narrative, did class have any influence in society's expectations on women?

Class has a very strong bearing on society's expectations of women. Angela Vicario's mother practically forces her to marry the stranger because Bayardo is of a higher social class than she is. Angela is constrained by the need to have a man to provide for her and her future children, because this society does not allow for independently wealthy women. If Angela Vicario's family were wealthy, she could at least rely on her family income or fortune but in this case she cannot. This is why she is pressured heavily into marrying Bayardo San Roman.