Emma Stanard

Mrs. Balka

IB English / Period 1

6 November 2019

Chronicle of a Death Foretold​ Essay

In chapter two of his novel ​Chronicle of a Death Foretold​, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

shows the expectations society places on women through the use of motifs, characters, and

contrast.

The motif of sacrifice appears in chapter two and throughout the novel to illustrate

society’s expectations of women to care for their families. In this chapter Purisima del Carmen is

described as having “devoted herself with such spirit of sacrifice to the care of her husband and

the rearing of her children that at times one forgot she still existed” (31). Purisima del Carmen,

also called Pura, is so devoted to her family that she has given up her personal life and

aspirations to fully devote her time to their care. This is what society expects from women, and

their value is based off of their ability to devote themselves to their families. Pura is raising her

daughters to one day do the same for their families. This is significant because it shows how this

issue does not only apply to one generation, but these societal norms are applicable to all women

in every generation. She talks of her daughters saying that “any man will be happy to have them

because they have been raised to suffer” (31). Pura says this with a casual air because this was

normal for women in this society. The girls are being raised to serve a husband and family, not to

pursue personal aspirations. Saying they have been raised to suffer highlights the expectations

placed on women by showing how they have been brought up to endure marriage and caring for
a family even though they may not want to. The idea of sacrifice that comes up again and again

emphasizes the idea that women giving up everything to serve a husband and family is simply a

societal understanding that all women abide by.

The names that Marquez chooses for his characters also highlights the expectations

society places on women. Angela Vicario is one of Pura’s daughters and her name means

“angel” which is associated with purity and gentleness. Angela’s name is significant because her

name illustrates what is expected of her as a woman. Women are expected to be pure and

innocent and they are valued in society because of their purity. This is further shown when later

in the book Angela gets married and her new husband returns her to her family because he finds

out she was not a virgin when they got married. Angela’s mother’s name is Pura, which also

means pure. The names of the women in this book are significant because they are meant to

show the desirable qualities in women. Girls are named according to qualities that they are

supposed to have, like purity and gentleness, showing how the societal understanding that

women would behave a certain way permeates every aspect of their lives. Women are valued in

this society because they are supposed to be gentle and pure and delicate and submissive to a

husband.

Additionally, the juxtaposition shown in this passage between the ways that boys and

girls are raised illustrates the societal expectations placed on women. Marquez states that “the

brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married” (31). The contrast

here between how boys and girls are raised shows that while men are valued by their

masculinity, girls are raised simply to serve a husband. This is significant because it brings to

light the ideals of machismo and marianismo that are so prevalent in this culture. With the ideals
of machismo and marianismo, men are expected to be dominant and in control, while women are

to be docile and submissive. In this society, women’s value is based on their relationship to men

and they are raised to believe that their sole purpose is to serve a husband and family one day.

The daughters had been taught how to “do screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace,

wash and iron, make artificial flowers and fancy candy, and write engagement announcements”

(31). Essentially, the daughters were taught only the necessary skills to one day be a good

housewife. Because women are not expected to pursue personal aspirations, the girls were raised

only to one day be a wife and mother. Society values women based on their ability to be a good

wife and mother, so naturally these girls were brought up to one day become just that.

Marquez uses this portion of his novel to highlight the prevalence of machismo ideals

versus the ideals of marianismo through the motif of sacrifice, the names of characters, and

juxtaposition between the way girls and boys are raised. These ideals show how women are

expected to be docile, gentle, and self-sacrificing in order to care for their families.

In my essay revision I added more commentary to improve my analysis and also changed some
wording so it would be a bit less repetitive. I also went through and made sure everything was in
the present tense because before I was mixing the past and present tenses. I also added on to
my conclusion in order to make it more specific and detailed.