Gender 29)at this point it’s clear that

Gender roles in Chronicle of a Death Foretold In Márquez “ Chronicle of a Death Foretold” women are portrayed as the victims of a patriarchal society.  Patriarchy is a social system where men have the primary power and are dominating the leading positions in political, religious, social and financial institutions.

The novell gives an understanding of how the patriarchy was compiled during the 1950s Latin America. The gender roles are easily seen through the text, women were supposed to be housewifes and do unpaid work without question it. There are many indications that women have no choice in the novella, like when Bayardo San Roman tells the landlady “ When I wake up,” he said, “ remind me that i’m going to marry her.” (pg 29)At this point it’s clear that Angela Vicario has nothing to say about it, she is powerless. Angela Vicario and her sister were raised by their mother to become good housewifes, they aren’t allowed to go out late at night and spend a lot of their time sewing. Angela was forced by her family to marry Bayardo, but not because they wanted to be evil. They saw the rich and powerful man Bayardo San Roman as an insurance. If she would marry him they wouldn’t have to worry about the future.

“ The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls were brought up to be married. They knew how to do screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artificial flowers and fancy candy, and write engagement announcements… my mother thought there were no better-reared daughters. ‘ They’re perfect,’ she was frequently heard to say. ‘ Any man will be happy with them because they’ve been raised to suffer.

‘” (pg 31)The women in this Colombian small town was not supposed to have dreams or get a job, their whole existence revolves around the man whom they once will have to marry. No woman that enters a marriage expects happiness and freedom, they are taught to hide their feelings and emotions in accordance with the unfair standards of the orthodox patriarchal society. But even if the women surely are the victims, everyone will be affected. The Vicario brothers were brought up to be men. They were supposed to strong, brave and loyal, but most important, not show any feminine characteristics in any way. Márquez does not tell about how the men in this Colombian town was oppressed, but they surely was.

If a women showed masculine characteristics, she should stop and know her place, and if a man was too feminine, he should stop degrading himself and show some respect for his family. The novella does not only reflect the way women are exploit and silenced, it also shows the different ways women resistances to this oppressive system.