Topic name the men are seen as

Topic one discussed the role of social class specifically seen through the interaction of Bayardo San Román with Xius.  There were four classes in Columbia: upper class, middle class, lower class, and the masses.  Since Bayardos father had a  high military status,  he inherited his wealth and status. Bayardo is an example of someone apart of the “ old wealth” upper classes because of having a surplus of money and would have received respect for said money. By understanding the power of  Bayardo’s social class I now better understand why his interaction with Xius went the way it did. Since Bayardo was of a higher class than Xius he used his money to get his way.

The lower class new of the societal norm to respect the upper class. The societal norm caused Xius would feel obligated since he was of lower class to give respect to Bayardo. Bayardo’s social class allowed him to have the upper hand in the situation and without Bayardo’s social class and money advantages it is unlikely that he would have ended up with Xius’s house because he had no leverage. Topic two discussed machismo and how it relates to honor. Machismo is a key part of Chronicle of a Death Foretold and is seen best through the Vicario brothers killing Santiago. The brothers did not necessarily want to kill santiago but their masculine pride caused them to want to defend their family.

This is a demonstration of machismo because the brothers decided to kill Santiago in order to restore honor to the family. I now understand that Machismo is the reason for why the male characters are so concerned with keeping or restoring honor. Without honor to the family name the men are seen as weak and unmanly. For instance, if the brothers are killed in the process of killing Santiago, they would get the honor of attempting to kill him. If they did not make an effort, they show that they have absolutely no respect for their family’s name and they will be seen as weak. The concept of machismo makes the Vicario brothers feel that they have to be extremely assertive, powerful, and overall masculine in order to prove superiority.

By proving superiority to women and other men they bring honor to their family.