Oppression In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold

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Nelson Mandela once said, “Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression” (“Mandela”). Oppression is what segregates the gender roles of society, especially in Central America. Women are forced to work around the house by cleaning dishes, folding and sewing clothes, and making food. Men are given the privilege to be the “chosen ones” to make all crucial household decisions. This biased behavior is learned from society during childhood; shaming women while empowering men is perceived as normal. The prejudice environment is what led the members of the community to be bystanders in countless crimes without saying a word. In the novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the author…show more content…
Boys and girls are told at a young age how to act and what goals to aspire for later on in life. The different roles played by genders is a cultural norm which, is why the characteristic of nobility, such as machismo, are vital for upholding family honor. The narrator states, “The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married” (Marquez 31). Thus, making evident girls are taught how to do things to prepare for their upheld future. An example of this is making women write engagement announcements early on before they get married so they are prepared for the future of serving men endlessly. They are told to remain pure unless they will be considered unmarriageable; conforming women to follow expectations in which they’ve been ordered by their parents to apprehend. While men on the other hand are brought up with such a vast amount of entitlement to the point they feel qualified to manipulate, belittle, and hurt women. A prime example of this is Divina Flor. She was sexually harassed by Santiago for years and never told anyone because she was too scared of what Santiago would do or if anyone would believe her. Divina was talking about how Santiago grabbed her uncomfortably and said, “It was what he always did when he caught me alone in some corner of the house, but that day I didn’t feel the unusual surprise but an awful urge…show more content…
One act of reprimandation used by Angela’s mother is beating her kids to make sure they don’t make the same mistake twice. When Angela was taken back to her family home by her new husband for having her virginity taken before him, Angela’s mother beat her senselessly. Angela said, “The only thing I can remember is that she was holding me by the hair with one hand and beating me with the other with such rage that I thought she was going to kill me” (Marquez 46). Proving the punishment for humiliating your family is severe. Her mother never gave Angela a chance to explain herself as to how or even why she lost her virginity at such a young age. Her mother was enraged to instantly know her daughter had ruined their family name. After the beating, she scolded Angela and never looked her in the eyes again. Her mother’s expectation of Angela is biased due to the fact she never took into account Angela being a naïve, young girl and unaware of what the consequences entailed if your virginity could be revealed on your wedding day. Purísima del Carmen, Angela’s mother said, “Any man will be happy with them because they’ve been raised to suffer” (Marquez 31). This shows why she didn’t care what happened to her daughter before marriage. Women suffering through constant oppression is something Purísima believes molds girls into strong individuals. The source of the problem can be
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