In todays interactive oral I gained a better understanding of the Social

expectations and obligations playing an important role of paramount

influence in Gabriel Garcia Marquezs Chronicle of a Death Foretold. lt
made me understand the roles of females in the society and
machismo, specifically the notion that women in the text, serving as a
reflection of Columbian society, unconsciously internalize and adopt
the chauvinistic values of society, while men are expected to epitomize
machismo in their daily philosophy.
This discussion allowed me to further understand the roles the
characters played in the novel. Women in the text had unconsciously
accepted themselves as the inferior gender, and conformed to the
expectations of the society rather than their individual desires. Society
has normalized a chauvinistic attitude, leading women to intrinsically
accept the values of society as their own. The discussion
contextualized Purisimas situation as a mother in Columbian society,
providing reason for the extent of her sacrifice. It became clear that
she assumed the societal values impressed upon her. This notion also
explained why Angelas confidantes helped her hide the loss of her
virginity. Also shows an irony that Santiago got killed as Angela lost
virginity because of her, while they had a brothel in the town. Also,
men were expected to embody an aura of machismo. The discussion of
this idea provided insight to why Angelas brothers, killed Santiago
Nasar, despite the fact that he was their friend. It was not merely the
defending the honour of the family, but also the expectation that the
men of the family to take it upon themselves to right such wrongs. This
provides validation for the theory that the brothers were announcing
their intentions to murder Santiago in the hopes that someone would
stop them.
Finally I learned about the Columbian culture, specifically religion and
weddings, and applied this knowledge to what I already knew about my
culture relating to arranged marriages, the sacrifices and the
machismo theme. I had a good personal development in understanding
the novel and what enabled me to look deeper under the meticulous
recollection of an unfortunate death.