Angela Death Foretold Innocence

Would you be willing to kill someone to restore your family's honor? Angela, a beautiful-young girl, is forced to marry a macho man named Beyardo. Unfortunately, their wedding does not end in a happily ever after. Angela is returned to her family due to the loss of her virginity prior to the wedding. Within this society, women must be virgins before marriage. Beyardo and Angela are unable to consummate the marriage due to Angela's lack of innocence. In order for the family to restore their honor, Angela's brothers must kill the horrendous man who is said to have taken her virginity. Angela is treated poorly for most of her life, similar to other women who also live within this society. In Chronicles of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez,

Men are considered the bread winners, forcing the women to rely on the men to provide for them. Purísma del Carmen, Angela's mom, is a hardworking mother and wife who's life revolves around others, causing her to lose her self identity in all the madness. The narrator directly states Purisma's loss of self by saying, "She devoted herself with such spirit of sacrifice to the care of her husband and the rearing of her children that at times one forget she still existed" (Marquez 31). Purisma, a loyal wife, is another woman in this story who is not given the chance to live to her full potential because of her gender. Her presence is overlooked and unappreciated yet her family heavily relies on her care. The narrator exaggerates the differences between genders by stating, "The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get 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" (Marquez 31). The men within the society are given the majority of the credit. On the other hand, the roles of women are undervalued. According to the list of activities the narrator mentioned, it seems as though women do simple uncomplicated tasks while men get to do the real, "bread winning" work. Purisma is tough on her children because she wants them to marry well, in order for them to

The women within in this novel are expected to support their husbands no matter the situation. More specifically, Prudencia Cote, Pablo Vicario's fiancée states her feelings and thoughts about killing Santiago by saying, "'I knew what they were up to,"' she told me, "'and I didn't only agree, I never would have married him if he hadn't don't what a man should do"' (Marquez 62). She is fully aware her future husband is about to kill a man but instead of feeling disgusted, she feels proud. Prudencia's prescence is not mentioned until she supports her husband in killing a man. Prudencia illustrates her loyalty by the following actions "Prudencia Cotes stood waiting in the kitchen until she saw them leave by the courtyard door, and she went on waiting for three years without a moment of discouragement until Pablo Vicario got out of jail and became her husband for life" (Marquez 63). Prudencia demonstrates her love for Pablo by waiting three years to become his wife. This society expects women to wait for their husband therefore the importance of women is overlooked. She encourages her man to kill someone in order to restore honor. In contrast, women want men with honor but men expect their wives to be submissive. They want someone who will protect them through anything. Women are dependent on their husbands to provide for them. Women are expected to be supportive even if