Cult of Machismo
In the novel, Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García, machismo was driving force behind the Vicario brothers murdering Santiago. Machismo is the aggressiveness that comes along with male pride. Throughout the novel men were expected to do certain things and allowed to partake in different activities, in which women were forbidden to participate. Women are greatly mistreated but the crime goes unpunished, which adheres to the “cult of machismo” because its belief is that women are beneath men. Without machismo many of the events that occurred would have never taken place, especially the murder of Santiago by the Vicario brothers. Machismo is what influenced the some of the townspeople into believing it was Vicario brothers’ duty to kill Santiago because he allegedly made their sister impure. Although their mother approved of them killing Santiago, she still thought of it as a sin; they thought it was not sinful to defend their family’s honor. “they had so far recovered and were so convinced that they right that they didn't want to be taken out by night, as had happened with the family, but in the broad daylight and with their faces showing.” This is the scene that occurs after they are jailed for the murder and were about to be transferred to Riohacha. They showed no remorse for murdering Santiago
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It prevents them from moving on from something they can't change because it has already happened. The downfall of all the men who tried to prevent the death of Santiago was machismo probably. Colonel Aponte thought because he took away the weapons from the brothers and gave them instructions to go home that they would listen; his male pride cost a man his life. The Vicario brothers could have beaten him up, instead they had to prove that they were not cowards to everyone else. The male ego could take a small problem and blow it out of