One thing that really intrigued me throughout the second chapter of Chronicle of a Death Foretold was the relationship between Angela Vicario and Bayardo San Róman. One way this relationship is characterized is through the motifs of angels and devils. For example, when Angela describes her ex-fiancé, she says, “ ‘He reminded me of the devil,’ “ (page 28). This contrasts greatly to the other character’s descriptions of Bayardo who claim that he is wonderful. Although this implies that Bayardo may not be as perfect as he is assumed to be, it really says more about Angela’s character and her feeling about this relationship. Marquez includes this to show that Angela does not really want to be in this relationship despite the fact that Bayardo treats her marvelously. This characterizes Angela as independent and not wanting to be in a marriage that lacks genuine love. This creates a harsh tone surrounding their relationship and makes the reader feel unsettled about the marriage of these two characters. Furthermore, Bayardo has a rather extreme view of Angela’s character. He says, “ ‘She’s well-named’ “ (page 29). This implies that he views as angel like, referring to the stem of her name, Angela. Bayardo’s view of Angela implies that he is absolutely enamored by her, although it can be inferred that this is just an act of lust due to her infamous beauty. This demonstrates how much Bayardo want to be in love that he chose a woman who views him as evil for taking away her independence that she desperately desires. Also, Bayardo’s view of Angela demonstrates how he almost worships her, because he views her as not human. Lastly, I believe that his description of Angela is also slightly ironic due to the fact that she is not as innocent as people view her to be. Overall, Angela and Bayardo’s impressions of each other indicate that this is a very one-sided relationship that is destined for failure.
I agree with your views on this chapter. As I read this, I started thinking of Taming of the Shrew. Their relationship can be compared to Kate and Petruchio's relationship. Bayardo is the one who makes all of the choices in their relationship. In petruchio and Kate's relationship, Petruchio makes all the decisions as well. Also, Angela did not want to marry Bayardo but she had no choice. This was the same case with Kate. Even though she didn't want to marry Petruchio, she had to anyways.
Something interesting I found in chapter two is how Bayardo was in complete control of his marriage with Angela. This book was published in 1981 but the reader can still see that male dominance is still a huge issue. The reader can see this when Bayardo says, "I've been going from town to town looking for someone to marry"(II.26). The fact that he is just casually looking for someone to marry shows how he knows that he will get his way with whoever he chooses. It seems like he is searching "town to town" for a woman. One does not casually go from town to town searching for someone to marry. It usually takes a while. Later on, bayardo says, "When I wake up, remind me that I'm going to marry her"(II.29). Someone does not forget who they are going to marry. So when he says that he needs to be reminded of who he is going to marry, it shows how much care he has for Angela; which is barely any. People generally need to be reminded of things they need to do the next day, in other words, things that are most often not as important as marriage. Through these two quotes, the reader can see that Bayardo has the upper hand in the relationship between him and Angela and that he views her and someone of low importance.
I also found that very interesting in this chapter. It is a good point that the book is from 1981, yet men still seemed to have more control in marriages, and more power in life. In my opinion Bayardo seems very picky. Not only did he travel around several towns looking for a suitable bride, but he refused to continue his marriage with Angela when he found out she wasn't a virgin. This makes me wonder if he has been rejected in the past, so he has to wonder around acting like someone that he is not. After all, Magdalena Oliver said that "he reminded her of the devil," (28) which could insinuate that something is weird or different about him.
Good points, both of you guys! :) Although, I think you're giving him too much credit, Brookyln. It would be nice to think that the reason he's so difficult about the virginity issue has to do with some past drama, but, it might also be that his ego is bruised so much (as a result of the male-dominated culture in which he lives) that he can't handle Angela's "impurity." Hope you're having a great time in St. Louis and getting to go on the arch! :) Ms. Ballard
Something that I noticed so far in the book, and epically in chapter two is the use of character description. Márquez does a great job of giving information about each character, despite how small or large their role is in the story. The beginning of chapter two is when the readers learned more about Bayardo San Román. We learned that, "he was about thirty years old, but they were well-concealed, because he had the waist of a movie bullfighter, golden eyes, and a skin slowly roasted by saltpeter," (25). I found this to be very helpful, as there are several characters, and knowing their characteristics allows me to understand and remember them better. In addition, Márquez described the societal norms saying, "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," (31). This description reminded me of "A Doll's House," because of the lack of equality between men and women. It appears that women such as Angela Vicario are not allow to follow their dreams, but instead are bred to have a family. Instead of being seen as equal, they are judged by beauty in conjunction with their ability to be graceful in all elements regarding the house hold. I am curious to hear what you thought about the character description, and also the role of the men and women in Columbian society.
I also noticed the difference between the lives of men and women in the Columbian society. The quote from the beginning of the chapter, which you stated, describes Bayardo's skin as "roasted by saltpeter" (25). I initially did not know what saltpeter was and why it would be used to describe his skin, but after looking it up, I found that saltpeter is just a nitrogen-based mineral. This made the description seem even stranger to me. However, after more research, I found that saltpeter is actually a component of gun powder. The author seems to actually be describing his skin as roasted with gunpowder. It is used as a positive description, showing praise for gunpowder on his skin which shows his hard work and strength. Since Bayardo is a man, the description of his skin represents the way men were praised for rough work especially if it was evident on their appearance. Women would not be praised for hard work since their duty was house work. Marquez uses the word saltpeter to describe Bayardo to show this difference in the way men and women were viewed and praised in the Columbian society.
What was most obvious to me throughout this chapter was the presence of the machismo persona in Bayardo San Roman. First, we learn that Bayardo San Roman has, “been going from town to town looking for someone to marry,” (26). While this is not overt misogyny, we can see that this spirit of treating women as objects that one simply looks for to make a wife is praised by the society, as, “everybody says he’s enchanting,” (26). Aside from explicitly saying that the townspeople liked San Roman, Garcia Marquez uses description of his actions with positive diction to characterize San Roman as a man who is respected by society, even though he is a machismo who simply wants a bride. Bayardo San Roman is described as someone who, “liked noisy and long-lasting festivities,” (27) but also as someone who, “was a good drinker” and, “a mediator of fights,” (27). These characteristics match the archetype of the authentic macho, talked about in the article, because while he does have the view that women are like inventory in a toy store for him to pick, he still desires respect and is somewhat good-hearted and concerned with the community, like the authentic macho in the article. By embodying these traits that traditional Latin America values, Bayardo is a somewhat ambiguous character, and can either be seen as a misogynist or as a man with traditional values, depending on how one decides to interpret him. Like Santiago, a man who was seen as happy and full of joy, but who took a woman’s virginity in secret, Bayard San Roman has multiple dimensions. These dimensions are a product of the authentic macho archetype that he is.
I also agree that San Roman meets the stereotypical idea that we have for a man in a society surrounded by gender inequality. However, the way I say it was that he was less concerned with woman as the toys, but more so with the idea of love or marriage. It was all just a game to him. The widower even points this out when San Roman tries to buy his house from him. San Roman seems generally indifferent to people, instead being intrigued more so by ideas.
Throughout chapter two I noticed Marquez uses a lot gold imagery. Through Bayardo's actions in this chapter, it is clear how important wealth is to the characters during this time. Men were supposed to provide for the women and being rich gave them the privilege of choosing whoever they desired to be their wife. Bayardo's wealth is accentuated through Marquez's use of gold imagery. First the author writes, "...he had the waist of a novice bullfighter, golden eyes, and..." (25). Usually eyes are not described as golden so this description is significant because it characterizes Bayardo as materialistic and shows that the only thing he deems important, besides finding a wife, is money and material possessions. This is evident when Bayardo uses money to win Angela's love by buying all of the raffle tickets and offering widower Xius an excessive amount of money for his house. When describing how Bayardo swims, the narrator's mother says, "'It also seems that he's swimming in gold," (27). Gold also represents achievement and triumph. This illustrates that Bayardo is viewed as a successful man and according to the people of the town he is the perfect man because of his wealth. Bayardo shown as such a successful man is ironic when he chooses a woman who ends up being unfit for a wife. Therefore, the author uses gold imagery to create a superficial tone around Bayardo's character and initially give the reader the impression that Bayardo is perfect but actually reveal, like the people of the town, he is fake and acquisitive.
Something that I noticed as I read this chapter was how Angela Vicario expressed how much she did not want to get married but everyone was forcing her to. What also surprised me was how upset everyone was when they found out she was not a virgin when she married Bayardo San Román, when she stated many times that she did not want to marry him. The first time that I noticed her being forced into this marriage was when her mother says, “Love can be learned too” (pg 38). Here her mother is ignoring that Angela says she does not want to marry Bayardo, which gives the impression that Angela’s opinion is not valued when it comes to the marriage. I think that she was trying to warn them that this would have a bad outcome when it was over because she had an idea as to what would happen after. Another time that Angela tried to avoid getting married was when she says, “The only thing I prayed to God for was to give me the courage to kill myself” (pg 41). She obviously was very much against marrying Bayardo but no one listened to her, which makes the fact that they were all so angry to find out she was not a virgin more interesting. With the number of times she told her family she did not want to get married, I think they should have at least thought that something was not right, even if it was not her virginity specifically.
Abby, I am so very glad you brought up this topic. This chapter is so full of gender expectations and stereotypes. I feel that these gender roles could be a very loose form of magical realism because no one questions them and just leaves them be. What I like about Angela's character is that she questions what role, or fate, has been laid out before her. She seems to be the only person who questions fate throughout the entire novel. Why do you think that no one questions fate in the book? Do you think it is because of the time period or because of self-preservation?
I noticed that in chapter two Marquez uses very strict gender roles when describing the Vicario household. The twin brothers of the family were raised to be men whereas the girls were taught how to do, "screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artificial flowers..."(31). This section of the page stood out to me because it was so prominent on the page. Then I noticed how the passage talking about the women of the family had low amounts of harsh diction. By not using harsh diction when talking about the women I think that Marquez made a social commentary on how even though women played such a prominent role in running the house and other important duties they still did not get very much attention compared to men during the time. Further down the page Purisima Del Carmen, the Vicario matriarch, absconds the girls saying, "don't comb your hair at night; you'll slow down the seafarers"(31). The contrast of superstition with typical everyday activities seemed strange to me at first. It seemed to break up the flow of the page. Then I began to think about how things that have become superstitions today made sense at one time. The use of superstition furthered Marquez’s social commentary on gender roles. By placing unequal treatment of daughters and sons on the same page as a superstition shows that inequality between the genders is a belief that made sense at one time, like a superstition, but no longer fits in this day and age.
I also noticed the less-than-ideal social norms that Marquez made apparent through diction/dialogue/ect. Particularly when Angela's family decided that she will marry Bayardo San Roman. "The parents' decisive argument was that a family dignified by modest means had no right to disdain that prize of destiny" (38). When Angela protested because she barely knew the guy, her mom responded with ""Love can be learned too.""(38). This fits in with the unequal treatment of daughters and sons idea because this conversation would never happen had Angela been an Angelo.
Also I really liked what you said about the use of superstition as a parallel to the ever changing gender roles.
One major idea in chapter two I noticed was regarding Bayardo San Roman's appearance. San Roman is new to town at this point, having been there less than six months. Six months is plenty of time for people to have talked to him and at least figured out a little bit about him, but the population of the town treats him as though he is something they are unable to talk to. San Roman does respond when anyone asks him something, even walks up to people himself to talk, he is a approachable guy, but still many do not take advantage of that. The people of the town seem to immediately put him on a pedestal that he did not expressively ask for. Though it is rare for a person to have talked to him, everyone has something to say about him. (I found this very similar to Gatsby in that regard, where people automatically begin to assume things). One woman says, "People like him because he's honest and has a good heart" (29). Being only in a town for sixth months does not give a person enough time to fully trust them. San Roman has not even done anything to disprove or prove his honesty, yet often just by appearance (appearance affected by money), a person can hide or become something their not without others even noticing. Why do so many automatically trust him? Why does San Roman not seem even fazed by how the citizens treat him? Is this how he wants to be percieved, or how others want to perceive him?
Judging by the many aspects that demonstrate an assumptuous tone in this book, I would say that people trust him because they do not have the intelligence or comtemplative skills to look beyond a person's ornate appearances and analyze his inner self. Therefore I agree that he is hiding something with his appearances to get people to perceive him with positive qualities. San Roman is not even fazed by how citizens treat him because he has a complimentary mindset that he should improve his prestige and status in order to gain acceptance. Although the citizens treat him with shallow acceptance, he was most likely raised by his parents with the fallacious impression that he must be popular among the crowds. There is not much to say as to whether he actually WANTS to be treated this way, or whether or not he has inborn desires for true friends that can like him for his inner self, but based on his actions, it seems he is delusional and narrow-minded that false impressions of greatness are all he wants out of life.
Marquez introduces imagery and ways of thinking that portray characters as ignorant to in-depth characteristics in order to produce a tone of shallowness to the effect of demonstrating and criticizing how people who lived during Marquez's era of time viewed others with a way of thinking that does not analyze inner characteristics, thus providing ignorant and parochial mindsets as the main reason why people would ignore a slaughtered man. For instance, Purisima del Carmen, Angela Vicario's mother, only viewed her childrens' skills and appearances as important to their beings, as demonstrated when she exclaims, "don't comb your hair at night; you'll slow down seafarers" (34). Her use of diction when she addresses seafarers underscores that she cares about her daughters' sexual attractiveness because she produces a rugged and coarse tone when she mentioned an image of a sailor-like person. Essentially every character in this book is referred to by both their first and last names. I thought this was redundant, especially since they all have different names. However, I realize that addressing both first and last names is a sign of formality and produces a tone of estrangement between characters because they are unable to analyze each others' characteristics intimately. While Bayardo San Roman negotiates with a widower about purchasing his house, the widower states, "you young people don't understand the motives of the heart" (40). The widower presents a didactic in order to create an instructive tone, which undermines Bayardo San Roman as puerile, narrow-minded, and shallow in terms of his relationship with Angela Vicario, and compares the rest of society with Bayardo's antics. The author even emphasizes that "Bayardo San Roman didn't pause to think" (40), adding to Marquez's instructive and nearly condescending tone. On the morning of the wedding, before Bayardo came late, Angela Vicario stated, "I would have been happy even if he hadn't come, but never if he abandoned me dressed up" (45). The wedding dress is symbolic of how people place importance on outside appearances to create a false persona of beauty and perfection, which adds to Marquez's shallow tone used to describe human nature of oblivion towards nuances rather than obvious occurrences or qualities. Therefore, Marquez implements aspects that address his criticisms towards the oblivious and parochial nature of humans.
This chapter opened up readers eyes to the realism of crimes. The perspective of this chapter implies to the readers that Santiago did not deflower Angela. In today's world there are two sides and opinions to talked about crimes. Jurors today do not all vote in favor or against a suspect 100%. The book to me seems more realistic than it does magical however. Later on in the chapter Bayardo goes to the whorehouse and has premarital sex, which was apparently evident in Columbia at the time, I thought this was a bit too explicit from the author and is detrimental to magical realism at this point in the story because there is not much magic at all involved.
I think the magical realism aspect is meant to be subtle, and meant to be somewhat difficult to catch if one is just reading the book for the plot. I saw the point of magical realism as to bring in another factor of reality, and to use it as a tool to highlight the unreality of the situation, which happens to be all too real. The societal values and morals Marquez offers through the text is what he is criticizing, and through the subtle magical realism he criticizes them, saying that they're almost fantasy because of the use of magical realism, but I don't understand how the explicitness detracts from the magical realism, rather, I see it as they was in tandem with each other to create the whole surrealness of the moral compass of that society.
While reading through chapter 2 I found yet another wonderful example of magical realism. “The widower Xius died two months later. “He died because of that,” Dr. Dionisio Iguaran said. “He was healthier than the rest of us, but when you listened with a stethoscope you could hear the tears bubbling inside his heart.”” (41). Though the circumstances in which Xius lived and died are most likely irrelevant to the novel, I thought this passage was particularly interesting. I thought that Marquez was commenting on the deal that Xius had made with Bayard San Roman - he had sold his only tie to his dead wife in exchange for a lot of money. The fact that tears were “bubbling inside his heart” clearly means that doing this brought him a lot of sadness and regret, which I thought said something about Bayard. It almost felt as if Bayard forced Xius into selling his house (“weeping with rage” generally isn’t a sign of complete consent). This part of the book painted Bayard in a very manipulative light and made me like him even less.
I agree that this is an example of magical realism. I think that this is a good example of magical realism because the situation is very real and is easy to understand and the part where it says, "you could hear the tears bubbling inside his heart," is unrealistic and would not happen in real life. I also think that Bayardo forced him to sell his house because he thought that it would be how he would win Angela and she would be impressed with what he could accomplish for her. As much as she wanted this house, I do not think that she wanted Xius to die over it. I also think that she may blame him for Xius's death and thinks he is very manipulative and would not want to marry him.
In chapter two, Gabriel Garcia Marquez gives one the full view of each character in small and large details which help the reader understand certain characteristics of certain characters in a unique and descriptive way to help further understand the murder being tolled. By utilizing Imagery, metaphors, Garcia creates a tone of understanding as he further explains each character more in depth. On the first page a character by the name, Bayardo San Roman is introduced with the author writing," ...waist of a novice bullfighter, golden eyes, and skin slowly roasted by saltpeter".(25) By using these metaphors, Garcia classifies Roman as being someone who is masterly and successful and well liked by others. This description later on seems to change a little because he ends up getting drunk at his wedding. Much like in the book 'Taming Of The Shrew' and 'A Doll's House', this idea of male dominance becomes prominent and as a result of this Angela Vicario ends up getting commanded and yield at for she has no word. All the time leading up to the marriage the public saw Angela not minding to marry Roman, but years later after being asked if she actually meant to marry Roman, she confessed saying that after reading the October letter she new it was to late to call off the wedding because she was scared of Roman. The part where Angela really suffers is when she comes back from to her house with Roman with her dress in shreds and h body wrapped in a towel up to the waist. Instead of explaining to Pura Vicario what happen, Roman decides to push his newly married wife in to talk to her mom by her self. For the next two hours Angela's mom beat her with nobody finding out till she was asked by the narrator years later. By not stay to talk to the mom with Angela, Roman was being a self centered man with no heart. Angela had just gone through something so hard and he just pushes her in the house and leaves her there. By characterizing the characters the way he does, Garcia shows the reader the true identity of the prominent figures in the story.
Chapter two of CoaDF is a very eye opening chapter as to the culture of Colombia during this time period. This is very easily seen through the main actions of the chapter. Bayardo intends to marry Angela and his way of doing this is by shiwering her in gifts and as many things as he can afford for her really. This is customary and thus many people think it is okay for a man to do such a thing for a woman who he has never really met. Because of his social standing he can essentially do this and marry whoever he chooses to. Later on in the chapterit is revealed that Angela is indeed not a virgin which is very culturally unacceptable. Because of this she is left by her husband and then beaten by her mother. Furthermore a serious double standard can be seen as it is also okay for Bayardo to have premarital sex.
In chapter 2, I noticed an interesting contrast between the characterization of Bayardo San Román and Angela Vicario. When Bayardo first came to town, the narrator recalls how his mother wrote to him: "A very strange man has come," (24). The narrator follows-up this observation by also noting, "... He had a way of speaking that served to conceal rather than to reveal," (26). What stood out to me most in these two quotes was Marquez's choice of diction. In the first quote, the word "strange" immediately gives the impression that Bayardo is an utter stranger in that his persona is incredibly foreign to the townspeople. The second quote supports the tone of unfamiliarity and emphasizes the fact that more was unknown about Bayardo than known. The rhyming suggests that even though Bayardo was elusive, there was a sort of "rhyme and reason" behind his mysterious behavior. Most descriptions of Bayardo build him up as a legend, stating, "Bayardo San Román not only was capable of doing everything, and doing it well, but also had access to endless resources," (27). On the other hand, Angela Vicario says, "He reminded me of the devil," (28). Her statement is accurate in that Bayardo seems to be all-knowing in an unsettling manner (he knew it was her birthday on the day of the charity bazaar) and everyone seems to be vulnerable to his temptation (Pablo and Pedro Vicario return the music box only to come back home with Bayardo himself in tow). Marquez proceeds to characterize Angela as the victim of her family who "raised [her] to suffer," (31). Angela's whole situation is ironic in that her name contains the word "angel" yet she lives to suffer and her family forces her to marry a man that reminds her of the devil. The juxtaposition of Bayardo's elusive, devilish manner and Angela's blatant suffering creates a tone of pity for Angela. Also by emphasizing the flaws in Angela's family, Marquez suggests that Santiago Nasar is maybe not to blame for his own murder and Angela's shame; rather, the fault is at the hand of Angela's deranged family. The effect of questioning "whodunnit" is to emphasize the idea that blame should not always be put on the most obvious answer.
In chapter two i emjoyed how indepthed the passages were about Bayardo. For instance, "He looked like a fairy," she told me. "And it was a pity, because i could have buttered him and eaten him alive." In this quote you are allowed to see the constrast of how each of the characters a preserved by society and themselves. Bayardo is know as the young noble In chapter two i emjoyed how indepthed the passages were about Bayardo. For instance, "He looked like a fairy," she told me. "And it was a pity, because i could have buttered him and eaten him alive." In this quote you are allowed to see the constrast of how each of the characters a preserved by society and themselves. Bayardo is know as the young noble In chapter two i emjoyed how indepthed the passages were about Bayardo. For instance, "He looked like a fairy," she told me. "And it was a pity, because i could have buttered him and eaten him alive." In this quote you are allowed to see the constrast of how each of the characters a preserved by society and themselves. Bayardo is know as the young noble bachelor, while Angela is the sterotypical day to day wife that doesnt do anything for herself. By creating this parallel it forces the reader to see the characters in more of a indivdual way than a couple. We get to know there personalities andd can depict there impact on the murder.
I found a lot of things in this chapter interesting. Firstly, I noticed the use of magical realism in this chapter. On page 27, it is described by the narrator's mother that "he's honest and has a good heart, and last Sunday he received communion standing and everything was in Latin". This is an example of magical realism because this was something that was very common in that culture and time, yet it is given great attention by the mother. An element of magical realism is giving very little notice to things that are out of the ordinary, and overemphasizing ordinary things. The quote above demonstrates this element of magical realism. Also, elements of marianismo are present. One quote that exemplifies this is, "she devoted herself with such spirit of sacrifice to the care of her husband and the rearing of her children that at times one forgot she still existed" (37). Marianismo states that the woman must be submissive to the husband and be focused on the good of the family and children. This quote brings forth the importance of these values for the plot line of the book.
In Chapter 2, we learn about Bayardo and the ritual of courtship in the Columbian culture. The economy behind the match of Bayardo and Angela is clearly shown through the showering of gifts from Bayardo. Not only does he give her the music box but he tells her that he will buy the house. He makes no interest in getting to know Angela but just cares that she knows he is wealthy. Showering her with gifts is not only for her, but also a way of showing her parents that she will be taken care of by him. Marquez writes, "Besides, Bayardo San Roman hadn't even tried to court her, but had bewitched the family with his charm(II)." This shows the lack of care and support that is needed by a husband but instead he tries to show off all of his wealth and be very manly.
One thing that really intrigued me throughout the second chapter of Chronicle of a Death Foretold was the relationship between Angela Vicario and Bayardo San Róman. One way this relationship is characterized is through the motifs of angels and devils. For example, when Angela describes her ex-fiancé, she says, “ ‘He reminded me of the devil,’ “ (page 28). This contrasts greatly to the other character’s descriptions of Bayardo who claim that he is wonderful. Although this implies that Bayardo may not be as perfect as he is assumed to be, it really says more about Angela’s character and her feeling about this relationship. Marquez includes this to show that Angela does not really want to be in this relationship despite the fact that Bayardo treats her marvelously. This characterizes Angela as independent and not wanting to be in a marriage that lacks genuine love. This creates a harsh tone surrounding their relationship and makes the reader feel unsettled about the marriage of these two characters. Furthermore, Bayardo has a rather extreme view of Angela’s character. He says, “ ‘She’s well-named’ “ (page 29). This implies that he views as angel like, referring to the stem of her name, Angela. Bayardo’s view of Angela implies that he is absolutely enamored by her, although it can be inferred that this is just an act of lust due to her infamous beauty. This demonstrates how much Bayardo want to be in love that he chose a woman who views him as evil for taking away her independence that she desperately desires. Also, Bayardo’s view of Angela demonstrates how he almost worships her, because he views her as not human. Lastly, I believe that his description of Angela is also slightly ironic due to the fact that she is not as innocent as people view her to be. Overall, Angela and Bayardo’s impressions of each other indicate that this is a very one-sided relationship that is destined for failure.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your views on this chapter. As I read this, I started thinking of Taming of the Shrew. Their relationship can be compared to Kate and Petruchio's relationship. Bayardo is the one who makes all of the choices in their relationship. In petruchio and Kate's relationship, Petruchio makes all the decisions as well. Also, Angela did not want to marry Bayardo but she had no choice. This was the same case with Kate. Even though she didn't want to marry Petruchio, she had to anyways.
DeleteSomething interesting I found in chapter two is how Bayardo was in complete control of his marriage with Angela. This book was published in 1981 but the reader can still see that male dominance is still a huge issue. The reader can see this when Bayardo says, "I've been going from town to town looking for someone to marry"(II.26). The fact that he is just casually looking for someone to marry shows how he knows that he will get his way with whoever he chooses. It seems like he is searching "town to town" for a woman. One does not casually go from town to town searching for someone to marry. It usually takes a while. Later on, bayardo says, "When I wake up, remind me that I'm going to marry her"(II.29). Someone does not forget who they are going to marry. So when he says that he needs to be reminded of who he is going to marry, it shows how much care he has for Angela; which is barely any. People generally need to be reminded of things they need to do the next day, in other words, things that are most often not as important as marriage. Through these two quotes, the reader can see that Bayardo has the upper hand in the relationship between him and Angela and that he views her and someone of low importance.
ReplyDeleteI also found that very interesting in this chapter. It is a good point that the book is from 1981, yet men still seemed to have more control in marriages, and more power in life. In my opinion Bayardo seems very picky. Not only did he travel around several towns looking for a suitable bride, but he refused to continue his marriage with Angela when he found out she wasn't a virgin. This makes me wonder if he has been rejected in the past, so he has to wonder around acting like someone that he is not. After all, Magdalena Oliver said that "he reminded her of the devil," (28) which could insinuate that something is weird or different about him.
DeleteGood points, both of you guys! :) Although, I think you're giving him too much credit, Brookyln. It would be nice to think that the reason he's so difficult about the virginity issue has to do with some past drama, but, it might also be that his ego is bruised so much (as a result of the male-dominated culture in which he lives) that he can't handle Angela's "impurity." Hope you're having a great time in St. Louis and getting to go on the arch! :)
DeleteMs. Ballard
Something that I noticed so far in the book, and epically in chapter two is the use of character description. Márquez does a great job of giving information about each character, despite how small or large their role is in the story. The beginning of chapter two is when the readers learned more about Bayardo San Román. We learned that, "he was about thirty years old, but they were well-concealed, because he had the waist of a movie bullfighter, golden eyes, and a skin slowly roasted by saltpeter," (25). I found this to be very helpful, as there are several characters, and knowing their characteristics allows me to understand and remember them better. In addition, Márquez described the societal norms saying, "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," (31). This description reminded me of "A Doll's House," because of the lack of equality between men and women. It appears that women such as Angela Vicario are not allow to follow their dreams, but instead are bred to have a family. Instead of being seen as equal, they are judged by beauty in conjunction with their ability to be graceful in all elements regarding the house hold. I am curious to hear what you thought about the character description, and also the role of the men and women in Columbian society.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the difference between the lives of men and women in the Columbian society. The quote from the beginning of the chapter, which you stated, describes Bayardo's skin as "roasted by saltpeter" (25). I initially did not know what saltpeter was and why it would be used to describe his skin, but after looking it up, I found that saltpeter is just a nitrogen-based mineral. This made the description seem even stranger to me. However, after more research, I found that saltpeter is actually a component of gun powder. The author seems to actually be describing his skin as roasted with gunpowder. It is used as a positive description, showing praise for gunpowder on his skin which shows his hard work and strength. Since Bayardo is a man, the description of his skin represents the way men were praised for rough work especially if it was evident on their appearance. Women would not be praised for hard work since their duty was house work. Marquez uses the word saltpeter to describe Bayardo to show this difference in the way men and women were viewed and praised in the Columbian society.
DeleteWhat was most obvious to me throughout this chapter was the presence of the machismo persona in Bayardo San Roman. First, we learn that Bayardo San Roman has, “been going from town to town looking for someone to marry,” (26). While this is not overt misogyny, we can see that this spirit of treating women as objects that one simply looks for to make a wife is praised by the society, as, “everybody says he’s enchanting,” (26). Aside from explicitly saying that the townspeople liked San Roman, Garcia Marquez uses description of his actions with positive diction to characterize San Roman as a man who is respected by society, even though he is a machismo who simply wants a bride. Bayardo San Roman is described as someone who, “liked noisy and long-lasting festivities,” (27) but also as someone who, “was a good drinker” and, “a mediator of fights,” (27). These characteristics match the archetype of the authentic macho, talked about in the article, because while he does have the view that women are like inventory in a toy store for him to pick, he still desires respect and is somewhat good-hearted and concerned with the community, like the authentic macho in the article. By embodying these traits that traditional Latin America values, Bayardo is a somewhat ambiguous character, and can either be seen as a misogynist or as a man with traditional values, depending on how one decides to interpret him. Like Santiago, a man who was seen as happy and full of joy, but who took a woman’s virginity in secret, Bayard San Roman has multiple dimensions. These dimensions are a product of the authentic macho archetype that he is.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that San Roman meets the stereotypical idea that we have for a man in a society surrounded by gender inequality. However, the way I say it was that he was less concerned with woman as the toys, but more so with the idea of love or marriage. It was all just a game to him. The widower even points this out when San Roman tries to buy his house from him. San Roman seems generally indifferent to people, instead being intrigued more so by ideas.
DeleteThroughout chapter two I noticed Marquez uses a lot gold imagery. Through Bayardo's actions in this chapter, it is clear how important wealth is to the characters during this time. Men were supposed to provide for the women and being rich gave them the privilege of choosing whoever they desired to be their wife. Bayardo's wealth is accentuated through Marquez's use of gold imagery. First the author writes, "...he had the waist of a novice bullfighter, golden eyes, and..." (25). Usually eyes are not described as golden so this description is significant because it characterizes Bayardo as materialistic and shows that the only thing he deems important, besides finding a wife, is money and material possessions. This is evident when Bayardo uses money to win Angela's love by buying all of the raffle tickets and offering widower Xius an excessive amount of money for his house. When describing how Bayardo swims, the narrator's mother says, "'It also seems that he's swimming in gold," (27). Gold also represents achievement and triumph. This illustrates that Bayardo is viewed as a successful man and according to the people of the town he is the perfect man because of his wealth. Bayardo shown as such a successful man is ironic when he chooses a woman who ends up being unfit for a wife. Therefore, the author uses gold imagery to create a superficial tone around Bayardo's character and initially give the reader the impression that Bayardo is perfect but actually reveal, like the people of the town, he is fake and acquisitive.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I noticed as I read this chapter was how Angela Vicario expressed how much she did not want to get married but everyone was forcing her to. What also surprised me was how upset everyone was when they found out she was not a virgin when she married Bayardo San Román, when she stated many times that she did not want to marry him. The first time that I noticed her being forced into this marriage was when her mother says, “Love can be learned too” (pg 38). Here her mother is ignoring that Angela says she does not want to marry Bayardo, which gives the impression that Angela’s opinion is not valued when it comes to the marriage. I think that she was trying to warn them that this would have a bad outcome when it was over because she had an idea as to what would happen after. Another time that Angela tried to avoid getting married was when she says, “The only thing I prayed to God for was to give me the courage to kill myself” (pg 41). She obviously was very much against marrying Bayardo but no one listened to her, which makes the fact that they were all so angry to find out she was not a virgin more interesting. With the number of times she told her family she did not want to get married, I think they should have at least thought that something was not right, even if it was not her virginity specifically.
ReplyDeleteAbby, I am so very glad you brought up this topic. This chapter is so full of gender expectations and stereotypes. I feel that these gender roles could be a very loose form of magical realism because no one questions them and just leaves them be. What I like about Angela's character is that she questions what role, or fate, has been laid out before her. She seems to be the only person who questions fate throughout the entire novel. Why do you think that no one questions fate in the book? Do you think it is because of the time period or because of self-preservation?
DeleteI noticed that in chapter two Marquez uses very strict gender roles when describing the Vicario household. The twin brothers of the family were raised to be men whereas the girls were taught how to do, "screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artificial flowers..."(31). This section of the page stood out to me because it was so prominent on the page. Then I noticed how the passage talking about the women of the family had low amounts of harsh diction. By not using harsh diction when talking about the women I think that Marquez made a social commentary on how even though women played such a prominent role in running the house and other important duties they still did not get very much attention compared to men during the time. Further down the page Purisima Del Carmen, the Vicario matriarch, absconds the girls saying, "don't comb your hair at night; you'll slow down the seafarers"(31). The contrast of superstition with typical everyday activities seemed strange to me at first. It seemed to break up the flow of the page. Then I began to think about how things that have become superstitions today made sense at one time. The use of superstition furthered Marquez’s social commentary on gender roles. By placing unequal treatment of daughters and sons on the same page as a superstition shows that inequality between the genders is a belief that made sense at one time, like a superstition, but no longer fits in this day and age.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the less-than-ideal social norms that Marquez made apparent through diction/dialogue/ect. Particularly when Angela's family decided that she will marry Bayardo San Roman. "The parents' decisive argument was that a family dignified by modest means had no right to disdain that prize of destiny" (38). When Angela protested because she barely knew the guy, her mom responded with ""Love can be learned too.""(38). This fits in with the unequal treatment of daughters and sons idea because this conversation would never happen had Angela been an Angelo.
DeleteAlso I really liked what you said about the use of superstition as a parallel to the ever changing gender roles.
One major idea in chapter two I noticed was regarding Bayardo San Roman's appearance. San Roman is new to town at this point, having been there less than six months. Six months is plenty of time for people to have talked to him and at least figured out a little bit about him, but the population of the town treats him as though he is something they are unable to talk to. San Roman does respond when anyone asks him something, even walks up to people himself to talk, he is a approachable guy, but still many do not take advantage of that. The people of the town seem to immediately put him on a pedestal that he did not expressively ask for. Though it is rare for a person to have talked to him, everyone has something to say about him. (I found this very similar to Gatsby in that regard, where people automatically begin to assume things). One woman says, "People like him because he's honest and has a good heart" (29). Being only in a town for sixth months does not give a person enough time to fully trust them. San Roman has not even done anything to disprove or prove his honesty, yet often just by appearance (appearance affected by money), a person can hide or become something their not without others even noticing. Why do so many automatically trust him? Why does San Roman not seem even fazed by how the citizens treat him? Is this how he wants to be percieved, or how others want to perceive him?
ReplyDeleteJudging by the many aspects that demonstrate an assumptuous tone in this book, I would say that people trust him because they do not have the intelligence or comtemplative skills to look beyond a person's ornate appearances and analyze his inner self. Therefore I agree that he is hiding something with his appearances to get people to perceive him with positive qualities. San Roman is not even fazed by how citizens treat him because he has a complimentary mindset that he should improve his prestige and status in order to gain acceptance. Although the citizens treat him with shallow acceptance, he was most likely raised by his parents with the fallacious impression that he must be popular among the crowds. There is not much to say as to whether he actually WANTS to be treated this way, or whether or not he has inborn desires for true friends that can like him for his inner self, but based on his actions, it seems he is delusional and narrow-minded that false impressions of greatness are all he wants out of life.
DeleteMarquez introduces imagery and ways of thinking that portray characters as ignorant to in-depth characteristics in order to produce a tone of shallowness to the effect of demonstrating and criticizing how people who lived during Marquez's era of time viewed others with a way of thinking that does not analyze inner characteristics, thus providing ignorant and parochial mindsets as the main reason why people would ignore a slaughtered man. For instance, Purisima del Carmen, Angela Vicario's mother, only viewed her childrens' skills and appearances as important to their beings, as demonstrated when she exclaims, "don't comb your hair at night; you'll slow down seafarers" (34). Her use of diction when she addresses seafarers underscores that she cares about her daughters' sexual attractiveness because she produces a rugged and coarse tone when she mentioned an image of a sailor-like person. Essentially every character in this book is referred to by both their first and last names. I thought this was redundant, especially since they all have different names. However, I realize that addressing both first and last names is a sign of formality and produces a tone of estrangement between characters because they are unable to analyze each others' characteristics intimately. While Bayardo San Roman negotiates with a widower about purchasing his house, the widower states, "you young people don't understand the motives of the heart" (40). The widower presents a didactic in order to create an instructive tone, which undermines Bayardo San Roman as puerile, narrow-minded, and shallow in terms of his relationship with Angela Vicario, and compares the rest of society with Bayardo's antics. The author even emphasizes that "Bayardo San Roman didn't pause to think" (40), adding to Marquez's instructive and nearly condescending tone. On the morning of the wedding, before Bayardo came late, Angela Vicario stated, "I would have been happy even if he hadn't come, but never if he abandoned me dressed up" (45). The wedding dress is symbolic of how people place importance on outside appearances to create a false persona of beauty and perfection, which adds to Marquez's shallow tone used to describe human nature of oblivion towards nuances rather than obvious occurrences or qualities. Therefore, Marquez implements aspects that address his criticisms towards the oblivious and parochial nature of humans.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter opened up readers eyes to the realism of crimes. The perspective of this chapter implies to the readers that Santiago did not deflower Angela. In today's world there are two sides and opinions to talked about crimes. Jurors today do not all vote in favor or against a suspect 100%. The book to me seems more realistic than it does magical however. Later on in the chapter Bayardo goes to the whorehouse and has premarital sex, which was apparently evident in Columbia at the time, I thought this was a bit too explicit from the author and is detrimental to magical realism at this point in the story because there is not much magic at all involved.
ReplyDeleteI think the magical realism aspect is meant to be subtle, and meant to be somewhat difficult to catch if one is just reading the book for the plot. I saw the point of magical realism as to bring in another factor of reality, and to use it as a tool to highlight the unreality of the situation, which happens to be all too real. The societal values and morals Marquez offers through the text is what he is criticizing, and through the subtle magical realism he criticizes them, saying that they're almost fantasy because of the use of magical realism, but I don't understand how the explicitness detracts from the magical realism, rather, I see it as they was in tandem with each other to create the whole surrealness of the moral compass of that society.
DeleteWhile reading through chapter 2 I found yet another wonderful example of magical realism. “The widower Xius died two months later. “He died because of that,” Dr. Dionisio Iguaran said. “He was healthier than the rest of us, but when you listened with a stethoscope you could hear the tears bubbling inside his heart.”” (41). Though the circumstances in which Xius lived and died are most likely irrelevant to the novel, I thought this passage was particularly interesting. I thought that Marquez was commenting on the deal that Xius had made with Bayard San Roman - he had sold his only tie to his dead wife in exchange for a lot of money. The fact that tears were “bubbling inside his heart” clearly means that doing this brought him a lot of sadness and regret, which I thought said something about Bayard. It almost felt as if Bayard forced Xius into selling his house (“weeping with rage” generally isn’t a sign of complete consent). This part of the book painted Bayard in a very manipulative light and made me like him even less.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is an example of magical realism. I think that this is a good example of magical realism because the situation is very real and is easy to understand and the part where it says, "you could hear the tears bubbling inside his heart," is unrealistic and would not happen in real life. I also think that Bayardo forced him to sell his house because he thought that it would be how he would win Angela and she would be impressed with what he could accomplish for her. As much as she wanted this house, I do not think that she wanted Xius to die over it. I also think that she may blame him for Xius's death and thinks he is very manipulative and would not want to marry him.
DeleteIn chapter two, Gabriel Garcia Marquez gives one the full view of each character in small and large details which help the reader understand certain characteristics of certain characters in a unique and descriptive way to help further understand the murder being tolled. By utilizing Imagery, metaphors, Garcia creates a tone of understanding as he further explains each character more in depth. On the first page a character by the name, Bayardo San Roman is introduced with the author writing," ...waist of a novice bullfighter, golden eyes, and skin slowly roasted by saltpeter".(25) By using these metaphors, Garcia classifies Roman as being someone who is masterly and successful and well liked by others. This description later on seems to change a little because he ends up getting drunk at his wedding. Much like in the book 'Taming Of The Shrew' and 'A Doll's House', this idea of male dominance becomes prominent and as a result of this Angela Vicario ends up getting commanded and yield at for she has no word. All the time leading up to the marriage the public saw Angela not minding to marry Roman, but years later after being asked if she actually meant to marry Roman, she confessed saying that after reading the October letter she new it was to late to call off the wedding because she was scared of Roman. The part where Angela really suffers is when she comes back from to her house with Roman with her dress in shreds and h body wrapped in a towel up to the waist. Instead of explaining to Pura Vicario what happen, Roman decides to push his newly married wife in to talk to her mom by her self. For the next two hours Angela's mom beat her with nobody finding out till she was asked by the narrator years later. By not stay to talk to the mom with Angela, Roman was being a self centered man with no heart. Angela had just gone through something so hard and he just pushes her in the house and leaves her there. By characterizing the characters the way he does, Garcia shows the reader the true identity of the prominent figures in the story.
ReplyDeleteChapter two of CoaDF is a very eye opening chapter as to the culture of Colombia during this time period. This is very easily seen through the main actions of the chapter. Bayardo intends to marry Angela and his way of doing this is by shiwering her in gifts and as many things as he can afford for her really. This is customary and thus many people think it is okay for a man to do such a thing for a woman who he has never really met. Because of his social standing he can essentially do this and marry whoever he chooses to. Later on in the chapterit is revealed that Angela is indeed not a virgin which is very culturally unacceptable. Because of this she is left by her husband and then beaten by her mother. Furthermore a serious double standard can be seen as it is also okay for Bayardo to have premarital sex.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 2, I noticed an interesting contrast between the characterization of Bayardo San Román and Angela Vicario. When Bayardo first came to town, the narrator recalls how his mother wrote to him: "A very strange man has come," (24). The narrator follows-up this observation by also noting, "... He had a way of speaking that served to conceal rather than to reveal," (26). What stood out to me most in these two quotes was Marquez's choice of diction. In the first quote, the word "strange" immediately gives the impression that Bayardo is an utter stranger in that his persona is incredibly foreign to the townspeople. The second quote supports the tone of unfamiliarity and emphasizes the fact that more was unknown about Bayardo than known. The rhyming suggests that even though Bayardo was elusive, there was a sort of "rhyme and reason" behind his mysterious behavior. Most descriptions of Bayardo build him up as a legend, stating, "Bayardo San Román not only was capable of doing everything, and doing it well, but also had access to endless resources," (27). On the other hand, Angela Vicario says, "He reminded me of the devil," (28). Her statement is accurate in that Bayardo seems to be all-knowing in an unsettling manner (he knew it was her birthday on the day of the charity bazaar) and everyone seems to be vulnerable to his temptation (Pablo and Pedro Vicario return the music box only to come back home with Bayardo himself in tow). Marquez proceeds to characterize Angela as the victim of her family who "raised [her] to suffer," (31). Angela's whole situation is ironic in that her name contains the word "angel" yet she lives to suffer and her family forces her to marry a man that reminds her of the devil. The juxtaposition of Bayardo's elusive, devilish manner and Angela's blatant suffering creates a tone of pity for Angela. Also by emphasizing the flaws in Angela's family, Marquez suggests that Santiago Nasar is maybe not to blame for his own murder and Angela's shame; rather, the fault is at the hand of Angela's deranged family. The effect of questioning "whodunnit" is to emphasize the idea that blame should not always be put on the most obvious answer.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter two i emjoyed how indepthed the passages were about Bayardo. For instance, "He looked like a fairy," she told me. "And it was a pity, because i could have buttered him and eaten him alive." In this quote you are allowed to see the constrast of how each of the characters a preserved by society and themselves. Bayardo is know as the young noble In chapter two i emjoyed how indepthed the passages were about Bayardo. For instance, "He looked like a fairy," she told me. "And it was a pity, because i could have buttered him and eaten him alive." In this quote you are allowed to see the constrast of how each of the characters a preserved by society and themselves. Bayardo is know as the young noble In chapter two i emjoyed how indepthed the passages were about Bayardo. For instance, "He looked like a fairy," she told me. "And it was a pity, because i could have buttered him and eaten him alive." In this quote you are allowed to see the constrast of how each of the characters a preserved by society and themselves. Bayardo is know as the young noble bachelor, while Angela is the sterotypical day to day wife that doesnt do anything for herself. By creating this parallel it forces the reader to see the characters in more of a indivdual way than a couple. We get to know there personalities andd can depict there impact on the murder.
ReplyDeleteI found a lot of things in this chapter interesting. Firstly, I noticed the use of magical realism in this chapter. On page 27, it is described by the narrator's mother that "he's honest and has a good heart, and last Sunday he received communion standing and everything was in Latin". This is an example of magical realism because this was something that was very common in that culture and time, yet it is given great attention by the mother. An element of magical realism is giving very little notice to things that are out of the ordinary, and overemphasizing ordinary things. The quote above demonstrates this element of magical realism. Also, elements of marianismo are present. One quote that exemplifies this is, "she devoted herself with such spirit of sacrifice to the care of her husband and the rearing of her children that at times one forgot she still existed" (37). Marianismo states that the woman must be submissive to the husband and be focused on the good of the family and children. This quote brings forth the importance of these values for the plot line of the book.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 2, we learn about Bayardo and the ritual of courtship in the Columbian culture. The economy behind the match of Bayardo and Angela is clearly shown through the showering of gifts from Bayardo. Not only does he give her the music box but he tells her that he will buy the house. He makes no interest in getting to know Angela but just cares that she knows he is wealthy. Showering her with gifts is not only for her, but also a way of showing her parents that she will be taken care of by him. Marquez writes, "Besides, Bayardo San Roman hadn't even tried to court her, but had bewitched the family with his charm(II)." This shows the lack of care and support that is needed by a husband but instead he tries to show off all of his wealth and be very manly.
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