Chronicle of a Death Foretold

It seems like many of the marriages that take place within this society are for utilitarian reasons rather than for love, which in a way reinforces gender roles. These gender roles include the husband acting "manly", and the wife accepting her fate as a wife and accepting the marriage whether they would like to or not. Prudencia Cotes, Pablo Vicarios' future wife, says: "I never would have married him if he hadn't done what a man should do" (62). This statement shows that Pablo was expected to retrieve his sister's honor and kill Santiago if he wanted to be seen as a "man".

The idea that the woman is marrying solely for the purpose of being married whether they want to or not is further reinforced by the brief marriage between Bayardo and Angela, "From the moment he finally appeared in frock coat and top hat until he fled the dance with the creature of his torment" (41). Angela is described as "the creature of his torment", implying that the marriage is more of a torturous experience for Angela, rather than an enjoyable one.

The only marriage that seems to have occurred out of love rather than utilitarian purposes is the marriage of the widower Xius. Xius declares the difference between his marriage and that of the younger generations to Bayardo by stating, "you young people dont understand the motives of the heart" as he attempts to keep his house from being sold to Bayardo (36). Xius was trying to explain that the house held sentimental value and contained memories of his deceased wife that he loved, however the house is ultimately sold to Bayardo for a large sum of money that drove Xius to tears of rage that he should have to choose between love for his wife and the utilitarian purposes of money. By choosing to accept the money, it is ultimately seen that marriage for utilitarian purposes prove to be more important than marriage for love.