Throughout the novel, we see many male characters struggling to assert their masculinity, especially in the Buendia family--and it usually doesn't end well.
It all starts with Jose Arcadio Buendia, who kills Prudencio Aguilar for suggesting he is impotent. For the rest of his life, the ghost of Prudencio haunts Jose Arcadio Buendia, who killed him out of pride. Jose Arcadio Buendia's first son, Jose Arcadio, leaves with the gypsies at a young age, but when he returns, he tarnishes the family name by auctioning himself off every night at the local club to any young women who wish to sleep with him. Furthermore, he seduces Rebeca, his step-sister, into sleeping with and marrying him, bringing shame to Ursula and the rest of his family. Jose Arcadio's younger brother, Aureliano, fights as a Colonel in the Thousand Days' War for the Liberal Party, even though his political beliefs are not that strong. The war hardens Aureliano to the world, including his own mother (whom he won't let within ten feet of him), and eventually he realizes he was only fighting the war out of pride.
The first three males of the Buendia family all try to uphold an air of masculine strength and toughness. However, being macho isn't everything, and all three end up harming themselves or their family as a result of their efforts.
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Lainey has written a solid overview of the destruction that prospers in Latin America due to the precedented attitude of "machismo." In Macondo, Marquez chooses his characters to be comparable to the political leaders in his home of Colombia- those who ruled throughout the grave violence that makes up Colombian history. I'd like to add on to her claim in supporting Ursula as the strongest character with the strongest will in Marquez's novel. This, of course, contrasts from the masculine nature of Macondo's leaders, who cultivate their supposed home as an area of chaos and wreckage.
Most significantly is the moment we discussed in class recently where Ursula yells at Arcadio, her grandson for being irrational as a tyrannical dictator of Macondo. People were afraid to receive the maternal wrath she issued to him, running away in the novel and proving that Ursula is a specifically profound woman in "100 years of Solitude."
After this encounter, Ursula asserts herself as the dominant power of Macondo, leading with persistence, rationality, and patience. Asserting such a significant woman in his novel, Marquez reflects the importance of women in Colombian society during years of violence. Essentially, he highlights the significance of women during these violent times, regardless of the fact that they may have been working silently, behind the scenes, by providing for the families but therefore whole society of Colombia, or for "100 years of solitude," the entirety of Macondo.
COMBATTING THE EFFECTS OF MACHISMO
As Lainey and Gabby have astutely discussed, in ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE, Gabriel Garcia Marquez emphasizes the detrimental effects of "machismo" for many of his male characters. He calls attention to the prevalence of machismo in Latin America throughout Colombia history and its significant repercussions.
I was interested in finding out whether or not Latin America was making an effort to combat the widespread feeling of male insecurity and need to dominate. I was surprised that presently, Latin American women are represented in politics to a slightly reater degree than women in other parts of the world. One of the reasons for their higher representation is the implementation of a quota system in twelve countries. More specifically, according to Wiedel "a percentage [must] be met when presenting candidates for a government positions […,and] a percentage of seats that must be filled by women." Another possible reason for increased female participation today is the past existence of military dictatorships in the mid- and late-1900s in various Latin American countries. During these times of brutal masculine rule, women politicized, forming groups to protect human rights.
Still, despite Latin America's efforts to limit male chauvinism, women must work hard to gain power. The appearance of equality (or at least a trend towards equality) is often deceiving. For example, although there is a quota system in place, it does not provide that women be in powerful positions. Men still make the majority of political decisions. Furthermore, political parties are often dominated by men, which makes it difficult for women to gain traction, as some Latin American men still harbor prejudices and still possess an air of "machismo."
Latin America is on the right track, but foreword-thinking men and women must unite to achieve a more substantial and enduring change.
Source:
"Women, Machismo, and Politics in Latin America"
By By Susan Wiedel
http://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/health-and-society/women-machismo-and-politics-latin-america
That's a great article, Jessie! I never really researched the roles women play in politics in countries in Latin America. This article just proves how ambitious and resilient women can be, especially in this field of work. Throughout the entire novel, my admiration for Ursula grew. There were a lot of deaths in this book, however, I did feel a pang of sadness when Ursula died. I didn't realize I had grown so attached to her throughout the novel (lol). I love this post and agree with Gabby and Lainey's comments. Furthermore, I enjoy the fact Marquez asserts this strong female character in the book without overwhelming the reader or diverting from the history it is based on i.e. The Banana Massacre and the Thousand Days' War. Definitely, a job well done by Marquez.
I totally agree that the men in the novel have a problem asserting their masculinity in the book, and I think that is nicely contrasted with the behavior of the women in the book, especially Ursula. Even though Jose Arcadio Buendia strived to find a surrounding town to Macondo, Ursula was the one to do it. And like we talked about in class the other day, Ursula did run Macondo for a short period of time, but the time that she did run it was very productive. She was very practical, and had no struggle of asserting authority, being power hungry, or pride. Ursula simply wanted the best for the town which was very admirable.
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