What Makes a Man: Exploring Male Stereotypes, Machismo, and Toxic Masculinity in Gabriel García Márquez's Novel

Abstract: Gabriel García Márquez's novels, Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Love in the Time of Cholera highlight structures of Machismo and Toxic Masculinity seen in Latin American communities to this day. By examining his male characters in the two previously mentioned novels, readers can see how García Márquez critiques Latin American societal structures and communities. Each of the male protagonists mainly represents one traditionally masculine trait, and these are the idealized characteristics that are thought to make up the ideal Latino man: sex, wealth, and strength. García Márquez’s characters, both male and female, struggle under the strict gender roles and expectations placed upon them by their families and communities. By digging deeper into the actions and dialogues of these men, it can be noted how draining and dangerous it is to live under such a rigid patriarchal structure. García Márquez does seem, however, to hint at a solution. The more sympathetic characters, who often challenge these roles (whether by a lot or a little), are those who have loved and been shown love. Ultimately, it is clear that both García Márquez’s characters and present-day Latino/as struggle with the same issues of Machismo and Toxic Masculinity. Further examining García Márquez’s novels and Latin American traditions, communities, and gender roles perhaps can shed a light on what exactly it means to be a Latino man.