When speaking of gender roles, most people's thoughts go to women. But, when speaking of this topic in Gabriel Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold, one can argue both men and women are equally oppressed by what’s expected of them. Gender roles can even lead to a whole town being at fault for the murder of a potential innocent, as in the novella. In this work, men are restricted by the idea of “machismo,” while women are trapped by the “perfect, virgin woman” ideal. We can see how in both following and breaking these guidelines, conflict can arise in the town.
