Maria Alejandrina Cervantes Prostitution As A...

Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez’s Characterization of Marà ­a Alejandrina Cervantes: Prostitution as a Respectable Profession Marà ­a Alejandrina Cervantes is the prostitute in Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez’s novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Her characterization is a strategic choice to portray prostitutes and the profession of prostitution as respectable and honorable. Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez uses descriptive words to illuminate the mundane and give praise to behaviour that would usually be degraded. By characterizing Marà ­a Alejandrina Cervantes unexpectedly, he forces a shift in the reader’s outlook on prostitution. Marà ­a Alejandrina Cervantes enchants the reader and gains their sympathy for her profession through her intriguing and illusive qualities. Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez chose Marà ­a’s name strategically, the biblical references make her more relatable and depict prostitution honourably. To create the atmosphere and tone, Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez uses fantastical language to create surreal and paradoxical images. He takes a brothel; a place normally associated with dirty, degrading activities and turns it into a sensational paradise. Musicians play at Cervantes’ brothel in an â€Å"enormous courtyard for dancing lit by lantern gourds bought in the Chinese bazaars of Paramaribo† (Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez, 64). These words create a serene atmosphere, the dancing in the courtyard gives the brothel an innocent romantic feeling and the lantern gourds give off a festive tone. He creates an atmosphere of a peaceful paradise where