Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, and...

Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, and Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez Works Cited Not Included Religion is supremacy, perfection and spirituality. A typical Latin American religious community heavily relies on religion to provide a moral framework to guide and protect its citizens. However, projecting religion in the light of perfection is superficial. In actuality, it often contains flaws underneath its idealistic teachings. The inadequacy in maintaining the idealistic doctrines is deeply rooted in society. Such notion is reflected and commented upon in the novels Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis and Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garci ­a Marquez. In both novels,†¦show more content†¦Religion as a burden is also evident in Chronicle of A Death Foretold in which the townspeople honour the much disliked bishop solely out of respect to God. The bishop, on the other hand, sends obligatory blessing without evincing a speck of inspiration as he makes the sign of cross mechanically and without malice or inspiration (19). The townspeople greet the bishop in an overwhelming manner, creating a strong contrast against the neglectful attitude of the bishop: But the Bishop didnt stop and then the band of musicians started to play the bishops anthem, and the cocks began to crow in their baskets and aroused all the other roosters in town. (18) g By staying on the boat, the bishop creates a physical distance that further advocates the barrier between the people and the Church, and ultimately affects their religious devotions. These actions of the bishop do not earn him respect as a person but only as an empty shell of authority, another defect in the practical result of religious doctrines. Hence Placida Linero refers to him as the son of the worst kind of mother (127). Religion also becomes less a symbol of ultimate priority and spirituality amongst the younger generation. Garcia Marquez discusses this notion using Santiago Nasar. Santiago engages religion with entertainment rather than an inscrutable symbol of spiritual life: