Purisimia+del+Carmen

Purisima del Carmen

1. Purisima del Carmen is Angela Vicario’s mother in the novel, __Chronicle of a Death Foretold__. She was a schoolteacher before marrying Angela’s father, Poncio Vicario, and from that point on became devoted to the care of her husband and the rearing of her children. She is said to look like a nun, with her “meek” and “somewhat afflicted” look hiding the strength of her character. Purisima’s role is to emphasize the importance of tradition and culture in this part of the world. She utters phrases such as “love can be learned”, which suggests that she believes in carrying out the dutiful and expected role of a wife rather than being truly happy and in love before marriage. She also beats Angela after she discovers that she has lost her virginity before her wedding night, displaying the importance of the tradition of remaining a virgin before marriage. It is also noted that any man would be happy with any of Purisima’s daughters because they had been “raised to suffer” (34), and she is described as a “mother of iron” (37), suggesting that Purisimia raises her girls based on the belief that they will carry out their expected submissive role within this culture, whether they are happy or not.

2. Purisima translates to “pure” in Spanish. In Latin, Carmen means “song”, “tune” or “poem. However, as a Spanish given name, it is usually part of the devotional compound names //María del Carmen//, //Nuestra Señora del Carmen// (Our Lady of Carmen) or //Virgen del Carmen// (in English Our Lady of Mount Carmel), stemming from the vision of Mary the Mother of Jesus on 16 July 1251 by Simon Stock, head of the Carmelite order. Based on these translations, it can be inferred that Purisimia del Carmen is something of a pure and devotional name, perhaps representing religion and the purity that women in this culture during this time period were expected to embody. The name seems to suit this character quite well, for she raises her daughters to be untainted, wholesome girls, who will obey and remain loyal to their husbands whether they are truly in love or not.