Unwed Sinner

For a class, we were asked to elaborate on a theme or event that was alluded to, but looked over, in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Chronicle of a Death Foretold." This was my piece on Angela Vicario's nervous anticipation before her wedding, an even

     The stitching of the beaded trim rubbed against her soft underarm skin, irritating her further, all of her senses heightened in her anxiety. After what seemed like endless tugging and tightening, the dress was buttoned into place. Yes, it was beautiful, wrapping around her small torso and opening into a long, elaborate skirt. Looking into the mirror, the dress seemed to stare back at her with a personality of its own. Everything seemed to taunt her misfortune; every perfectly placed bead, every contour of lace, the shape that the dress took around her bust and snaked around her shoulders to reveal her contrasting dark skin. All the things that would be beautiful on any other day only stood to embellish her shame. Pacing back and forth, the train dragging across the old wooden floor would not let her forget the steps she was about to take. Even while sitting, the dress pulled tight around her lungs and it became harder than ever to breathe. Could she fake virginity, for Bayardo, just once? When she returned to the mirror, the pure white dress seemed to isolate her doubt, silently telling her that not even for one night in the thousands of nights she would have with her husband could she fake it. Pure white; her worst enemy. The coarse fabric underneath her skirt that served for shaping her waist was punishing her smooth legs for welcoming someone beside her husband. The stitching of the waist was weighing down on her hips as a reminder of her sin. The buttoned seam down her back was pushing on her spine, sealing her into the image she would be remembered as for years. Her ribs were uncomfortably tight in the bust of the dress, showcasing the beauty that was rightfully Bayardo’s but had been explored by another. In the thick silence of the room, the rustling of the fabric named her what her husband would soon know her as: Angela Vicario, the unwed sinner.

Reviews

[Kasey Klein]

I like what you did with this. Since it was for an assignment, I'll leave my comment at that.

[Lee E. Powell]

I liked this. So descriptive. The Unwed Sinner. This title was awesome.
I'm not that great at giving reviews. I'm fairly new to this whole writing thing myself, but i do like what you have written. i could sense her guilt and fear.

[Legion]

An interesting piece. Now I'm going to have to read "Chronicle...". I liked the constrictiveness of the piece. Like the dress (and marraige), her guilt was stifling. Well done. Hope you did well in the class.