Machismo Represented by Castillo Brothers in Oscar Hijuelos' The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love

Abstract

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (1989) is a novel written by a Cuban-American writer, Oscar Hijuelos. It talks about the life of Cesar and Nestor Castillo as Cuban immigrants who live in America to pursue their dreams as musicians. The novel has strong connection to Latin American culture; therefore, the Castillo brothers are known embracing their “Cubanness” as men. Men in Spanish-speaking countries are recognized for their strong masculine pride. Their strong masculine pride is associated with often an exaggeration in their masculinity. People often call it as machismo. Derived from destructive aspects, such as aggressiveness, womanizing, emotional withdrawal, and male chauvinism, machismo is known for having harmful outcomes for men who embed it. Using Hall’s Theory of Representation and Kupers’ concept of toxic masculinity, this research aims to show how machismo is represented by the Castillo brothers and reveal the ideology of Oscar Hijuelos’ regarding machismo. Utilizing narratives and dialogues, this research is conducted as qualitative research. It is found Cesar’s practice of machismo through the act of being a Latin lover affects his participation in alcoholism and resistance to professional help. Besides, Nestor does practice of machismo for being a “man with muscle” eventually leads him to depression and anxiety and rejection of therapy. It is acknowledged their status as immigrants heighten their practices of machismo. Through his writing, the author wants to criticize machismo.