This post will focus on how the novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses innocence to develop the story. First of all, the novel is based upon the true story of a murder that the author knew about in which a man was killed to restore the bride's honor. The honor killing occurred in Sucre, Colombia, the region pictured on the right.
Honor is the main theme of the novel and how its perception can delude people into doing irrational things such as murder. On the day that the Vicario brothers murdered Santiago Nasar surprised everyone as "Their reputation as good people was so well-founded that no one paid any attention to them" (Garcia Marquez 52). The whole town basically heard the brother's plans but they were so drunk everyone thought it was "drunkards' baloney" (Garcia Marquez 54). The town's perception of the Vicario twins' innocence was perhaps the largest accomplice to the murder of Santiago. Reading the book just makes one wonder how no one took them seriously enough to put a complete stop to them.
Another large part of the novel that bothered me was the view of womens' innocence. After being returned home by her betrothed, Angela Vicario is beaten mercilessly by her mother (Garcia Marquez 46) while the men visit prostitutes like Maria Alejandrina Cervantes even if they have significant others without any of the same judgement. The virginity of girls can be seen as their innocence and is valued so much that Angela Vicario thinks about going to great lengths to fake losing it to her husband, which she does not due internal conflict with her morals.
Honor is the main theme of the novel and how its perception can delude people into doing irrational things such as murder. On the day that the Vicario brothers murdered Santiago Nasar surprised everyone as "Their reputation as good people was so well-founded that no one paid any attention to them" (Garcia Marquez 52). The whole town basically heard the brother's plans but they were so drunk everyone thought it was "drunkards' baloney" (Garcia Marquez 54). The town's perception of the Vicario twins' innocence was perhaps the largest accomplice to the murder of Santiago. Reading the book just makes one wonder how no one took them seriously enough to put a complete stop to them.
Another large part of the novel that bothered me was the view of womens' innocence. After being returned home by her betrothed, Angela Vicario is beaten mercilessly by her mother (Garcia Marquez 46) while the men visit prostitutes like Maria Alejandrina Cervantes even if they have significant others without any of the same judgement. The virginity of girls can be seen as their innocence and is valued so much that Angela Vicario thinks about going to great lengths to fake losing it to her husband, which she does not due internal conflict with her morals.
Continuing on the term of innocence, I do not think the author could have more extremely expressed his views on Santiago Nasar's innocence. When Angela Vicario is forced to identify the man who deflowered her "She only took the time necessary to say the name. She looked for it in the shadows, she found it at first sight among the many, many easily confused names from this world and the other, and she nailed it to the wall with her well-aimed dart, like a butterfly with no will whose sentence ha always been written" (Garcia Marquez 47). The mentioning of a butterfly correlates to the cover art of the first edition of the novel as pictured to the right. Butterflies are beautiful, harmless creatures; this is potentially how the author may have wanted to portray Santiago Nasar. In this way among many others, the novel brings heavy doubt to Santiago Nasar's accusation by Angela Vicario, especially when the narrator argues that "when [Santiago Nasar] finally learned at the last moment that the Vicario brothers were waiting for him to kill him, his reaction was not one of panic, as has so often been said, but rather the bewilderment of innocence." (Garcia Marquez 101).
Speaking of Santiago Nasar, the author uses other symbolism to portray his innocence. First of all, Santiago Nasar was dressed in white linen the day he was murdered, the color of purity (Garcia Marquez 3). Not only that, but Santiago Nasar's purpose in dressing the way he dressed was in case he got to meet the bishop, another feature of innocence in the form of being pious. Additionally, when the Vicario brothers were eviscerating Santiago Nasar his innards were described as "clean and blue" (Garcia Marquez 119); blue is a color associated with heaven and cleanliness, perhaps marking Santiago Nasar's fate.
Speaking of Santiago Nasar, the author uses other symbolism to portray his innocence. First of all, Santiago Nasar was dressed in white linen the day he was murdered, the color of purity (Garcia Marquez 3). Not only that, but Santiago Nasar's purpose in dressing the way he dressed was in case he got to meet the bishop, another feature of innocence in the form of being pious. Additionally, when the Vicario brothers were eviscerating Santiago Nasar his innards were described as "clean and blue" (Garcia Marquez 119); blue is a color associated with heaven and cleanliness, perhaps marking Santiago Nasar's fate.
A pattern of colors and nature can be seen to be used by Garcia Marquez in helping depict the events of Santiago Nasar's murder. Its significance is present even within the story as dreams are interpreted by their symbols. For example, Santiago's mother, Placida Linero said "He was always dreaming about trees" Garcia Marquez 3). However, Placida Linero "mixed up the magnificent augury of trees with the unlucky one of birds" (Garcia Marquez 98). Thus, nature in particular is a very important group of symbols within the novel, it serves as omens.
Overall, the novel has a superb take on the meaning of innocence as it portrays it in several ways. The innocence of Angela Vicario is seen as tainted due to her not being a virgin for her husband, and thus her brothers must restore her innocence or risk losing their honor. But to restore her supposed innocence, the brothers must go through the criminal act of murder. Then the concept becomes very complex when the murder is that of a potentially innocent man. All taken into account, the true question is: is anyone truly innocent and/or guilty in the story? The answer depends on the person, but personally I cannot see how any character within the story was fully responsible for the incident occurring. However, I concur that honor killing is wrong and disgusting, but that just may be because I am culturally biased.
Word Count: 819
Overall, the novel has a superb take on the meaning of innocence as it portrays it in several ways. The innocence of Angela Vicario is seen as tainted due to her not being a virgin for her husband, and thus her brothers must restore her innocence or risk losing their honor. But to restore her supposed innocence, the brothers must go through the criminal act of murder. Then the concept becomes very complex when the murder is that of a potentially innocent man. All taken into account, the true question is: is anyone truly innocent and/or guilty in the story? The answer depends on the person, but personally I cannot see how any character within the story was fully responsible for the incident occurring. However, I concur that honor killing is wrong and disgusting, but that just may be because I am culturally biased.
Word Count: 819
Works Cited
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Trans. Gregory Rabasso. New York:
Vintage International, 2003. Print.
Vintage International, 2003. Print.