Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Chapter 5: Analysis Questions

While reading the chapter, annotate for the common elements of craft and then answer each of
the following questions in at least 3-4 concise sentences.

DO NOT RESEARCH THESE ONLINE!

CHALLENGE YOUR INTELLECT AND DO THE WORK YOURSELF!

First, carefully examine the introduction paragraph on pg. 96, annotating for multiple
themes and symbols.

1. Annotate pgs. 97-98 and discuss at least four examples of how Santiago’s death affected the
townspeople:

A. ​Hortensia Baute, a woman that had witnessed Pablo and Pedro with the weapons of murder
“felt so affected by hallucination,” that she had as a result of the sighting, “that she fell into
penitential crisis” (97). Thus, the immense shock she felt with the knowledge of Santiago’s
death and sight of the killers with their weapons drove her to a state of insanity. This depicts
just how the death of Santiago impacted the people since individuals like Hortensia become
so mentally ill due to their experience and connection to the victim and his murderers.

B. ​Santiago’s mother confesses the fact that she truly “never forgave herself for having mixed
up the magnificent augury of trees with the unlucky one of birds” (98). Although his mother
was the individual who closed the door on him she saw her mistake as the misinterpretation of
the dream since this one action to her could have possibly stopped all of this from happening
at the start of the day. Furthermore, she is overwhelmed with guilt because she feels
responsible for his death by not noticing a simple detail.

C. ​Don Rogelio de la Flor felt extremely guilty and as a result of witnessing the crime scene
he “[could’t] survive the shock” of being in the presence of Santiago's torn, shredded body
lying against the locked door of his home (97). The individuals personal disgust with their
decision of not stepping in and either stopping the twins or warning Santiago, is seen through
his character as his life is taken as well out of shock that the occurrence that was foretold
actually took place. With the knowledge that in one way or another he was at fault for
Santiago’s death he makes himself sick with the guilt he felt for not getting involved as he
thought he should have.

D. ​Aura Villeros “suffered a spasm of the bladder when she heard the news” of Santiago’s
death (97). Similar to ​ ​Don Rogelio de la Flor’s reaction, but a lot less extreme, her body went
into shock and the message that should have been received in her brain was bypassed leading
her body to stop working as it should. She went on suffering for the rest of her life with bodily
function difficulties due to the knowledge affected by her. This connects to the idea that just
 as her bodily malfunctions were carried with her until death so was her guilt, there is no
escape from either.

2. There are TWO crucial quotes on pg. 99 (they should stick out like Waldo on a white
canvas…); please identify each by writing them below and then discuss their overall
significance:

A. ​The first crucial quote includes the time that the narrator reiterates how the Judge “never
thought it legitimate that life should make use of so many coincidences forbidden literature,
so that there should be the untrammeled fulfillment of a death so clearly foretold” (99). This
statement holds extreme importance because it reiterates just how foretold the death truly was
and if the information was so widely known then how did the murder take place regardless.
Also if this was purely fate and his death was inevitable this should have cleared the
consciences of most by standards instead of increasing their guilt. with the idea that they
could not have done anything to prevent his death then they would have had a reason to not
put the idea in his head that he would be murdered. However, All of them fell victim to the
bystander effect and stood by as he was murdered even with his death being foretold by his
murderers.

B. ​The second crucial quote is when the narrator explains that the most alarming part of the
situation was “not having found a single clue, even the most probable, that Santiago Nasar
had been the cause of the wrong” (99). This holds extreme importance as well since the
honor killing performed possibly could have been a misinterpreted accusation from the start.
If this information was true, and on all accounts it seems to be obvious that he did not rape
Angela, the Vicario twins were forced to murder an innocent human being and change the
coursee of their lives by being held in jail for three years and even dishonoring their family in
a way. Also, this means that Angela was the reason for his death and led an innocent
bystander to be killed while a guilty individual continues to live their life.

3. The official investigator chalks up the outcome of the case to one simple phrase on pg. 100.
Discuss his thoughts and how they connect to a Global Issue. Then, provide a key quote from pg.
101 to support your analysis:
The investigator of Santiago’s death speaks upon the fact that prejudice molds illusions within a
court case, thus he must attempt to look past and try to fight the personal bias so that the case is
as reasonable and truthfully reconstructed as possible. Thus, the global issue connected with this
statement would involve justice and prejudice within society and the criminal justice system.
This can be seen through the hatred in which women like Victoria Guzman could have obscured
the truth since she held a very large grudge against Santiago’s family as well as Angela Vicario,
which most citizens sided with since rape was taken extremely serious within the culture and the
men most of the time were held responsible. Furthermore the narrator goes on to explain how
Santiago “died without understanding his death” since it was unclear to why he was being
punished in his and the fact that although several people were aware of what was going to take
place he was never notified (101).
As you read from pgs. 102 through the rest of the chapter, make sure to heavily annotate
for the Bystander Effect, the role of coincidence and fate, elements of Magical Realism, and
the conflicting subjectivity of memory.

4. Examine the odd passages on pg. 106 and the top of pg. 107 when Cristo describes
Santiago’s sleeping mother and then her awakened state. Discuss what the author might be
conveying through these descriptions of the feminine sex, using direct quotes as necessary.

To set the stage, Cristo walks into the room of Plácida Linero, Santiago's mother, in an attempt
to find Santiago. He then witnesses “a beam of dusty light” “coming through the sky light,”
along with “the beautiful woman asleep on her side of the hammock” with “her bride’s hand on
her cheek giving off “an unreal look” (106). This description of Plácida given by Cristo alludes
to the idea that in a vulnerable setting men seem to find women much more appealing. With the
description of the light falling into the bedroom the setting provides the reader with a surreal and
magical visual making her and her surroundings seem heavenly in one way or another. Cristo’s
affection is then completely pushed aside once he sees her in “full light, wearing a dress gown
with golden larks” and “her hair loose” and suddenly all of the beauty and magic he had
previously witnessed surrounding her and upon her being escaped from him (107). As opposed
to when Cristo saw her sleeping when she wakes, and becomes aware of her surroundings he
loses all interest because with her newfound attention some of her vulnerability vanishes. A
woman within her own home feels more at peace than being around and about since they feel no
need to worry about their well being furthering the idea that her guard was down. When women
like Plácida awake fear and worry flood their minds, moreover making them seem less attractive
to men since their slumber makes them seem carefree and unprotected instead.

Closely examine pgs. 111-113 and annotate for feminine flower imagery & symbolism, the
motif of letters, and the motif of falconry.

5. Discuss how the author continues to combine the motifs of letters and falconry in
support of a main idea(s). Use TWO direct quotes to support your analysis.
Santiago is described as embodying the “same utilitarian concept of matrimony as his father”
since rather than marrying for love he married out of convenience and practicality (111). The
Latin American concept of marriage is quite prevalent in this instance since social class
determined spouses more than deep true feelings of love. Furthermore, the individuals practically
train themselves to love one another. When Santiago drops his chest of “loveless letters
[pouring] out onto the floor” upon his visit to Flora Miguel, the author is able to juxtapose his
letters to the letters written to Bayardo by Angela (113). This is because unlike Santiago and
Flora, Angela has true feelings for Bayardo so her letters are written from the heart and done out
of love as opposed to the meaningless letters Santiago delivers. This ties back into the fact that
the author continues combining the motif of letters and falconry since Santiago was born into a
family that practiced the profession of falconry mirroring the idea of a heartless pursuit, in which
the predators focus is ultimately the achievement of killing instead of the journey. Thus, Santiago
practices love as if he was practicing the art of falconry as he achieves the creation of letters and
has a wife but does not put love embedded in himself for his spouse or within the letters he gift’s.

6. Thoroughly discuss the significance of Nahir Miguel’s comment that Santiago Nasar
“looked like a little wet bird” (Marquez 114).
​The significance of Nahir Miguel’s comment that Santiago Nasar “looked like a little wet bird”
was to give a visual of what Santiago symbolized when he was told that he was going to be
murdered by the Vicario twins (114). Thus this image makes Santiago seem extremely
vulnerable and flightless in a sense since there was no fleeing the actions that were going to be
made. When a bird's wings are wet it is usually tougher for them to take flight because there is
extra weight on their wings. Wings give birds the advantage over their predators but in this
instance the vulnerability Santiago has alludes to is the idea that there was no way he could
defend himself against his predators (Pedro and Pablo). Moreover the quote is utilized to show
the inevitability of his death because there was no escaping the situation.

7. There is so much depth to the final pages of the chapter! Please make sure that you are
heavily annotating each detail—however, for this question, discuss at least four passages
that parallel Santiago Nasar and Jesus Christ throughout pgs. 115-120.

A. ​On the day of his death Santiago appeared in a “white suit and carrying something that”
“looked like a bouquet of roses” (116). White represents holiness and purity which mirrors the
image of Jesus Christ because he lived a sinless life. In addition to that he is also pictured with
flowers and although we are not sure of the scenery in which Jesus was surrounded when
Judas disobeyed him, he is found in the Garden of Gethsemane. Thus the reader can connect
the flowers with pieces of a garden, giving more reason to see the similarities between
Santiago and Jesus Christ.

B. ​Furthermore, Santiago is illustrated as turning to face his killers with “bare hands” and did
not wish harm upon them in any way, shape, or form (117). Similar to Jesus, Santiago seemed
to accept his fate willingly and was not armed or looking for a fight. The most he did was
attempt to protect himself but once he was hurting, although he was explained to have
survived for a while regardless of the several deep wounds he suffered from, he seemed to
accept what was happening because he could not do anything about it.

C.​ The first wound that Santiago suffered was from Pedro Vicario in which his knife “went
right through the palm of [Santiago’s] right hand” (117). I believe that this was an allusion to
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, although the nails went through Jesus’s wrist rather than his
palm the proximity of the body parts make them extremely similar in this case. Moreover, this
comparison shows how they suffered similar deaths along with the clothing he wore and his
lack of protection seen in the past two answers.
D. ​Finally, the author also explains how Santiago “was not falling because [the Vicario twins]
were holding him up with stabs against the door” (118-119). This exemplifies a direct
reflection of the way Jesus was crucified to a wooden cross in which he was held up by nails
that impelled his wrists and feet. The way in which the two were murdered becomes even
more similar and gives off the idea that Santiago was innocent and wrongly accused just as
Jesus was wrongly accused of blasphemy by Jewish leaders.