Santiago Nasar

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Recommended: Analysis of chronicles of a death foretold

Occasionally it requires a great tragedy for society to acknowledge its ineffectiveness and ugly traits. In the brilliant Colombian crime fiction novel, Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the major tragedy is the death of Santiago Nasar. Nasar’s brutal death alludes to that of Jesus, emphasizing on the spiritual aspect of him being a martyr for his society. Particularly, this is embedded into the passage in which the actual killing of Santiago Nasar by the Vicario brothers, outside his house, occurs. In this passage from Chronicle of a Death of Foretold, Garcia Marquez uses kinesthetic imagery, abstract diction, and symbolism of animals in order to declare Santiago Nasar as a christlike figure, signifying the innocence …show more content…

The Vicario brothers are displayed as defenders of justice, with their “iron wrist” (Garcia Marquez 139). In the passage, most of the physical actions are attributed to the brothers, which indirectly characterizes them as Roman crucifiers. Pedro Vicario, gave Santiago Nasar a “thrust” (Garcia Marquez 139). The physical image of a thrust evokes a very violent lunge, that requires a substantial amount of force. After this, Santiago Nasar only “turned forward” and “leaned his back” (Garcia Marquez 139). Compared to the “thrust” by Pedro Vicario, Santiago’s movement is quite subtle. It is just a slight, and delicate change. While Pedro is very aggressive towards Santiago, he is simply making soft moves. In this passage, Garcia Marquez does the job of painting the Vicario brothers as ruthless murderers. The cause for which they were fighting is lost, and the perspective of the reader is dwindled to just this image. The embellishment of the Vicario brothers physical actions and the plainness in Santiago Nasar’s movements, evidently prove his innocent will for securing the family’s …show more content…

The depiction of the Vicario brothers as ruthless killers willing to go any length through kinesthetic imagery, shows their similarity with the Roman soldiers that killed Jesus Christ. It also helps further the indirect characterization of the Vicario brothers through their forceful physical actions. By describing Santiago Nasar as a saintlike figure through abstract diction, Garcia Marquez is able to portray Santiago as a scapegoat for the bigger problems in the society. The symbolism of animals explicitly encompasses the virtue of the patsy. The passage is able to attain the selflessness in sacrifice. Combining all of these literary elements together, Garcia Marquez is able to attain a much more coherent comprehension of the text through biblical

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  • Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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    As the story unfolds, it is quickly clear that honor is paramount in this society, particularly family honor. The whole focus of the story is the murder of Santiago Nasar which was committed to restore the family honor lost by Angela Vicario when she had premarital sex, resulting in her failed marriage. Angela’s brothers commit murder, a mortal sin, to restore the family’s honor as tradition demands despite their reluctance since it “was certain that the Vicario brothers were not as eager to carry out of the sentence as to find someone who would do them the favor of stopping them” (Marquez, 57). Even after confessing to the crime, a jury found the brothers innocent in the name of honor ”Before God and before men…It was a matter of honor” (Marquez, 49). Yet these actions, in the name of honor, go against the religious beliefs of the town.

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