Chronicle Of A Death Foretold Women Essay

From the first line of the novel, the reader of Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold becomes aware that Santiago Nasar is going to be murdered. The rest of the novel is an investigation into the question that naturally comes to mind: Why? It becomes clear on a surface level that Santiago’s death is an attempt to reclaim the honor of the Vicario family after the discovery that he allegedly took Angela Vicario’s virginity. However, subtleties within the text call for an analysis of greater implications. The use of floral imagery within the text depicts the unrealistic expectations of purity put on woman while weapon imagery reflects the ironic double standard of expectations of purity on men. Overall, both strands of imagery throughout the text suggest that society’s value of honor over …show more content…
It is common and more socially acceptable for men to freely engage in sexual acts, but at the same time may be justifiably killed for it. Imagery throughout the novel reinforce these ideas and brings into the question the real cause of Santiago’s murder. More than just a punishment for a sexual ‘crime,’ Santiago’s death is a sacrifice for the sake of the community’s consciousness. His murder is considered honorable. It is an example that the behavior that the community quietly accepts and even perpetuates through heavily enforced gender roles and machismo is in fact, unacceptable and punishable by death. If Santiago’s community valued truth, there would be acceptance that firstly, Santiago may not have been the perpetrator, and secondly, that pre-marital sex is too common to kill every participant. But in this chronicle, honor is valued above truth and is the driving force of the community, and this false sense of honor is what causes Santiago to be murdered, Pedro and Pablo to become murderers, and Angela to be a