Santiago Nisar Death

The story of Santiago Nisar’s death is told by a narrator who is gathering information twenty-seven years after the murder occurred. Santiago is murdered for supposedly taking away Angela’s virginity; however, this claim is not substantiated. Since the narrator was away at college studying journalism at the time of the murder, he interviews witnesses to get secondhand accounts of what happened. The narrator does not follow a chronological story line; instead, he chooses a spiral plot in which the reader already knows the main character is going to die in the beginning, but he then goes to explain how the event occurred through several perspectives. In Chronicles of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcίa Marquéz uses a spiral plot, journalistic writing …show more content…
In the first sentence, the reader is informed that Santiago Nisar will die that day, but the reader does not know the details surrounding his death. Through multiple retellings of the event, the reader gets multiple perspectives of what happened that day. Each time the story is retold, the reader is able to see a way the murder could have been prevented. In the first chapter, Victoria Guzmán, Santiago’s cook, knew about the rumor of his murder, yet she fails to tell him. At first, Victoria says she did not think the rumor was true, but it is later revealed by her daughter that Victoria secretly wanted Santiago to die. When the reader hears this, he or she becomes frustrated that Victoria failed to mention anything to Santiago. In a way, she is responsible for the murder by failing to speak out. Through another retelling, the reader learns that Colonel Lazaro Aponte only thought to take away the Vicario brothers’ knives when he heard of the rumor. When the reader hears this, he or she is again bothered that Colonel Aponte did not act in a responsible manner and take further steps to prevent the murder. Furthermore, Father Carmen Amador hears about the rumor of the Vicario brothers’ plan to murder Santiago, yet he completely forgets to act. …show more content…
With a spiral structure, the reader is able to see several missed opportunities to stop Santiago’s murder, which contributes to the idea that one should stop crime. Through a journalistic writing style, the reader becomes frustrated with the lack of emotion in the story that he or she feels the need to take responsibility. Lastly, the distant narrator makes it clear that humans have a moral obligation to stop injustice from occurring. Ultimately, if someone had taken the initiative to act, Santiago would have survived. The next time the reader of this novel witness a crime or any wrongdoing, he or she will recall the lesson from this book and have the instincts to act in a way to prevent such