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summary on chapter 3 of a mandatory read....

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Christine Russo English and Literature Professor Ehleben Feb. 22, 2018

Third Chapter: In chapter three of “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”, Gabriel Garcia Marquez introduces the twin killers Pablo and Pedro Vicario, as well as the townspeople. Throughout the chapter, the narrator mentions the motives the twins have to murder Santiago Nasar, and why the townspeople refused to stop the twins from committing this crime. It is very peculiar as to why every person avoided the crime, some believed the twins were full of it: “He found them in Clotilde Armenta’s store. ‘When I saw them I thought they were nothing but a pair of big bluffers,’ he told me with his personal logic, ‘because they weren’t as drunk as I thought.’ Nor did he interrogate them concerning their intentions, but took away their knives and sent them off to sleep” (56). In other words, the twins are drunk and cannot avoid Santiago Nasar’s crime, or they aren’t drunk enough. This town is a quiet, calm village with little to no action; this intentional murder is the most exciting thing that happened in years. Therefore the townspeople pretend to believe it's just a hoax to witness some action. There are multiple other excuses the townspeople make for why they did not try to stop the slaughter of Santiago Nasar, one being its none of their business: “The truth is I didn’t know what to do. My first thought was that it wasn’t any business of mine but something for the civil authorities,” (70) Father Amador ironically paid no attention to Pedro and Pablo’s intent to kill. In some cultures, killing out of honor is legal.

Other excuses were that they had forgotten about it, the murder is just a hoax, or they thought Santiago Nasar deserved to die. Santiago Nasar was a man who is an outsider in this town; he is not as important to protect. Pedro and Pablo Vicario must commit this crime to save the family honor, the only issue being that what if Santiago Nasar is innocent. The twins go around town telling the townspeople that they are going to kill Santiago Nasar as if they want someone to stop them. The two brothers grow confused throughout the day since not one person cares if he dies, it may be that family honor is extremely important to maintain even if it consists of slicing somebody. There is a lot of pressure on the Vicario twins to murder Santiago since Prudencia Cotes is encouraging the boys. Therefore, the twins were forced: “There’s no way out of this. It’s as if it already happened” (61). Pablo Vicario was in such bad shape that day but had to commit this crime. The twins seemed to be serious at first to kill Santiago, but as the chapter goes on it is obvious that they didn’t want to.

Fourth Chapter: Chapter four of “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”, Gabriel Garcia Marquez reveals the aftermath of Santiago Nasar’s death and how all the characters are coping. After twenty years Santiago Nasar was murdered, the entire town couldn’t forget the terrible tragedy that occured. Santiago Nasar would not leave the air in the small town, no matter how hard the townspeople tried: “ Not just I. Everything continued smelling of Santiago Nasar that day. The Vicario brothers could smell him in the jail cell where the mayor had locked them up until he could think of something to do with them. ‘No matter how much I scrubbed with soap and rags, I couldn’t get rid of the smell,’ Pedro Vicario told me” (78). The death not only haunted the people who stayed, but the ones who tried to escape as well. Pedro Vicario continued to suffer after him and his twin brother committed the murder, he could not sleep for several months. The spirit of Santiago Nasar haunted the ones who witnessed this crime, but Pablo grew sickly: “Pablo Vicario, for his part, ate a little bit of everything they brought him, and fifteen minutes later unloosed a pestilential diarrhea” (80). Santiago Nasar’s airy scent was nothing but a fixated poison on the bystanders who refused to intervene, all of the townspeople were to blame of his death. On the other hand the one who seemed to have received the short end of the stick is Bayardo San Roman, the living victim. After the death of Santiago Nasar, Bayardo San Roman developed into the exact opposite version of himself: an alcoholic, boring, unspirited soul. He lived his life drowning in the decadence of his very own poor soul, losing his masculinity and sense of entitlement as a superior man. Angela Vicario on the other hand, began a new life, she viewed the world as a happy place in which she accompanied with her pristine soul. Angela changed for the better, not only to show her mother but Bayardo as well. It was as if Pura Vicario

beat the weakness out of her. She came to the realization that breaking Bayardo San Roman was the last bit of regret she owned. No longer did she live in the shadow of a damaged ghost, but transformed into a stranger to others of her past: “ she was so mature and witty that it was difficult to believe that she was the same person” (89). Angela Vicario wrote to Bayardo San Roman month after month wishing for him to retrieve. As a reborn virgin Angela’s life felt fresh yet the crave for romance ate away at her youthful heart. Angelo Vicario and Bayardo San Roman reunited at the end of chapter four, reversed their roles and still were strangers to one another. They met in a new light, two old strangers seeing one another as if it was the first day. The imaginary happy ending for the bride and groom seems surreal, for no one would ever guess these two would ever meet once more. I believe this is a happy ending for these two, Bayardo San Roman in need of saving like he would 23 years ago for poor Angela. In all, a sigh of relief is the ultimate feeling after reading this chapter, for both needed to fill their emptiness.

Chapter Five: Santiago Nasar’s death was a unfortunate event that most certainly could have been avoided. The fact that the majority of the town knew Santiago Nasar would be “carved up like a pig” is beyond cruelty but puzzling. How could Santiago not know what everyone else knew? Especially since it involved taking his very own life. It seems as if Santiago Nasar believed he deserved to be punished, for family honor is a huge aspect to culture. There are multiple ways to look at this murder, as well as who to blame. The author Gabriel Garcia Marquez in “chronicle of a death foretold” details the gruesome death of Santiago Nasar in the last chapter and who is most responsible for the killing. The author adds in the actual details of the murder to throw the reader off. There are multiple people who are responsible for allowing Santiago Nasar to be slaughtered out in the open, for his own mother accidentally locked him out. The reason the author put the ugly details of the bloody tragedy is to exaggerate the death of an unknowingly innocent man. Telling the story in chronological order is easy to determine the true meaning, but the author makes it difficult to follow. This makes the story more compelling. In the end I believe the one to blame after all is Placida Linero: “Then she ran to the door and slammed it shut. Santiago Nasar only needed a few seconds to get in when the door closed. He managed to pound with his fists several times, and he turned at once to face his enemies with his bare hands” (117). The mystery throughout this story is truly entertaining, and the hidden details within the text make the story difficult to comprehend. Moreover, it is obvious that Placida Linero, Santiago’s mother, is the one to blame in this situation. Santiago Nasar may have committed the crime that killed him, or maybe not, the only truth is that he is dead. Although he will forever linger within the air....