Chronicle of a Death Foretold: Analysis of Major Characters
"Chronicle of a Death Foretold: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate relationships and motivations of key figures surrounding Santiago Nasar's tragic fate. Santiago, a young and charismatic member of the Arab community, is depicted as an innocent victim, wrongfully accused of dishonoring Angela Vicario, the beautiful and youngest daughter from a poor family. Angela's tumultuous journey—from an apprehensive bride to a woman consumed by obsession for her estranged husband, Bayardo San Román—highlights her growth amidst societal pressures. Bayardo, an enigmatic figure, initially captivates the village with his charm but ultimately struggles with his own insecurities after discovering Angela's perceived dishonor.
The narrative also examines the Vicario brothers, Pedro and Pablo, whose decision to avenge their sister's honor leads them to commit murder, revealing their internal conflict and societal expectations. Other significant characters, like Clotilde Armenta, attempt to intervene and prevent the tragedy, emphasizing the community's collective failure to save Santiago. Through these character analyses, the story invites readers to reflect on themes of honor, fate, and the moral complexities of societal norms.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Gabriel García Márquez
First published: Crónica de una muerte anunciada, 1981 (English translation, 1982)
Genre: Novel
Locale: A Colombian village on the Caribbean coast
Plot: Detective and mystery
Time: The twentieth century
Santiago Nasar (sahn-tee-AH-goh nah-SAHR), a member of the Arab community, slim and pale, with dark curly hair. He is killed in front of his own house at the age of twenty-one. A handsome bachelor, he is described as having had a love for horses, falconry, and church pomp; his other characteristics included flirtatiousness, valor, merriness, peaceableness, and prudence. Normally dressed in khaki with riding boots, he donned unstarched white linen pants and shirts on special occasions. Inheritor of the Divine Face cattle ranch and a firearms enthusiast, he carried a .357 magnum with armored bullets as he traveled in the country. Although he is killed as the deflowerer of Angela Vicario, his innocent behavior up to the moment of his death suggests that he was wrongly accused of the act.
Angela Vicario (AHN-heh-lah vee-KAHR-ee-oh), the youngest and prettiest daughter of a poor family. She resists the prospect of marriage to Bayardo San Román and unsuccessfully attempts to pass as a virgin on their wedding night. After Bayardo takes her back home, she is beaten by her mother, Purísima (Pura) del Carmen Vicario. Questioned by her brothers, she names Santiago as the man responsible for deflowering her. In the aftermath of the murder, she grows from a hapless spirit to a mature and witty woman. Previously uninterested in Bayardo, she becomes obsessed with him and remains unmarried, writing hundreds of letters to him in the years after their separation.
Bayardo San Román (bay-AHR-doh sahn rroh-MAHN), who captures the imagination of the villagers when he arrives in town wearing clothing ornamented with silver. About thirty years old, he has a slim waist, golden eyes, and tanned skin. A drinker, he seems to lack a steady occupation but exhibits familiarity with railway engineering, telegraphy, frontier illnesses, card games, and swimming. Soon after seeing Angela, he courts her and proposes to her. When he discovers on their wedding night that she is not a virgin, he carries her to her mother. Afterward, he is found in a state of severe intoxication and carried out of the town by members of his family. Although he never opens any of Angela's letters, he saves them and eventually returns to her.
Pedro Vicario and Pablo Vicario, brothers of Angela, identical twins who support their family by slaughtering pigs. Both presented themselves for military service at the age of twenty, but Pablo, six minutes older than Pedro, stayed home to support the family. Pedro entered service, where he contracted a case of blennorrhea (excessive mucus discharge). Told that Santiago has dishonored their sister, the brothers undertake to stab him to death. Although they are unrepentant after the deed is done, the narrator notes that they seemed reluctant to carry it off: By informing more than a dozen villagers of their intent, they seem to have been hoping to be stopped. In jail, they are haunted by an odor of Santiago that lingers after his death. Pablo, who suffers a severe case of diarrhea in confinement, becomes a goldsmith upon his release. Pedro, whose chronic pain prevents him from sleeping for eleven months, is cured of his disease while behind bars. After he is freed, he rejoins the military and disappears on a mission.
The narrator, a friend of Santiago. Returning to his home-town, he investigates Santiago's murder twenty-seven years after its occurrence. the narrative summarizes the results of his efforts.
Clotilde Armenta (cloh-TEEL-deh ahr-MEHN-tah), a milk vendor who appeals to the Vicario twins to refrain from killing Santiago. In an effort to prevent the crime from taking place, she asks all the people she sees to warn Santiago of the danger he is in, attempts to intoxicate the brothers, unsuccessfully tries to restrain Pedro, and shouts a warning to Santiago.
Don Rogelio de la Flor (roh-HEH-lee-oh), Clotilde Armenta's husband.
Colonel Lázaro Aponte (LAH-sah-roh ah-POHN-teh), the mayor. He and Don Rogelio disappoint Clotilde because they do not take strong measures to prevent the murder from occurring. Don Rogelio dies from shock after seeing Santiago's bloody corpse.
Purísima (Pura) del Carmen (pewr-EE-see-mah), Angela's mother, who beats her daughter harshly after Bayardo returns her.
Luis Enrique (lew-EES ehn-REE-keh), the narrator's brother and a friend of Santiago.
Cristóbal (Cristo) Bedoya (krees-TOH-bahl bay-DOY-ah), another friend of Santiago. Luis, Cristo, Santiago, and the narrator had been drinking companions of Bayardo.
Luisa Santiaga (lew-EE-sah sahn-tee-AH-gah), the narrator's mother, who was Santiago's godmother and a blood relative of Pura. She is initially impressed with Bayardo, but her regard for him gradually ebbs. On the day of the murder, she tries to warn Santiago of the threat to his life but is told that she is too late.