Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Essay Example

Essay, English Topic: Chronicle of a Death Foretold Introduction The story and characterization of “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez remains engulfed in the different traditional values of Columbia, viewed from all angles. It relates to a real-life event as such its authenticity becomes acceptable. The story is woven around the central character Bayardo San Roma, a highly principled rich individual whose marriage to Angela Vicario results in the murder of Santiago Nasar. The later was responsible for taking away the virginity of the former. Bayardo returned Angela to her family on the night of the wedding, as she was a dishonored lady. When her brothers came to know about this unfortunate episode, they planned the honor killing that leads to the murder of Nasar. The traditional values in the Columbian society are strong, and taking the virginity of a woman without being her husband is an unpardonable crime and it is also founded on religious beliefs, as the purity of the bride is an important Christian value. When the people of the village came to know about the heinous act of Nasar, his killing was taken for granted by the villagers and they morally supported it as he had violated the most sacred traditional value. They even inspired the brothers to kill Nasar. Many had the inkling that the crime would take place but their reaction was mute. If there was a total supporter for the action taken by Bayardo, it was Angela Vicario’s family which was the astute follower of traditional values. The status of women was particularly miserable. The narrator quotes his mother as describing Angela Vicario and her sisters as "perfect . . . Any man will be happy with them because theyve been raised to suffer,"(31) and this judgment was all the more shocking because it was offered with no apparent hostility, as a simple statement of the way things were. Her parents believed that the bride should be a virgin. Whether the bride loved her future husband was of no consequence to them and all they wanted was that the bridegroom should belong to a rich and famous family. According to her mother love could be taught and it would happen gradually. When the mother came to know about the reality related to her daughter’s virginity she was furious and she "almost buried her alive in solitude."Bayardo’s thinking process was on the traditional mold. He selected her on some divine considerations. The meaning of her name in the religious sense was “Angel.” It was of no consequence for him whether she loved him or not but her purity was of utmost importance to him as virginity was a highly venerated traditional value in the society. On discovering that she was not a virgin, he sent her back home immediately and in the process destroyed her life, his life and which led to the killing of Nasar. A series of calamities followed at the altar of the traditional values. He almost drank himself to death, being unable to bear the agony of the fact that he married a dishonored woman. Angel’s brother executed the plan of killing Nasar, the man who did the ignoble act and thus he was also the party that subscribed to the traditional values. The plot-line of the novel thus is centered on the mysterious characteristics of Bayardo. But his action would not be condemned outright and he was only upholding the traditional values of the society. But for his action, the entire storyline would have been different. Once he came to know about the truth related to Angela’s virginity, he had no second thoughts and the traditional values left him with no other option or the escape route. Other characters in the novel know very little about Bayardo, and as such he becomes the mysterious character. His true feelings as for Angela or about the institution of marriage are never known, except that he is the blind follower of traditional values. When Angela failed the traditional test, she had to go out of the life of Bayardo. But women in the village found Bayardo charming and attractive. The author creates a mysterious character in Bayardo and it appears as if his entry into the plot of the novel is for a specific purpose. Villagers accept Bayardo without verifying his character and antecedents. And nobody knows anything about him. No one questions his trustworthiness and authority. When Santiago is murdered, many pity Bayardo, and none is willing to condemn him. At the same time, none has the idea whether he is honest or not. His peculiar disposition is obvious but none in the village is willing to challenge it. He arrives two hours late for the wedding (he goes missing) but that is ignored and as soon as he arrives he is welcomed by all villagers. They admire him without questioning. Bayardo’s arrival in the village and the unfortunate marriage Bayardo is not the native of the Columbian village and he reaches to the village six months prior to their wedding “looking for someone to marry” (25). Everything about Bayardo, from his bizarre arrival to his unfathomable background and “enchanting” look, triggers an appearance of mystery and the villagers do not realize his “true” identity until his family arrives (by request of Pura Vicario) and his father is acknowledged as General Petronio San Román, a “hero of the civil wars of the past century” (33). Bayardo, who is “swimming in gold” (26), employs his wealth and charm to woo Angela’s family and they encourage the marriage despite the fact that Bayardo’s love is one-sided; Angela regards him as “stuck-up” and “too much of a man”. No one is willing to listen to the pleadings of Angela and Bayardo goes ahead with the preparatory plans to celebrate a prodigal wedding with a budget of about eighteen thousand pesos. The fair occasion is marred on the night of marriage by the discovery that Angela is not a virgin. She is returned to her family forthwith. Bayardo takes this development too much to his heart consumes alcoholic drinks beyond the acceptable limits, becomes unconscious and is rescued by his mother and aunts. This development in the story indicates as to how serious was Bayardo about his marriage, how intensely he is fascinated for Angela. Angela is bowled over by the response of Bayardo, and even she is captivated about his love and loyalty for the Columbian traditions. For the next twenty-seven years she writes to him letters, with no response from him. One day Bayardo returns to the village carrying “a suitcase with clothing in order to stay and another just like it with almost two thousand letters that [Angela] had written him…all unopened” (96). Bayardo, a unique and enigmatic personality: Being born in such a high-class and rich family, why Bayardo should arrive in the village in search of a suitable match is the question that remains unanswered. But he had the ability to manipulate and possessed good public relations and won over the people as per his desires. Bayardo is depicted as a somewhat holy, mystical character. He has the confidence that any girl would fall for his charm, and the initial reluctance of Angela to accept him, baffles him. He liked Angela immensely, was determined to win her over her, at that stage, there was no question of doubting her virginity. When he came to know about the truth related to her virginity, he was a shattered man. Columbian cultural value of machismo is presented through Bayardo. Notwithstanding his arrogance of wealth and love for Angela, when it came to honoring the traditional values, he did not hesitate to take the decision that ruined his life. The ethical treatment of the issue was supported by Angela’s parents as well. Earlier his psychological domination was to win over and after finding out the truth about her virginity his psychological domination was to reject her and he did not show any human consideration to take the decision, even though it grievously affected his social prestige. Preservation of honor of the social tradition was more important to him than anything. Gabriel García Márquez writes “For the immense majority of the people there was only one victim: Bayardo San Román. They took it for granted that the other actors in the tragedy had been fulfilling with dignity, and even with certain grandeur, their part of the destiny that life had assigned them” (83). Bayardo suffered maximum damage to his honor and personality, when he least expected it. Conclusion The cultural values placed a man’s honor paramount to all other considerations in the Columbian society. Bayardo is the principal character but the story does not conclude with the principal character. His story ends at page ninety-five when he reaches out to Angela with all her correspondence, but the story continues for another 25 pages after this episode. That he comes back to Angela definitely indicates his change of heart and any tough individual mellows with the passage of time. Bayardo’s change of heart is believable. Work Cited Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Vintage, 2003; Print . Read More