Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Book Report/Review Example

They, like many others Santiago will cross in the short time before his death, do not warn him. When the narrator's mother hears the news of what is to happen to Santiago, she immediately sets out to warn Placida Linero that her son is in danger, but is stopped in the street and told that "they've already killed him." The twins even reveal their plans to a policeman who passes on the information to the mayor, yet even that does not stop the murder. On her wedding night, Angela's furious husband returns Angela to her family.

This is seen as violence to her family, especially in the conventions of the time where such an act brings shame to both Angela and her family. As one might expect, she is now put under a lot of pressure to tell her family who it was that took her virginity. (Marquez, p.56) The narrator of the story returns many years later to finally find out the truth, only to end up knowing just as much as he did when the murder occurred. However, he implies that Santiago was in fact, innocent. The suggestion of Angela having lied about who took her virginity to save her own skin is subtly emphasized throughout the novel.

Even if it were Santiago that took her virginity, the naming of Santiago could be seen as an act of violence. The unclear circumstances of Angela losing her virginity keep the reader's interest and curiosity throughout the course of the novel, adding to the mystery and suspense of the novel. Not only do lies and violence occur within the main characters, but also in characters that only appear once in the novel. Here the lies are not necessarily true lies, but things said which are uncertain or not known.

They are holes in the stories of witnesses. Witnesses give different accounts of what happened, for example, someday the weather on the day of the murder was cloudy, and others say that it was fine. This demonstrates how the use of lies can make the novel unclear, contributing to its obscurity. (Marquez, p.23-45) As Santiago runs away from the Vicario brothers he cannot enter his house from the front door. Devina Flor, the housekeeper told Santiago's mother that he has returned home and she locked the front door.

We can never be sure of why she deceived Santiago's mother or what made her believe that Santiago had already returned. This is just another element that adds to the mystery of the novel keeping the reader on his/her toes, always questioning the occurrences of the day Santiago dies.ConclusionInterest and mystery of the novel are increased by the use of lies, deception, and violence. In this novel, the writer used the three above-mentioned things to form the foundation of his plot. The biggest violence in Chronicle of a Death Foretold is the murder of Santiago for honor, in which two innocent young men feel pressured by society to become violent, instead of their own intentions this novel has caused severe violence, resulting in the death of two characters.

As far as the truth is concerned, it is not established till the end and left the reader with many unanswered questions such as: Who took Angela's virginity Did Angela lie or betray Santiago Such questions keep the reading guessing throughout and long after having read the novel.