Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez never fails to surprise and astonish his readers with moving tales of different aspects of life. His pen is so strengthened that he always keeps readers’ attention in the grip and never lets it loose and wander here and there. His readers must not have forgotten the magical realism in “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and a romantic story spanning to more then fifty three years in “Love in the Time of Cholera”.

Today we are going to review Marquez’s (1981) novella titled “Chronicle of a death foretold”. The story is not about a murder mystery. Nor does it seek to solve murder or find the real culprits. On the contrary, it tells us how the murder takes place and why it happens. Till end, you will not have to wait for the murder to be committed because it is done in the starting of the novel. So when the murder is committed in the first pages, the question arises then what is the novel about? That seems like a valid question. But only new readers dare and care to ask this question. Readers already aware of the writing style and narrative of Marquez will not think about it.
The story is narrated by an unnamed narrator who returned to his home village after twenty seven years to collect the data for this chronicle from various sources. The story is not written in linear way. It would have seemed more like a tale in this way. The story is written beautifully in a non-linear way which sometimes creates suspense and raises some questions in mind of readers. The curiosity leads reader to read more and more of a novel and finish it in one sitting.
Story of the novella is very simple and quite interesting one. On the night of their wedding, Bayardo San Roman, finds out that his bride Angela Vicario is not virgin. Bayardo feels disgusted and humiliated. He returns his bride on the very first night to her parents. Angela’s mother beats her savagely. Angela’s brother wants to know the name of her perpetrator and she names Santiago Nasar. Santiago is 21, an Arab descent, a wealthy man of society and owner of a cattle ranch.
Angela’s brothers set out to kill Santiago in the name of honour at three o’clock in the morning. Surprisingly, they do not keep it a secret but tell everyone who happens to meet them about their plans. They disclose their plans, motives and place of crime so openly that before day break dozens of people in the town know abut it except Santiago. Perhaps, it seems, they wanted to be stopped. Even then, no one, not even a single soul, strives to intervene or stop the crime despite of having full knowledge of culprits’ plans and motives.
Three hours before the murder takes place, almost dozens of people in the town know that Vicario brothers are going to kill Santiago. Yet nobody comes forward to intervene in and stop the catastrophe. Nor does anyone care to warn the victim. Every one thinks since whole town knows about the coming tragedy, how come victim himself is not aware of it. It seemed impossible to all that Santiago has not been informed or warned beforehand.

As the title suggests the death is foretold. Not only once but countless times. Firstly, the death is foretold in the victim Santiago’s dreams few days before his murder. His mother, despite being an accurate interpreter of dreams, does not see it coming. ‘Nor did Santiago recognize the omen in his dreams.

Some unknown person leaves a letter at Santiago’s home early morning. The letter is left unnoticed. A beggar woman informs his maid but the maid thinks ‘its’ a drunkard’s talk’. Despite of being renowned as an accurate interpreter of dreams, Santiago’s mother do not see any bad omen or augury in her son’s dreams which he tells her preceding his death. “…… at the moment of misfortune a thin drizzle like the one Santiago Nasar had seen in his dream grove was falling.”

Well, there are few things in the novella which are confusing for a reader or do not become clear till end. Firstly, the character of Santiago has been established as a open-hearted, plain and wise man for whom an indecent act of taking virginity of a girl does not seem fit. Then why does Angela names him as her perpetrator? If yes, how, when and where it happened. It is not established. Secondly, during her stay at Riohacha, Angela sees her ex-husband Bayardo San Roman comes back to her. Is it a dream? A thought? Or a truth.

Any way this is one the most interesting story I have come across. So I will recommend this book to every novel lover.

 

Here are few quotes from the novel:

“You always have to take side of the dead”.

“…..there was no public misfortune more shameful for a woman to be jilted in bridal gown”.

“There has never been a death more foretold”.