HONOR IN LATIN AMERICAN SOCIETY

From the Work

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

By Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Focal Points Honor in Relation to

Status and Reputation

Skewed Sense of Honor Compared to Today’s Society

Honor as a Contribution to the Theme of the Novel

Status and Reputation

Bayardo San Roman Bayardo San Roman is the epitome of success and object

of respectability in Latin American Society. What causes him to be so well liked and revered?

1. Wealth- Financial success (whether earned or inherited) was a sign of greatness, and in a sense, anything could be bought.

2. Familial Ties-When Bayardo produced his entire family (especially his storied father), all the town gained a great respectability for San Roman, and the author tells us that “all he [General Petronio San Roman] had to do was appear on the running board for everyone to realize that Bayardo San Roman was going to marry whomever he chose.

Santiago Nasar“I suddenly realized there couldn’t have been a better catch than him. Just imagine: handsome, a man of his word, and with a fortune of his own

at the age of twenty-one.” -Flora Miguel Reasons for respectability:

Personal Characteristics-Nasar had “learned the good arts of valor and prudence” from his father.

Wealth-Santiago Nasar owned the Divine Face, and was one of the richest men in town.

Respectable Positions of Women in the Novel

Placida Linero- “She had a well-earned reputation as an accurate interpreter of other people’s dreams.”

Maria Alejandrina Cervantes- “She was the most elegant and the most tender woman I have ever know, and the most serviceable in bed.” Brothel women in many Latin American countries were considered merciful because they were seen as helpers to the men of the society.

Reputation of the Vicario Brothers

Pedro and Pablo Vicario believed it was their responsibility to restore dignity to the family.

Machismo “I never would have married him if he hadn’t done

what a man should do.” –Prudencia Cotes “We killed him openly, but we’re innocent.” –Pedro

Vicario. The belief that “manly duties” are not subject to the law of men or God.

Skewed Sense of Honor Compared to Today’s Society

Societal View of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes Compared to Religious Figures of the Novel

Maria Alejandrina Cervantes-Religious Imagery “Apostolic Lap” “House of Mercies” “Most Tender and Elegant Woman”

Religious Figures-Negative Diction Bishop’s boat was “snorting like a dragon” “I didn’t want to be blessed by a man who cut off only the

combs for soup and threw the rest of the rooster in the garbage.”-Angela Vicario

“Only a priest could be so dumb.”- Dr. Iguaran “He [the Bishop] is the son of the worst kind of mother.” –

Placida Linero

Analysis of Author’s Comparison

When the Spanish first arrived in the Caribbean in the 15th century, they forced the natives to convert to Catholicism. Outwardly, many natives respected their new religion, but most did not have a deep inward respect for it (after all, it was imposed). Gabriel Garcia Marquez displays many of these feelings through his descriptions of different individuals. The brothel is described as a sacred place, and the priest approves of the murder of Santiago Nasar (he believes they are innocent before God).

Analysis (Continued) Clothes are symbolic of the respect and

honor with which characters view situations and people. When Santiago Nasar goes to meet the bishop, he dresses up and wears excessive clothing. He is masking his respect for religion and the Bishop (it was merely interesting to him). At the brothel, the men and Cervantes do not where clothes, and their true inward feelings toward the brothel are pleasant.

Other Examples of Honor Considered Inappropriate or Strange in Today’s Culture

Stain of Honor Murder as a Means of Retaining Respect Bayardo San Roman Calls Pura Vicario a

Saint, and Pura then begins to beat her daughter mercilessly.

The narrator describes Nasar as retaining his pride by brushing the dirt off his entrails before dying.

Honor as a Contribution to the Theme of the Novel

In Respect to the Plot Without Honor in Latin

American Society, a person is an outcast

The plot of the novel centers around the restoration of respect.

Vicario brothers attempt to regain dignity that Angela lost by marrying a man while not being a Virgin. Killing the perpetrator would restore the family name.

General Respect of Dignity as a Fundamental Moral Trait

Most individuals of the town decided to turn the other cheek and not warn Santiago Nasar because their culture discouraged interference in matters of honor.

This respect encouraged the passivity of the townspeople and allowed for Santiago Nasar to be murdered.

Conclusion Chronicle of a Death

Foretold accurately demonstrates the role of honor in Latin American Society by using it to explain the murder of Santiago Nasar.