Unveiling Gabriel García Márquez’s Masterpiece
Published in 1981, Chronicle of a Death Foretold is one of the great works of Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. In general, this novel has the following features:
- Treatment of universal themes: fate, death, honor, isolation, violence, etc.
- Renewal of narrative techniques: different points of view, a rupture of temporal linearity, and so on.
- Integration of the fantastic and the real.
The novel is based on a true story that occurred in the writer’s native country when he was a child. It recounts, in the form of a newspaper report, the murder of Santiago Nasar at the hands of the Vicario twins, who sought to cleanse the honor of their sister and family. The main theme of the novel is tragic. The title refers to the journalistic chronicle genre, as the narrator acts as a journalist.
Novel Structure & Composition
The novel has a circular structure; that is, it begins when the protagonist is already dead and ends when he dies, but the episode of the massacre is not resolved until the end. The novel is composed of 5 chapters, numbered but unnamed, and does not follow a chronological order. The narrator reconstructs the events over time.
Narrator & Perspectives
The events are reconstructed from multiple narrative perspectives: first-person narrator, choral narration, and interior monologue.
The first-person narrator, who reconstructs the story, is a minor character: the author himself, godson of Santiago Nasar’s mother and a distant cousin of the Vicario family. Other characters contribute to the reconstruction of the facts. Firstly, by recounting their attitudes to the judge; secondly, by answering the narrator’s questions as he reconstructs the story.
Narrative Techniques
Time
The narrative unfolds across several timeframes: the day of the crime; the time of the summary made by the judge; some 20 years later, showing the time of the interviews with the participants; and finally, the time the narrator is writing the chronicle, 27 years after the death of Santiago Nasar. The time is circular, mirroring the novel’s structure. One of the most original elements is the compressed timeframe and the use of anachronism. The main events span only a few hours, from 6 AM until shortly after 7 AM.
Space
All events are set in the same place: the village square and its surrounding houses, with some references to other locations. It is a small town along a river. The tropical climate of the area forces characters to rise early to open stores before afternoon naps and to seek refuge from the heat.
Characterization
All the characters are victims of a fatal destiny, such as the Vicario brothers who killed to save their honor.
Santiago Nasar
A male, 21 years old, of great physical attractiveness. He has relationships with women. After his father’s death, he takes charge of his family. He maintains his relationship with the Arab community.
Angela Vicario
Forced to marry against her will because she had been brought up for the purpose of marriage. She is a character who suffers the most. She evolves throughout the chronicle, maturing after what happened. She changes her attitude regarding Bayardo San Román, for whom she discovers her love and passion, writing to him for half a lifetime to get back with her.
Bayardo San Román
An engineer, well-dressed, very attractive. He had money and felt proud that his desires were always met, leading him to marry Angela and buy the Xius house. He ends up older and returns with his wife.