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right-45402500ContentsWho was Gabriel Garcia Marquez?Page 3NOTES: How has Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s life influenced the writing of a Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Page 4Exploring the different presentations of the narrative through front cover designsPage 5NOTES: What do I know, what can I infer and what questions do I have based upon these book cover designs?Page 6Where is Chronicle of a Death Foretold set?Page 7NOTES: References to Colombia in the novelPage 8‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ Plot SummaryPage 9-10NOTES: Writing the blurbPage 11What influenced Gabriel Garcia Marquez to write ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’?Page 12-15NOTES: Linking the social and historical context to moments in the novelPage 16Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s written style - magical realism.Page 17-18Other literary influencesPage 18NOTES: Examples of magical realism in the novelPage 19How is ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ structured?Page 20Character list and the significance of namesPage 21-26NOTES: Tracing the charactersPage 27-32The EpigraphPage 33-34 Chapter 1 summary and comprehension questionsPage 34-41 Chapter 2 summary and comprehension questionsPage 42-50 Chapter 3 summary and comprehension questionsPage 51-60 Chapter 4 summary and comprehension questionsPage 60-67 Chapter 5 summary and comprehension questionsPage 68-77 Chapter 1 – tracing key themes, killer quotations and passage analysisPages 78-85Chapter 2 – tracing key themes, killer quotations and passage analysisPages 86-91Chapter 3 – tracing key themes, killer quotations and passage analysisPages 92-98Chapter 4 – tracing key themes, killer quotations and passage analysisPages 99-106 Chapter 5 – tracing key themes, killer quotations and passage analysisPages 107-110MotifsPages 111-113Introducing Paper 2Page 114Paper 2 Assessment criterionPage 115Essay planning gridsPages 116-137Wider readingPages 138-15435433000Gabriel Garcia MarquezGabriel Garcia Marquez was born on the 6th March 1927. He grew up in the tiny rural town of Aracataca, Colombia. Garcia Marquez and his parents lived in his maternal grandparents’ large ancestral house. His parents were more or less strangers to him so for the first few years of his life, it was Garcia Marquez’s grandparents who held most influence. His grandfather, Nicolas Marquez, was a colonel who had fought in the War of 1,000 Days: a civil conflict that divided Colombia around the turn of the century. The Colonel was considered a hero by Colombian Liberals and was highly respected. García Márquez described his grandfather as his ‘umbilical cord with history and reality’ and found that his own political and ideological views were shaped by his grandfather's stories. In an interview, García Márquez told his friend Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza, "my grandfather the Colonel was a Liberal. My political ideas probably came from him to begin with because, instead of telling me fairy tales when I was young, he would regale me with horrifying accounts of the last civil war that free-thinkers and anti-clerics waged against the Conservative government." This shaped Garcia Marquez’s socialist and anti-imperialist views which then dominated his literary style. In his early writing, he showed no inhibitions in his criticism of Colombian and foreign politics.Garcia Marquez’s grandfather would occasionally tell his young grandson "You can't imagine how much a dead man weighs" reminding him that there was no greater burden than to have killed a man - a lesson that García Márquez would later integrate into his novels.Equally, Garcia Marquez’s grandmother played an influential role in his upbringing. He was inspired by the way she "treated the extraordinary as something perfectly natural" and filled their house with stories of ghosts, premonitions and omens. He enjoyed his grandmother's unique way of telling stories. No matter how fantastic or improbable her statements, she always delivered them as if they were the irrefutable truth. It was a deadpan style that influenced Garcia Marquez’s style in his later novels.Marquez received a top-notch education, eventually graduating from law school. He became a journalist, reporting for various newspapers as a foreign correspondent. The work took him all over the world. Garcia Marquez lived in Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Bogota, Caracas, New York City, and Mexico City. Alongside his journalistic efforts, Garcia Marquez wrote a handful of short stories and three novels, but it wasn’t until 1967 – with the publication of his masterpiece - 100 Years of Solitude – that his fiction won widespread literary acclaim. That novel, a multi-generational epic that crams the entire history of Latin America into the story of Macondo, a small, fictional town, was an instant success, and inaugurated a veritable literary boom in Latin America. (This boom included authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Carlos Fuentes, Isabel Allende, and Roberto Bolano). After 1967 Marquez turned most of his attention to fiction writing. He went on to publish seven novels – including Autumn of the Patriarch (1875), Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1982) and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985) – two short story collections, and seven non-fiction books. During this latter half of his life he lived in Spain, Mexico City, Paris and Havana. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. After publishing Chronicle Of A Death Foretold, Marquez was sued by Miguel Reyes Palencia, on whom Marquez had based the character of Bayardo San Roman. Palencia alleged that Marquez had unlawfully misappropriated Palencia’s life. The legal dispute lasted 17 years, with a Colombian court eventually ruling in Marquez’s favour.Gabriel Garcia Marquez died on the 17th April 2014.-402771-41365700260985383540Having read about Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s life, your task is to identify moments in ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ that have clearly been influenced by his life experiences.020000Having read about Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s life, your task is to identify moments in ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ that have clearly been influenced by his life experiences.Chronicle of a Death Foretold – analysing the front coversright-43497500Look at the different book covers for Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Using these book covers, consider what we can establish about the narrative (rooted in fact), what we can infer and make a note of any questions you may have.What do I know?What can I infer?What questions do I have?Where is ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ set?Marquez was born in Cartagena and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, we believe, is set in Colombia. There are several details in the narrative that allude to it being set in Colombia.Garcia Marquez was born in Cartagena.Garcia Marquez based the story on a real life event which took place in Sucre.We know the story takes place near a ricer as Marquez writes about the Bishop’s boat coming through the town. This is likely to be the Rancheria River.The twins were sent to prison in Riohacha in the La Guajira department.The indigenous people are the Wayuu people. They speak the language Wayuunaiki. They are known as the people of wind, water and sand because of the way they use the elements for survival. In 1533, Pedro de Heredia, under contract to Queen Joanna of Castile (Spain) entered the Bay of Cartagena with three ships, 150 men and 22 horses. After the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish were searching for new lands and for gold. De Heredia claimed victory in the area, after finding the village of Calamari abandoned leading to a constant state of conflict between the Wayuu people and the Spanish (1701, 1741, 1757, 1761 and 1768). Cartagena was founded shortly after. King Phillip II gave Cartagena the title of ‘city’ in 1574, adding ‘most noble and loyal’ in 1575.From this point onwards, Cartagena became a major port for trade. It was the main port for trade between Spain and its overseas empire and a key port for the export of Peruvian silver to Spain and for the import of enslaved Africans during the colonial era.Among the first settlers to arrive in South America were former Muslims who had been required to convert to Christianity, despite trying to hold on to some of the good number of traditions inherited from their Arab forefathers. A hundred years after their conversion, they were still not accepted as true Christians. However, at the start of the 19th century, the first immigrants from Syria arrived. These immigrants again used the coastal rivers to trade. With hard work, the immigrants prospered and eventually opened their own businesses in Colombia’s Caribbean coastal towns. Those who settled in villages were respected. However, those in the cities were still looked upon unfavourably by locals. Due to their work-filled lives, the Arabic tongue was lost to the Colombian-born generations. The Church was all-powerful and every inhabitant had to fit into the narrow view of the Spanish-Catholic world of that time.References:Salloum, H. ‘Arabs Making Their Mark in Latin America: Generations of Immigrants in Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico’. Available here: have learnt that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is from Colombia and that the novel is also, we think, set in Colombia. As you read, identify examples where Colombia is made explicit reference to.020000We have learnt that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is from Colombia and that the novel is also, we think, set in Colombia. As you read, identify examples where Colombia is made explicit reference to.Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia MarquezPlot summary (taken from LitCharts)In a small town, on the northern coast of Colombia, on the morning after the biggest wedding the town has every seen, Santiago Nasar, a local man and mostly upstanding citizen, is brutally murdered outside his own front door. The culprits are Pablo and Pedro Vicario, twins and older brothers to the bride, Angela Vicario. Just hours before the murder, it is discovered that Angela, the bride, is not a virgin and, after questioning, offers up the name of Santiago Nasar as the man who deflowered her. To defend their sister’s honour and the honour of the family, the twins resolve to kill him. They go about town announcing their intentions to all who will listen. Some of the townspeople try to prevent the murder but fail, others are too frightened to do so, and some want to see Santiago dead. Most people simply don’t take the threat seriously – until it is too late.The murder is now decades into the past. The Narrator, an old friend of Santiago’s and a distant relative of the Vicario family, has returned to the town to make sense of it all. He collects the testimonials of eyewitnesses and other townsfolk in the hope of recreating a clear picture of the events that led up to the murder. The chronicle he presents does not, in fact, unfold in chronological order. Instead, the Narrator leaps between the events of the murder, the events that led up to it, and the years that followed.The Narrator begins by describing Santiago’s last few hours alive. He awakes early on the morning of his murder because the Bishop is visiting the town, and Santiago, along with many of the townspeople, want to receive him. He is apparently oblivious to the imminent danger he is in even though he encounters a number of people – including his cook and her daughter – who have heard the Vicario twins are out to kill him. None of these people warn him. The Bishop passes by on the river without stopping. As Santiago makes his way home, the Vicario twins pursue him and stab him to death at his front door.However, before he explains the murder in detail, the Narrator recounts how Angela and Bayardo met and came to be married. Bayardo is an outsider to the community; he appears out of nowhere one day, delivered on a boat travelling upriver. He is dashing, charming and extremely ostentatious with his money, of which he clearly has a lot. He spies Angela Vicario, a young woman from a poor, extremely conservative family, and immediately announces his intentions to marry her. After some trepidation, the Vicario family accept his proposal. They accept more or less on behalf of Angela, who has no say in the matter and does not love Bayardo. Little does her family know that despite her strict, Catholic upbringing Angela is not a virgin. The wedding day comes, and Bayardo, who funds the whole thing, pulls out all the stops. The entire town descends into the most raucous, debauched party anyone has ever seen. Santiago and the Narrator both attend. As the party blazes on into the night, Bayardo takes Angela off to their new house, where he discovers she is not a virgin. Enraged, he returns her to her parents in the early hours of the morning. Angela’s mother, Purisima del Carmen, beats her savagely, and calls her brothers, who are still out partying, back to the house. They interrogate her, and she tells them that Santiago Nasar took her virginity.Pedro and Pablo Vicario resolve to kill Santiago in order to defend the honour of their family. They take the two best knives from their pigsty and bring them to the local meat market, where they proceed to sharpen them in full view of all the butchers setting up shop. They announce to everyone that they are going to kill Santiago. However, the butchers mostly ignore them, thinking they are drunk. From the meat market, the twins go to Clotilde Armenta’s milk shop to keep watch over Santiago’s house which is across the street. They announce their intentions to everyone in the shop, including Clotilde. Almost no one takes them seriously, but when Colonel Lazaro Aponte hears of their plan, he confiscates their knives. The twins simply retrieve new knives and return to Clotilde’s store. They wait for a light to come on in Santiago’s room, but this never happens. The Narrator explains that Santiago returned home and fell asleep without turning on the light.The Narrator leaps ahead to the days following Santiago’s murder. He explains in gruesome detail the autopsy haphazardly performed on Santiago’s body. He recounts how the Vicario twins were arrested and awaited trial for three years, unable to afford bail, before finally being found innocent based on the ‘thesis of homicide in legitimate defence of honour.’ The Vicario family left town, while Bayardo was dragged off by his family in a drunken, half-dead stupor. The Narrator lingers longest on Angela Vicario. He explains that, after Bayardo rejected her, she found herself falling deeply and mysteriously in love with him. For years, living her life as a seamstress, she wrote to him nearly every day. Her letters went unanswered until, finally, Bayardo, old and fat, showed up at her doorstep. The Narrator completes his story with a full description of the murder. He explains his belief that Santiago had nothing to do with Angela, despite her insistence that he took her virginity, and so never understood his own death. After watching the Bishop pass, Santiago ran into his friend Cristo Bedoya, with whom he chatted for a while. The two parted ways and a friend informed Cristo Bedoya of the threats being made against Santiago’s life. Cristo ran off in search of Santiago but could not find him. The Narrator explains that Santiago ducked into his fiancée Flora Miguel’s house. There, Flora’s father, Nahir, explained to Santiago the danger he was in. Santiago ran into the main square, where a crowd had gathered. Confused, Santiago ran in circles until he found his way to the front door, pursued by the Vicario twins. Santiago’s mother, Placida Linero, thinking her son is already inside the house, locked the door. The Vicario twins trapped Santiago at the locked door and stabbed him multiple times before running off. Santiago stumbled through the neighbour’s house to get to his back door, walked into his kitchen, and fell dead on the floor.1524002030095Having read the plot summary and the novel, write the blurb for the back of the book. You are not allowed to use more than 75 words.00Having read the plot summary and the novel, write the blurb for the back of the book. You are not allowed to use more than 75 words.3536950308610What influenced Gabriel Garcia Marquez to write his novel ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’?The death of Cayetano Gentile ChimentoCayetano Gentile Chimento, 22, was the son of successful Italian immigrants who were the richest family in Sucre. He loved falconry. At the time of his death, he was studying medicine. On the 22nd January 1951, he was murdered. He was murdered by two brothers: Jose Joachim and Victor Manuel Chica Salas.The brothers alleged that Cayetano Gentile Chimento had deflowered their sister, Margarita Chica, before her marriage to another man. The man, Miguel Reyes Palencia, had returned the sister to her parents after discovering on their wedding night, that she was not a virgin.He was murdered in the open square in front of a huge audience. At the time, this was considered ‘normal’ practice – rich Columbians would often murder individuals in public as a way of showing off their wealth and status and the freedom this would often bring.Gabriel Garcia was in college (studying journalism) during this event and was significantly impacted, inspired and intrigued to write about the murder in an article. It wasn’t only the murder that fascinated him but the idea of collective responsibility. However, he didn’t write the story for a while. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s mother asked him not to write about the event as Gentile’s mother was a close family friend and godmother to his brother. She thought it would be inappropriate. Gabriel Garcia Marquez respected her wishes and only wrote about the event after the death of Julieta Cayetano, Gentile’s mother.Despite this, Miguel Reves Palencia attempted to sue Gabriel Garcia Marquez for a share of the royalties of Chronicle.What influenced Gabriel Garcia Marquez to write his novel ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’?The influences of his grandfather and grandmotherAs a child, Gabriel Garcia Marquez lived with his grandparents. He described both as great ‘storytellers’. His grandmother inspired him by the way in which she ‘treated the extraordinary as something perfectly natural.’ He described his childhood home as being filled with stories of ghosts, premonitions and omens and was said to enjoy his grandmother’s unique way of telling stories. This was because he felt that no matter how fantastic or improbable her statements, she always delivered them as if they were the irrefutable truth. This style would become something that greatly influenced Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s own style.In a similar vein, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s grandfather was also an excellent storyteller with Marquez describing him as ‘his umbilical cord with history and reality.’ In interviews, Garcia Marquez would state that ‘my political ideas probably came from him to begin with because, instead of telling me fairy tales when I was young, he would regale me with horrifying accounts of the last civil war that free thinkers and anti-clerics waged against the Conservative government.’ These ideas would shape his writing stance and influence his writing in opposing the Colombian literary right15240status quo with stories that would convey his socialist and anti-imperialist views.Finally, Gabriel Garcia Marquez would remember fervently one thing his grandfather told him – ‘You can’t imagine how much a dead man weighs’. This would remind him that there was no greater burden than to have killed a man, a lesson that Garcia Marquez would integrate into his novels.What influenced Gabriel Garcia Marquez to write his novel ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’?1000 Days WarAs we have read, Garcia Marquez’s political stance was influenced by his grandfather who was both a Colonel and a Liberal. This was significant during the period called the Thousand Day War which occurred between 1899 and 1902. The war was between the Liberals and the Conservatives who had been disagreeing since the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1831. Although the Conservatives won, the disagreements continued. In total, 100,000 Colombians died during the war.What did it mean to be a Liberal?Being liberal (on a general scale) means being free and having personal / equal rights. A person who is liberal is someone who is free to new ideas and open to progress. They tend to be independent and don’t feel the need to control others. They also tend to be optimistic.What did it mean to be a Conservative?Being conservative (on a general scale) means being quite traditional and being keen to avoid sudden, rapid and significant change. Instead, conservatives tend to value principles, actions and habits rooted in tradition. They also believe in individual responsibility.The Conservatives wanted a strong central government and strong links between the church and state. They wanted to limit peoples’ voting rights. The Liberals, however, favoured stronger regional governments, universal voting rights and a division between church and state.As a Liberal, Garcia Marquez’s grandfather was highly respected and considered a hero by Colombian Liberals. Garcia Marquez grew up as a Liberal and would embed the liberal ideologies into his writing.What influenced Gabriel Garcia Marquez to write his novel ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’?Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Journalist careerGabriel Garcia Marquez enjoyed writing and published his first story while in college and continued to write whilst studying law at the National University of Colombia.After the turmoil of 1948 (in the period known as La Violencia), Gabriel Garcia Marquez moved to Cartagena where he worked first as an editor and then as a reporter of “El Universal.” At the end of 1949, he moved to Barranquilla to work as a columnist and reporter in El Heraldo, at the invitation of Alvaro Mutis. In 1954, Garcia Marquez returned to Bogota, working at El Espectador as a reporter and film critic.After writing an article that stoked the wrath of military dictator Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, Garcia Marquez moved to Europe, spending several right76835‘I’m fascinated by the relationship with literature and journalism. I began my career as a journalist in Colombia, and a reporter is something I’ve never stopped being. Journalism helped maintain contact with reality, which is essential to literature.’Gabriel Garcia Marquez00‘I’m fascinated by the relationship with literature and journalism. I began my career as a journalist in Colombia, and a reporter is something I’ve never stopped being. Journalism helped maintain contact with reality, which is essential to literature.’Gabriel Garcia Marquezmonths in Rome as a correspondent in the -2794043497500city, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s styleHis journalistic styleAs a journalist, Gabriel Garcia Marquez was taught to adhere to journalistic practices which included:Creating the 5WsAttributing information either directly or indirectly to a wealth of sourcesProviding meticulous detailJournalistic principle 1: Creating the 5WsA common known features of journalistic writing is to address the 5Ws in the opening paragraph: Who? What? Where? When? How? And Why?This device is employed in Chronicle of a Death Foretold when Garcia Marquez writes the opening line:On the day they were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirty to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on.The opening sentence answers many of the 5Wa. Yet it does not answer the WHY. This generates interest and entices the reader to carry on reading so that they can discover the underlying cause / motive for the murder.Journalistic principle 2: Attributing information either directly or indirectly to a wealth of sources.When writing a newspaper article, journalists will speak to key witnesses to ascertain as much about an event as possible. They will be able to draw upon a variety of sources as a result to record, what they believe, to be a fairly accurate representation of events. It is argued that the incorporation of these eyewitness accounts leads to a more believable account of events with the argument that ‘if you say that there are elephants flying in the sky, people are not going to believe you. But if you say that there are four hundred and twenty-five elephants in the sky, people will probably believe you.’In the presentation of Santiago’s death, much of the narrative is focused on investigating the events that led up to his murder.The narrative of a Chronicle of a Death Foretold is pieced together using thirty-seven separate witnesses. Garcia Marquez, through his narrator, is trying to piece together society’s interpretation of events.In an interview with Magazine Litteraire in November 1981, Garcia Marquez describes the sources he interviewed who would supply the framework for his novel.For example,He visited the real-life couple who had reunited in Manaure.The priest, Garcia Marquez interviewed in order to write the novel. He admits during the interview that the autopsy was in fact ‘a massacre…half of the cranium had been destroyed by the trepanation.’3566795627380“In every book I try to make a different path [...]. One doesn't choose the style. You can investigate and try to discover what the best style would be for a theme. But the style is determined by the subject, by the mood of the times. If you try to use something that is not suitable, it just won't work. Then the critics build theories around that and they see things I hadn't seen. I only respond to our way of life, the life of the Caribbean.”Gabriel Garcia Marquez: an interview with Marlise Simons00“In every book I try to make a different path [...]. One doesn't choose the style. You can investigate and try to discover what the best style would be for a theme. But the style is determined by the subject, by the mood of the times. If you try to use something that is not suitable, it just won't work. Then the critics build theories around that and they see things I hadn't seen. I only respond to our way of life, the life of the Caribbean.”Gabriel Garcia Marquez: an interview with Marlise SimonsThe chronicler (narrator) either directly or indirectly attributes nearly every nugget of information he reports to the witnesses he has interviewed. On any given page, the narrator quotes a source and the witnesses’ account, followed by ‘he said’, ‘he told me’, ‘according to’, making the accounts credible.For example: Pedros Vicario tells the narrator ‘I was awake for eleven months’ and the narrator adds ‘And I knew him well enough to know that it was true.’The journalist / narrator knows he must use identifiable sources whose accounts can be reviewed or corroborated by other witnesses. For the most part, he also refrains from interjecting personal commentary either to dismiss or promote sources. Quoting sources, without this personal commentary and by presenting more than one version of the story, aims to give the appearance of objectivity, accuracy and neutrality.Journalistic principle 3: Providing meticulous detailThe narrator’s use of detail reinforces his careful, meticulous, ‘observer’ role and further strengthens his credibility as a reporter. The journalistic style is combined with a literary style in which his writing is embellished with metaphors and similes and is replete with a wealth of adjectives and other parts of speech. This isn’t always a style that complements the journalistic style. Examples of where Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses meticulous detail:E.g. With respect to the weather on the morning of Nasar’s murder, the narrator discovers: ‘Many people coincided in recalling that it was a radiant morning with a sea breeze. But most agreed that the weather was funereal.’ The author includes conflicting versions of the state of the weather. Prior to Santiago Nasar’s death, the 20 year old kept a collection of guns. But they are not simply guns: they are a ‘Mannlicher Schoenauer, a 30-06 rifle, a 300 Holland and Holland Magnum rifle and a .22 hornet.’left-42672000-274320364490We have now learnt that Chronicle of a Death Foretold was influenced by many different factors. Use the chart below to find evidence that links the novel to these different influences.020000We have now learnt that Chronicle of a Death Foretold was influenced by many different factors. Use the chart below to find evidence that links the novel to these different influences.The death of Cayetano Gentile ChimentoThe influence of Gabriel’s grandfather and grandmotherThe 1000 Day WarGabriel Garcia Marquez’s journalistic careerThe journalistic styleGabriel Garcia Marquez’s style: Magical RealismAs we have read, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s grandmother was a great storyteller whose stories were filled with ghosts, premonitions and omens.This, arguably, had an influence of Marquez’s writing style as his name became synonymous with magical realism. Although we think of magic and reality as binary oppositions, with reality being more important than magic, the term magical realism was coined as a writing style that denies that the real is more important than the magical and, instead, attempts to combine these two opposite things. It works to combine the idea of a world that is rational, logical, chronological, orderly and controlled with the idea of a world that has supernatural, mythical, magical or inexplicable elements in it.Magic Realism differs from pure fantasy, e.g. Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, because it is set in the normal modern world; there are no orcs, dragons or wizards. Instead of a completely unrealistic world we are given a gentle fusion of magic and reality that cannot be reduced to a simply logical account of things. Examples of magic realism in writing would be ‘the most beautiful girl in the world’, ‘a rain of flowers’, or the idea that ‘it rained for four years’. Magic Realism was primarily developed in Latin America. This may be because Latin American cultures have been influenced both by the logical western culture of the conquistadors and the more supernatural, magical culture of the native Mayan, Aztec or Incan Indians. As such both of these elements appear in their writing. Gabriel Garcia Marquez insists, however, that he never introduced magical elements into his fictions, rather, he wanted his fictions to remain faithful to life.Therefore, he uses magical realism in the novel to show how the characters interpret a different reality to prevent them from feeling guilty and disassociate themselves from the reality of Santiago Nasar’s death.The use of magical realism within a piece of writing was often seen, by Latin American authors, as a form of political subversion because it allowed authors to show an alternative to an accepted reality.Magical realism should contain the following elements:Situations and events that defy logicMyths and legends – much of the strangeness in magic realism derives from folklore, religious parables, allegories and superstitionsHistoric context and societal concerns – real world political events and social movements entwine with fantasy to explore issues of human failingsDistorted time and sequence – characters may move backward, leap forward or zigzag between the past and the future. Sudden shifts in narrative and the omnipresence of ghosts and premonitions leave the reader with the sense that events cycle through an endless loop.Real world settings – magic in magic realism has deep roots in the real. Ordinary people living in recognisable places.Matter-of-fact tone – bizarre events described in an offhand manner with a dispassionate narrative voice.The mixing of opposites – inside and out, rural and urban, Western and local, different racesThe use of multiple perspectives –and therefore a lack of clarity about the accuracy of events and the credibility of views expressed by the charactersCarnivals / celebrations – affirming the beauty and vibrancy of life.Marquez uses magical realism to blend reality and fantasy so that the distinction between the two erases and he does this through the use of a fragmented style, dreams, descriptions and fate.Specific examples of magical realism in Chronicle of a Death ForetoldSantiago Nasar pointed to an intermittent light at sea and told us that it was the soul in torment of a slave ship with a cargo of blacks from Senegal across from the main harbour mouth at Cartagena de Indias.‘Things had been disappearing little by little…’‘But one night it occurred to him to hold a spiritual séance in order to clear up the mystery, and the soul of Yolanda Xius confirmed in her own handwriting that it was in fact she who was recovering knickknacks of her happiness for her house death.’She had a well-earned reputation as an interpreter of other people’s dreams, provided they were told before eating, but she hadn’t noticed any ominous augury in those two dreams of her son’s on the morning preceding his death. (Placida’s ability to interpret dreams as fact).‘On the day they were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirty in the morning to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on’ (Chapters begin and end talking about Santiago’s death. The entire book also begins and ends with Santiago’s death – cyclical structure).‘It was as if we had killed him all over again after he was dead.’‘Santiago Nasar had an almost magical talent for disguises, and his favourite sport was to confuse the identities of the mulatto girls.’‘So we took the musicians with us for a round of serenades, and we continued the party on our own, while the Vicario twins were waiting for Santiago Nasar to kill him.’Other literary influencesThe stories and novels of German author Franz Kafka convinced Marquez to abandon poetry in favour of fiction. In addition, Santiago Nasar’s utter helplessness in the face of a fate decided by arbitrary logic – and his obliviousness to the nature of the crime he is said to have committed – is similar to the situation in which Josef K, the protagonist of Kafka’s famous novel ‘The Trial’ (1925) finds himself.Marquez was greatly influenced by Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier, who some consider the first person to write ‘magical realism’. (Carpenter coined the term). One of his best known works, ‘Journey Back to the Source’ (1944), tells the life story of a man in reverse chronological order, beginning with his death and ending with his birth. Mirrored in COADF with the announcement of the coming death of the main character.Postmodern detective novels – novels that borrow from the conventions of detective fiction in order to subvert them – 20th century. Examples include Jorge Luis Borges’ story ‘Deat and the Compass’ (1942), Umberto Eco’s ‘The Name of the Rose’ (1980) and Roberto Bolano’s 2666 (2004). Marquez’s own 100 Years of Solitude (1967) has some bearing on COADF – take place in the same universe: in Chronicle the narrator fleetingly mentions one Colonel Aureliano Buendia, a legendary guerrilla fighter and an opponent of Bayardo San Roman’s father. (A central character in 100 years).Santiago Nasar’s fated murder has the quality of an ancient Greek tragedy. Aristotle’s principles of tragedy imply that a character from a particularly higher class who, due to his hamartia or character flaws, ultimately suffers a cruel fate.right-44196000center351155Starting with Chapter One, make notes where Garcia Marquez draws upon magical realism in his writing.020000Starting with Chapter One, make notes where Garcia Marquez draws upon magical realism in his writing.How is Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ structured?The title ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ makes use of the noun ‘chronicle’ which is defined as ‘a chronological record of events’. However, whilst the novel begins with a straightforward, logical recount, we soon find ourselves, as readers jumping twenty-seven years forward. Therefore, we have an anachronistic movement of the narrative account. An anachronistic movement is something that is presented to us out of chronological order.What is the timeframe for the story in ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold?’center1714500CharactersCharacter listSantiago and his familyWho is Santiago Nasar?Santiago is the protagonist and the hapless victim of a brutal murder. He is the child of a ‘marriage of convenience’ between Placida Linero, a local woman and Ibrahim Nasar, an Arab immigrant turned rancher. Santiago’s family is wealthy by the town’s standards and are fairly respected. Despite this, his ethnicity draws some suspicion from conservative townsfolk. He is an unrepentant womaniser. Santiago raises livestock, rides horses, owns many firearms and enjoys falconry. Although not overtly religious, Santiago enjoys the pomp of a Catholic ritual. There is no real evidence to support he had anything to do with Angela Vicario and so his involvement remains a mystery.What is the significance of Santiago’s name?The name Santiago means ‘saint’. Nasar is a Semitic name and even though he is Arabic, his name suggests a mid-eastern origin. Like Jesus, since he is not thought of as a native Colombian, he is considered somewhat of an outcast. In addition, Santiago’s death is foretold, just as Jesus foretold his own death. Most importantly, Santiago is an innocent victim killed not because he had sexual relations with a young girl, but because he was an outsider and therefore an easy target. Finally, like Jesus, the town sanctions his death because someone has to be the scapegoat and take the blame for Angela Vicario’s loss of virginity. Thus Santiago becomes what is known in literature as a Christ-figure.Nasar comes from Nazareth and is a direct representation of Jesus Christ. There are many links between Santiago and Jesus. For example, both are judged by civil and religious authorities with the townspeople deciding the faith of both. The townspeople did not stop the brothers from killing Santiago and the townspeople chose to crucify Jesus. Santiago dies upon a wooden door and Jesus dies upon a wooden cross. Neither resisted in their deaths, with Jesus dying to save the good of mankind and Santiago dying to restore the honour of the Vicarios. Both were killed publicly. Santiago is just a victim, however his name means Saint. The seven deadly sins – ‘seven of the many wounds were fatal.’****************************************************Who is Placida Linero?Placida Linero is Santiago’s mother and claims to have the gift of foresight. She is a skilled interpreter of dreams but doesn’t foresee Santiago’s murder. After his death, she is left completely bereft.What is the significance of Placida’s name?Placida seems to be the physical representation of magical realism creating a fusion of cultural views, Latin passion and mysticism and Western science.****************************************************Who is Ibrahim Nasar?Ibrahim Nasar is Santiago’s late father. He is an Arab immigrant and a fairly successful rancher. Ibrahim taught Santiago to raise livestock, use firearms and train falcons. Ibrahim died suddenly when Santiago was younger.What is the significance of Ibrahim Nasar’s name?Ibrahim Nasar is the Arabic name of the prophet and patriarch Abraham. He was God’s messenger. Santiago’s friendsWho is Cristo Bedoya?Cristo Bedoya is Santiago’s best friend. He is a medical student. On the morning of the murder, Santiago is with Cristo Bedoya but doesn’t learn of the plan until after. Who is the Narrator?The narrator is a good friend of Santiago Nasar and is in love with Maria Alejendrina Cervantes but marries Mercedes Barcha. He is a local who remains haunted by the crime even though he didn’t witness it. The narrator is interested in why the townspeople failed to prevent the crime.The narrator’s familyWho is Nahir Miguel?Nahir Miguel is Flora Miguel’s father and is regarded as a wise man of the local Arab community.What is the significance of Nahir Miguel’s name?Nahir means ‘clear’ and ‘bright’ and Miguel means ‘who is like god’.****************************************************Who is the narrator’s mother?The narrator’s mother is godmother to and relative of Angela. She attempts to warn Santiago’s mother about murder but fails to reach her in time.****************************************************Who is Mercedes Barcha?Mercedes Barcha is the narrator’s wife. She is just a young girl at the time of the murder.****************************************************Who is Flora Miguel?Flora Miguel is the narrator’s sister and daughter of Nahir Miguel, who is a wise man in the local Arab community. She is Santiago’s fiancée and was the one to finally warn Santiago that Pablo and Pedro Vicario are out to kill him.What is the significance of Flora Miguel’s name?Flora means flower in Latin. Flora’s flower is certainly no longer in bloom and is more like a dried and preserved specimen. Miguel means ‘he who resembles God.’****************************************************Who is Margot?Margot is the narrator’s sister. She has a crush on Santiago Nasar and invites him over for breakfast on the morning of the murder, not yet knowing that he will soon be killed.What is the significance of Margot’s name?Margot means pearl.****************************************************Who is Luis Enrique?Luis Enrique is the narrator’s brother.Who is Jamie?Jamie is the narrator’s younger brother.Santiago’s householdWho is Victoria Guzman?Victoria Guzman is a cook for the Nasar household. Ibrahim seduced her when she was young and she is determined to keep her daughter, Divina Flor, from being seduced by Santiago Nasar. She knows about the intentions to murder Santiago but doesn’t warn him.What is the significance of Victoria Guzman’s name?Victoria means victory. Guzman stands for noble, lord or cadet who has served the military.Who is Divina Flor?Divina Flor is Victoria Guzman’s daughter and is an adolescent. She works with her mother but is terrified of Santiago?.What is the significance of Divina Flor’s name?Divina Flor means divine flower.The VicariosWho is Angela Vicario?Angela is the narrator’s distant cousin. She is the youngest daughter of Poncio Vicario, a poor man’s goldsmith, and Purisma del Carmen, a retired school teacher. They live modestly. Angela’s family are conservative and she was brought up to be married. She was trained only in household crafts, such as embroidery and making paper flowers. Angela displays a certain ‘poverty of spirit’ and appears helpless. She dreads the marriage with Bayardo, in part because she fears what Bayardo will do when he discovers that she isn’t a virgin, but mostly because she does not love him in the first place. After the murder, she finds herself strangely fixated by him. Over the decades, she writes thousands of letters to him, and eventually they are reconciled to each other. Angela remains adamant throughout that Santiago Nasar took her virginity.What is the significance of Angela’s name?Angela means Angel, which is a messenger of God. This is ironic because she marks Santiago for death and is seen as impure.****************************************************Who is Purisma del Carmen?Purisma del Carmen is Angela Vicario’s mother. She is a conservative and rigorous in her parenting.What is the significance of Purisma del Carmen’s name?Purisma means pure of song. Carmen is a reference to the Virgin Mary so the name is slightly ironic. For example, beating her daughter for two hours straight is not exactly a pure thing to do.****************************************************Who is Poncio Vicario?Poncio is Angela’s father. He is a retired goldsmith who has gone almost completely blind. He wields very little influence with his family and has little idea what is going on.What is the significance of Poncio Vicario’s name?Poncio refers to Pontious Pilate – Pilate did not encourage the mob to kill Jesus, but he did not stop it either. In a similar way, Poncio did not stop his sons from killing Nasar. Therefore, both men turned a blind eye to the killings. In addition, Poncio is literally blind. He is used to portray the flaws in religion through his actions and his character. ****************************************************Who is Pedro Vicario?Pedro Vicario is the younger of the Vicario twins by six minutes. He is more sentimental than his brother and more authoritarian. He served in the military for a few years, where he picked up a bossy nature and a wicked case of gonorrhoea. He is the first to suggest that they kill Santiago Nasar.Who is Pablo Vicario?Pablo is Pedro’s older brother but behaves like his younger brother and follows his commands. He displays a more imaginative character. Whilst his brother went to war, he remained at home, caring for the family and working as a butcher. Pablo is the one who suggests the brothers persists in their murderous intentions after Colonel Lazaro Aponte takes away their knives.What is the significance of Pedro and Pablo’s names?Pablo – Paul and Pedro – Peter. Paul and Peter are the two main disciples of Jesus. Peter was the first Pope, appointed by Jesus to take his place – the Pope is Jesus’ substitute on Earth and acts vicariously for him. Peter was ignorant and simple but demonstrated great leadership. Pedro is similar in character. Whilst ignorant and simple, he makes important decisions as he is the one who decides to kill Santiago. The name Vicario is a status name for an official who carried out duties on behalf of an absentee office-holder.Bayardo San RomanWho is Bayardo San Roman?Bayardo San Roman is a wealthy outsider to the town. He is dashing and wears only the finest clothes. Although well-mannered, he is impulsive and ostentatious with his money. He is the son of General Petronio San Roman, a hero of ‘civil wars’ that occurred in the past and aren’t explained in depth. Bayardo San Roman is a member of the ruling conservative regime. Whilst his reasons for coming to town remain mysterious, he falls in love with Angela, but after discovering her lack of virginity on their wedding night he returns her to her family and falls into a deep depression. He is, fundamentally, a sad individual. After, he disappears from the town only to return decades later to Angela’s door step.What is the significance of Bayardo’s name?The name Bayardo originates from literature, from the novel Amadis of Gaul where a wizard finds a magical horse in a cave guarded by a dragon. The horse’s name is Bajardo, which translates to ‘bay colour’. Alternatively, Bayardo has also been associated with ‘blindness’. The following quotation is taken from The Canterbury Tales, ‘Though you search afar, you shall never find it. Be you as bold as Bayardo the blind, that blunders forth and perceives no peril.’Other charactersWho is the Visiting Magistrate?Lazaro Aponte invites an unnamed magistrate to investigate the murder. The Magistrate is struck by the number of fatal coincidences that lead to the killing of Santiago Nasar.****************************************************Who is Maria Alejandrina Cervantes?Maria Alejandrina Cervantes is a local woman who owns a brothel. The narrator claims she ‘did away with (his) generation’s virginity.’ Maria is the narrator and Santiago’s first love. The narrator is sleeping in her bed with Santiago is murdered.What is the significance of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’ name?Maria, in French literature from the 12th century, means bitterness. Cervantes means the servant (of the Lord).****************************************************Who is Widower Xius?The widower is an old man who lives in the most beautiful house in town. He reluctantly sells this house to Bayardo San Roman.What is the significance of the name Widower Xius?Xius means Zeus.****************************************************Who is Clotilde Armante?Clotilde is the owner of a milk shop on the main square of the town. This shop is where Pablo and Pedro wait for Santiago to appear.What is the significance of Clotilde Armante’s name?Clothilde meaning famous in battle and Armenta meaning ‘herd(s) applied to cattle and horses.****************************************************Who is Don Rogelio de la Flor?Don Rogelio de la Flor is Clotilde’s husband?The minor charactersGeneral Petronio San Roman is Bayardo’s father is a famous war hero and a veteran of civil wars. He is an important member of the ruling Conservative regime and is extraordinarily wealthy.Alberta Simonds is Bayardo’s mother and is from Curacao. She was once known as the most beautiful woman in the Antilles.Officer Leandro Pornoy is the police officer who first informs the Colonel that Pablo and Pedro are planning to kill Santiago Nasar.Colonel Lazaro Aponte is the Mayor. He tries to stop Pedro and Pablo by confiscating their knives, but the twins return home to get new ones. Dr Dionisio Iguaran is a local doctor who is meant to perform Santiago’s autopsy but is away.Father Carmen Amador is a local priest. He is the first person to whom Pedro and Pablo Vicario confess. He also performs Santiago’s autopsy.Yamil Shaium is an old friend of Ibrahim and a counselor to the Nasar family. He tries to protect Santiago but fails. After the murder, he chases after Pedro and Pablo, leading a group of Arabs after them.Faustino Santos is a local butcher.Hortensia Baute is a local womanPrudencia Cotes is Pablo’s fiancée.Aura Villeros is a local midwife.Meme Loiza is a local woman.Polo Carrillo is the owner of the local electric plantFausta Lopez is Polo Carrillo’s wife.Indalecio Pardo is a good friend to Santiago Nasar. He has the chance to warn Santiago but loses his nerve and says nothing.Escolastica Cisneros is a local woman.Sara Noriega is the owner of a shoe store in the town.Celeste Dangond is a friend of Santiago.Prospera Arango is a local woman.Poncho Lanao is Santiago’s neighbour.Argenida Lanao is Poncho Lanao’s eldest daughter.Wenefrida Marquez is the narrator’s aunt.-320040319678Use these pages to trace the main characters across the novel. Identify three adjectives for each that you think encapsulates their character perfectly (with evidence from the text)020000Use these pages to trace the main characters across the novel. Identify three adjectives for each that you think encapsulates their character perfectly (with evidence from the text)left-41910000Santiago NasarChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:Placida Linero NasarChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:left-44948900Divina FlorChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:Victoria GuzmanChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:right-39560500Angela VicarioChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:Purisma del Carmen VicarioChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:left-59626500Pablo VicarioChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:Pedro VicarioChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:45720-59245500Bayardo San RomanChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:Clotilde ArmentaChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:left-59436000Colonel Lazaro AponteChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:Father Carmen AmadorChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:center-70104000The narratorChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:Cristo BedoyaChapter 1Adjective choice 1:Chapter 2Chapter 3Adjective choice 2:Chapter 4Chapter 5Adjective choice 3:The novel – the epigraphAn epigraph is a saying or a part of a poem, play or book put at the beginning of a piece of writing to give the reader some idea of what the piece is about.‘The hunt for love is a haughty falconry’Gil VicenteThe epigraph originates from a 17-line lyric written by Gil Vicente (1465-1536). Gil Vicente was a great medieval Spanish-Portuguese poet and playwright – know for writing and acting in his own plays. In the poem, the line reads as ‘The pursuit of love is like falconry.’Questions to consider:What do you think the simile ‘The pursuit of love is like falconry’ means?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does Marquez gain from changing the simile to a metaphor?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why do you think Marquez used it as his epigraph?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does it link to the story and its themes?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Here is what one student thinks: The pursuit of falconry seems dangerous and it's generally the process of taming a wild creature. In order to fit the metaphor of falconry to the context of the novel, I feel like love is the creature that one attempts to tame. This brings me back to the idea of l'amor fou or mad love, personifying love as mad and untamed. Angela's short marriage to Bayardo San Roman demonstrates how although Bayardo San Roman went to great lengths to please Angela, her lost virginity stood in the way of his ideal perception of love. The remains of their short-lasting marriage led to Angela's punishment from her mother but an even bigger punishment for Santiago Nasar. Her brothers felt that it was their duty to kill Nasar in order to reclaim Angela's virginity. The root of this murder is really the wild creature of love. Furthermore, as revealed in this chapter, there were so many coincidences which determined Nasar's ultimate murder by the Vicario twins. far do you agree?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 1Summary (taken from Lit Charts)Santiago wakes, unaware of the danger he is in. He is in a cheerful mood and excited to see the Bishop.He had a dream about walking through a grove of trees, but upon waking he feels spattered with bird shit.There are conflicting accounts of the weather.Santiago gets dressed in formal wear and leaves his gun behind. He searches for aspirin and then wakes his mother, Placida Linero to tell her about his dream. His mother says birds are a good omen. The Narrator recalls his own encounter with Placida who he describes as alone, deeply aggrieved and suffering from an ‘eternal headache.’ She mistakes the Narrator for Santiago as he walks through the door.The Narrator returns to the day of Santiago’s death.In Santiago’s house, Victoria Guzman, the cook, and her daughter, Divina Flor, are hard at work. When Divina tries to collect an empty mug, Santiago grabs her arm and tells her must be ‘tamed.’ Victoria waves a knife and tells Santiago to keep his hands off her daughter.The Narrator describes Santiago’s house. Santiago departs from the front door which is unusual as the Bishop is meant to arrive at the docks which is closer to the back door. However, Santiago argues it is because he is dressed up.On his way out he grabs Divina Flor’s ‘whole pussy.’Divina leaves the door unlocked in case of emergency.Both Victoria and Divina know that Santiago is about to die. Victoria thought the warning was just drunkard’s talk. Divina confesses that her mother wanted Santiago to die. Divina says she was too scared to say anything.Pedro and Pablo Vicario, lie in wait in Clotilde Armante’s milk shop. They both clutch a knife. When they see him leave his house, they begin to get up, but Clotilde, who knows their plan, begs them to leave it for later, after the Bishop’s visit. They sit back down.There is a crowd on the dock waiting for the Bishop but he passes by on his steamboat, without stopping, delivering a blessing from afar.Margot, who has a crush on Santiago, invites Santiago to breakfast. He agrees to go but says he must go home first to change his clothes. Margot insists on him coming at once. Santiago waves her off. Margot tells the narrator she had no idea about the murder. The Narrator find this strange as well as the fact Santiago’s mother didn’t know either.Now the Bishop has gone, the townspeople discuss the great news that Angela Vicario, the bride who was married the night before, has been returned to her parents by her husband, after he discovered that she was not a virgin, and that Pablo and Pedro Vicario are out to kill Santiago Nasar, who they allege is responsible for deflowering their sister. Margot overhears the conversation and rushes home.Back home, Margot sees that the Narrator’s mother has set an extra place at breakfast for Santiago. Margot tells her to take it away and begins to explain the terrible news she has heard. Margot’s mother flies into a panic. Hoping to warn Placida Linero, she rushes out into the street. She hears a great commotion and a passer-by tells her it’s too late – Santiago is prehension questions - Chapter OnePage 1What do we learn about Santiago’s fate in the first sentence?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does Santiago dream about?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does Garcia Marquez juxtapose the style of writing from the dream to the moment Santiago Nasar wakes?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 2What had Santiago’s mother failed to recognise in Santiago’s dream?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do we learn about Santiago’s mood on the morning of his murder? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does the simile ‘until he was carved up like a pig an hour later’ affect the tone of writing?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What details of the ‘death’ day do various people disagree about and what does this disagreement indicate?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 3What is the weather doing at the top of page 3 and how does this connect to Santiago’s dream?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do we learn about where the narrator was on the morning of the murder and what does this suggest about his character?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do you think is the significance of the ‘white’ linen in which Santiago dresses himself?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What had Santiago inherited from his father? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One feature of journalistic writing is a sense of realism. How does Garcia Marquez build in realistic details on this page?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What unusual thing did Santiago do before leaving the house?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 4What does Santiago’s mother say about his dream? Why is this ironic?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 5How does the narrator find Santiago’s mother?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What is the significance of the descriptive detail ‘trying to put the broken mirror of memory back together from so many scattered shards’?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Identify three details the narrator shares about Santiago.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 6What had Santiago Nasar learnt from his mother and what had he learnt from his father?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did the death of Santiago’s father affect Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why had Santiago chosen to wear white?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 7What was Victoria Guzman doing and how might this foreshadow what is to come?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How is Divina Flor described?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was her hangover cure?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does Marquez personify the kitchen?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 8What does Santiago say to Divina Flor?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does Victoria Guzman do in response?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do we learn about Victoria’s relationship with Santiago’s father?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What are Victoria Guzman’s feelings towards Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does Santiago react to the disembowelling of the rabbits?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 9Why is Victoria Guzman surprised by Santiago’s reaction?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Identify three details we learn about the house.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 10Identify three further details about the house.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What impression is created of Placida?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Where did the men, who wanted to kill Santiago Nasar, wait?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was unusual about Santiago’s actions that morning?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 11What did the door become known as?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What reason does Placida give for Santiago going out the front door?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who told Victoria about the plans for Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What reasons do they give for not warning him?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 12How does Davina Flor describe Santiago’s hand??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does Santiago treat Davina Flor?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What order did Davina go against?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 13What remained undiscovered at the house until after the murder?? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What event had taken place the previous day? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who owns the milk shop and why is this location significant?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does the owner describe Santiago Nasar?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 14What do we learn about Pablo and Pedro Vicario??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why does Clotilde ask Pablo and Pedro Vicario to wait?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 15How did Pablo and Pedro look at Santiago??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What happens to the Bishop’s visit?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 16Why was Santiago upset aboutQ21111 the Bishop’s visit?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Despite his upset, how does Margot describe him?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 17What evidence is there to suggest the wedding was a grand affair??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who is Santiago engaged to?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why is it suggested Santiago was a good catch?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 18Why did Cristo Bedoya find Margot’s insistence strange??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did Don Lazaro Aponte and Father Carmen Amador doubt the danger Santiago faced?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 19Why did the narrator fin dit strange that his mother didn’t know that Santiago was going to be murdered??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 20What did Margot learn about the wedding the previous day??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 21Why does the narrator’s sister tell the narrator’s mother to put the extra place away??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does the narrator’s mother respond?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 22-23How does the narrator’s mother describe the Vicario brothers?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What is she told?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter TwoSummary (taken from Lit Charts)The Narrator begins by recounting the arrival of Bayardo San Roman, the man who marries Angela Vicario. Bayardo first appears, apparently at random, on a steamboat coming up the river. He is the richest, best-dressed, most dashing man the town has ever seen. He claims to be a track engineer, but remains fundamentally mysterious to the townsfolk. The Narrator, who is in college when Bayardo arrives, hears about him through his mother’s letters, which are filled with praise for the man. When the Narrator returns home for Christmas and finally meets Bayardo face to face, he finds him overly serious, not quite as charming as everyone claims and fundamentally sad.There is some confusion in the public memory about how and when Bayardo San Roman decided he wanted to marry Angela Vicario. Some claim that Bayardo, sitting on the porch of the boarding house where he was staying, saw Angela Vicario with her mother across the square and declared right then and there that he was going to marry her.Others say that Bayardo San Roman first saw Angela Vicario at a charity bazaar. A music box was being raffled off. Bayardo bought all of the raffle tickets, won the music box by default, and later snuck into Angela’s bedroom to leave the music box for her as a gift. Thinking this indecent, Angela’s mother, Purisima del Carmen, sent her sons Pedro and Pablo to return the gift to Bayardo. The twins returned later that night, however, drunk, with Bayardo in tow, and still carrying the music box they were supposed to get rid of.The Narrator describes the Vicario family. They are poor and extremely conservative – the matriarch Purisima del Carmen ‘looks like a nun.’ Angela is the youngest of four daughters, one of whom is dead. When Bayardo first arrives, the Vicario women are ‘still observing a mourning that (is) relaxed in the house but rigorous in the street.’ While Pablo and Pedro Vicario are raised to be men, the daughters are taught to be good wives, trained to embroider, sew and make paper flowers. Angela is the prettiest of the daughters, but she has a ‘poverty of spirit’ that does not bode well for her eligibility. It thus strikes everyone as strange that Bayardo wants to marry her.Still, the Vicario family is excited when Bayardo expresses interest. Pura Vicario (Purisma) is less excited, but agrees to arrange the marriage if Bayardo properly identifies himself. Bayardo does so by producing his entire family. His father, General Petronio San Roman, is a war hero of note. The townspeople recognise him from pictures they’ve seen in the news. The whole family, of course, is filthy rich.After this revelation, it seems that Angela Vicario is the only one left who is apprehensive about the marriage. She doesn’t love Bayardo, and has had no say in the matter. It is a short engagement, however, due to Bayardo’s urgings.Bayardo asks Angela which house in the town she likes best. She answers casually that the old widower Xius’ house is her favourite. Upon hearing this, Bayardo approaches the widower Xius and asks to buy the house along with all its furnishings. Xius says it isn’t for sale; he’s keeping it all if only for the memory of his beloved wife. But Bayardo is persistent, eventually offering him an incredible amount of money – in cash. Xius can’t refuse, and, with his eyes filled with tears of rage, he agrees to seal the house. Dr. Dionisio Iguaran tells the Narrator that the episode was so upsetting for poor Xius that it eventually killed him.Meanwhile, Angela Vicario grows increasingly worried. She shares her secret – that she isn’t a virgin as everyone thinks – with her female friends. They reassure her that most women have had sex by the time they get married, and that their husbands are either too clueless or too mortified to put up a stink about it. In addition, they teach her a few tricks she can employ to fake her virginity, such as using mercurochrome to stain the conjugal sheets. Angela is heartened by their counsel, and calms down a bit about the comic wedding.The wedding ends up being the largest the town has ever seen, thanks mostly to Bayardo’s extravagance. Still, Pura Vicario insists on hosting the reception on the terrace of her own modest house, right by the pigsty where Pablo and Pedro slaughter their hogs. Bayardo’s family, accompanied by many people of note, arrive by boat, bearing lavish gifts. The Narrator, Santiago Nasar, and Cristo Bedoya attend together. Santiago Nasar obsessively tries to calculate the cost of the wedding, and exchanges quips to that effect with Bayardo. Eventually Bayardo and Angela take their leave of the party and head to the widower Xius’ house, but before doing so Bayardo instructs the guests to keep on partying in his absence.Here things get hazy for the Narrator. He remembers only flashes: his sister the nun drunkenly dancing. Dr. Dionisio Iguaran escaping on a boat so as not to be seen by the Bishop the next morning, people tripping over poor old blind Poncio Vicario, the Narrator himself proposing to Mercedes Barcha, an offer she takes him up on fourteen years later. Eventually the Narrator, his brother Luis Enrique, Santiago Nasar and Cristo Bedoya end up at Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’ brothel. Pablo and Pedro Vicario are there as well, and all six of them drink and sing together.Back at the Vicario household, things are much quieter. However, in the middle of the night, Pura Vicario is awakened by a knock on the door. It’s Bayardo San Roman. Angela Vicario is standing beside him, her dress in tatters. To Pura they look like ghosts. Bayardo refuses to enter. He pushes Angela into the house, gives Pura a kiss on the cheek, and thanks her, calling her a ‘saint.’ Surmising what has happened, Pura flies into a rage, and savagely beats Angela. She summons Pedro and Pablo back to the house. Pedro, ever the assertive one, asks Angela who took her virginity. She wastes no time in telling him: it was Santiago prehension questions – Chapter 2Page 24What details in the text suggest Bayardo is rich?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What details in the text suggest Bayardo is attractive?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 25Identify two adjectives used to describe Bayardo by the narrator’s mother.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What reason does Bayardo give for arriving in the town?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What work does Bayardo do and what does he suggest the town needs?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 26Identify two further things we learn about Bayardo.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What reason does Bayardo give for arriving in the town?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What work does Bayardo do and what does he suggest the town needs?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 27Who did Bayardo want to marry?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When the narrator sees / meets Bayardo what impression does he form?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Bayardo come to know of Angela?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 28What is Bayardo determined to do?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What item at the bazaar does Bayardo attempt to get?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 29What did Bayardo do to impress Angela?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was Angela’s response to Bayardo?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Angela’s brothers, Pablo and Pedro, try to return the music box, what happens?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 30What do we learn about Angela’s father?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do we learn about Angela’s mother?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why were the family mourning?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How has the girls been brought up?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 31What clues are there to suggest the daughters were close?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Identify three things we learn about Angela Vicario from the narrator’s description?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 32What does the noun ‘perfidy’ mean?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How do the family respond to Bayardo’s desire to marry Angela?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What rumours were circulating about Bayardo?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 32-33What do we learn about Bayardo’s mother and sisters?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 33What position does Bayardo’s father hold?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did the narrator’s mother refuse to go out and greet him?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does the narrator create the impression that Bayardo’s father is an important man?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 34What does Angela say is lacking from Bayardo at the top of page 34?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why were Angela’s family behind the marriage?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Angela tells her parents that she does not love him, how do they respond?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How long did their engagement last?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Which house does Angela consider the prettiest?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 35Why was the widower Xius reluctant to sell the house and its contents?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does the line ‘He was speaking with his heart in his hand’ mean?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 36What is more important to widower Xius?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How much does Bayardo offer widower Xius?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 37Why did widower Xius die?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why was it assumed that Angela was a virgin?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Angela pray for?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Angela’s friends convince her to go ahead with the marriage? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 38What did Angela’s friends teach her?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does Bayardo think his money can buy?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How is the Bishop used to illustrate the difference between Bayardo and Angela?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 39What gifts did Bayardo and Angela receive?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How is the Vicario’s house described to show its modesty?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 40Where were Angela and Bayardo married? How did they convert this space?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did Angela refuse to get dressed as a bride?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 41What irony is described in relation to Angela wearing a wedding dress?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why is it significant that the narrator remarks that Santiago’s behaviour was not out of the norm?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 42What reaction does Santiago have in relation to the flowers?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How much did Santiago estimate the wedding had cost?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 43How does Bayardo respond to Santiago’s costings of the wedding?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How are the community presented at the wedding?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 44How do we know Poncio Vicario was happy in his circle of oblivion?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At time did the festivities end?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 45Where did the party continue? Who was present at this party?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Angela send for?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 46How does Pura Vicario know from the knock that bad news was on its way?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How are Bayardo and Angela described as they are standing at the door?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does Bayardo do and what does he say to Pura?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 47How did Pura respond to Angela?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________By the point the brothers had returned, what was Angela’s mood?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What can we deduce from the sentence ‘she nailed it to the wall with her well-aimed dart, like a butterfly with no will whose sentence has always been written’?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter ThreeSummary (taken from Lit Charts)The Narrator begins the chapter by explaining that when Pablo and Pedro Vicario were eventually tried for the murder, the court upheld their lawyer’s ‘thesis of homicide in legitimate defence of honour.’ In fact, the twins justified their crime in the same exact way when they turned themselves in to Father Carmen Amador, the local priest, telling him that they ‘killed him openly, but we’re innocent.’While Pedro and Pablo have never demonstrated any remorse for the murder, the Narrator explains that, in reconstructing the facts of the case, it has become clear to him that the twins did everything in their power to have someone stop them. The twins claimed to have first searched for Santiago at Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’ house, but Maria claims she never saw them. Next, they went to Clotilde Armante’s store, across the square from Santiago’s front door, but they must have known – as everyone in town knew – that Santiago never used his front door.The Narrator now picks up where he left off at the last chapter. ‘There had never been a death more foretold,’ he says. Upon hearing Santiago Nasar’s name, the twins take two of their best knives to the meat market, where they proceed to sharpen them. There they encounter Faustino Santos, a butcher, who is confused to find them at the market on a Monday morning – and still wearing their wedding suits at that. The twins calmly explain to him and the other butchers present that they’re going to kill Santiago Nasar. Most of the butches think the twins are simply drunk and babbling, but Faustino is a little worried. He notifies a police officer, Leandro Pornoy.As an aside, the Narrator explains that, in trying to reconstruct the events of that night, he ended up asking a number of butchers if their job perhaps predisposes one to violence. All of them denied this, reminding the Narrator that they never look a steer in the eye when they kill it, avoid eating animals they themselves have butchered, and try not to name their livestock. The Narrator points out that the Vicario twins named their pigs, but one butcher counters by saying that the twins gave their pigs only the names of flowers.The twins wrap their now sharpened knives in rags and continue on to Clotilde Amante’s store, where they plan to sit and keep watch over Santiago Nasar’s front door. Clotilde serves them two bottles of cane liquor, and they tell her that they’re going to kill Santiago Nasar. Clotilde later tells the Narrator that they looked like children. This worries her: children are capable of anything. More than a dozen customers come through the store while the twins are there, and the twins tell every one of them their plan. Eventually, Officer Leandro Pornoy stops by. He is there to get milk for the mayor, Colonel Lazaro Aponte, but naturally he chats with the twins, who confirm their plan.Leandro Pornoy informs Colonel Lazaro Aponte that the Vicario brothers have been talking about killing Santiago Nasar. Aponte doesn’t make much of this news, and doesn’t plan to do anything about it. It isn’t until his wife tells him that Angela Vicario has been returned to her mother that Aponte starts to think the twins might be serious. He goes over to Clotilde Armante’s store, confiscates the twins’ knives, and instructs them to go home. Clotilde is disappointed that he doesn’t detain him, but more for their sake than for Santiago’s. in her view, a horrible duty has fallen to them, a duty from which they must be spared.Pablo and Pedro Vicario leave Clotilde’s store. Clotilde sends the beggar woman to warn Victoria Guzman, and another customer to warn Father Amador. The news is spreading very quickly. Suddenly, the Vicario brothers return to Clotilde’s store, wielding knives once again.The Narrator explains that, back at their home, Pedro and Pablo Vicario had their first disagreement of the morning. Pedro, who had served in the military and was naturally more authoritarian than Pablo, had been the first to suggest that they kill Santiago. But now that their knives had been confiscated, Pedro considered their duty fulfilled and in any case didn’t feel fit to continue; his gonorrhoea was acting up, causing him immense pain. However, Pablo was determined to try again, and managed to convince his brother to go through with the murder. They sharpened a new pair of knives, stopped for coffee with Prudencia Cotes, Pablo’s fiancée (sympathetic to the twins’ cause), and returned to Clotilde’s store.At Clotilde’s store, the Vicario twins borrow Don Rogelio de la Flor’s shaving instruments. Pedro shaves with his knife, while Pablo uses Don Rogelio’s safety razor. The sun hasn’t risen yet. They wait for the light to come on in Santiago’s bedroom, but it never does.The Narrator explains that Santiago didn’t turn his light on when he eventually came home, at four in the morning. Before that he had been at Maria Alejandrina Cervante’s brothel with the Narrator, Cristo Bedoya and Luis Enrique. Later, the four of them had gone out serenading people. They even dropped by the widower Xius’s house and sang beneath the window of the newlywed couple, not knowing that by then Angela had already been returned to her mother.Afterwards, the four friends part ways. Santiago Nasar returns home and immediately falls asleep, just before the beggar woman comes to warn Victoria Guzman of the impending murder. The Narrator returns to Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’ bed. Luis Enrique goes to Clotilde Amarante’s store. There the twins tell him their plan, but he later claims not to remember this. He goes home, falls asleep on the toilet, and doesn’t wake up again until Santiago is prehension questions – Chapter ThreePage 48What verdict did the lawyer arrive at?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Which group of people were chasing Pablo and Pedro Vicario?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 49Why did Pablo and Pedro surrender?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why do Pedro and Pablo plead their innocence?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What evidence is there to suggest the death is violent?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How were the twins’ character described in prison?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does the narrator say about the twins’ will to kill?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 50Where did the twins wait for Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did he not appear in the main square?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does the narrator say about the death at the bottom of the page?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 51What did the Vicario twins retrieve from the bin in the pigsty?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How many witnesses heard everything said?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why was the Vicario twins’ arrival at the meat market unusual and what did Faustino Santos put it down to?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 52What literary technique does Marquez use in the sentence ‘Finally, they made the knives sing on the stone, and Pablo laid his beside the lamp so that the steel sparkled’?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did people not pay attention to the twins?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When the narrator asks whether or not the trade of ‘slaughterer didn’t reveal a soul predisposed to killing a human being’, how do the butchers respond?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 53What did the twins name their hogs after?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who did Faustino Santos report the possible murder to?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What factual details are given about Clotilde’s store to make the account seem more reliable?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 54What did Clotilde sell the Vicario twins and why? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do the twins ask Clotilde?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Clotilde asks if something happened to Santiago, how do they respond?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 55What did Clotilde say the twins looked like and why did this frighten her?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who did Officer Leandro Pornoy tell about the twins’ plan?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 56Why did the Colonel go to see the Vicario twins?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was his initial impression of them?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 57What does the Colonel take from the Vicario twins?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why was Clotilde disappointed with the Colonel?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What reason did Clotilde give for wanting the Colonel to arrest the boys?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What had Clotilde sensed about the boys?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 58How many people had the Vicario brothers told of their plans?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Clotilde try to warn Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 59What did the twins return to the shop with? What details are we given about these items?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was different about the Vicario twins this time, according to Clotilde?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 60How are the twins different from each other?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Pedro return from military service with and how did his brother respond to this?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Which brother made the decision to kill Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 61Who insisted they follow through the task of murdering Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was distracting Pedro?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 62What did Pablo tell Pedro?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Whose house did the twins go to for coffee?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 63What did Prudencia Cote’s mother tell the twins?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does Prudencia say in response to the twins’ intentions?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How long did Prudencia wait for Pablo after the murder?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What comment does Clotilde make about women?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 64What does Clotilde say is the height of machismo?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was the reality?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did the twins not see a light go on in Santiago’s house?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Victoria Guzman find him in the morning?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 65Where had the narrator and Santiago been?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Identify three things we learn about Maria Alejandrina Cervantes from the narrator’s description.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do you think is meant by the narrator’s warning: ‘A falcon who chases a warlike crane can only hope for a life of pain’?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Marica become to Santiago and why did this stop?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 66How is it suggested Maria respects Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Santiago have a talent for?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Santiago suggest they do after serenading with the musicians?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 67What did they do when they got to the farmhouse?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did it not occur to them that the house was empty?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Santiago say about the intermittent light at sea?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 68Why hadn’t Bayardo returned Angela using his car?Why did Santiago refuse breakfast?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who did Santiago walk along the riverbank with?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At what time does Santiago instruct Divina to wake him up?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 69Why did Victoria go to wake Santiago up rather than Divina?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What drink did Pedro offer the narrator’s brother?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does the narrator’s brother respond when he is told that they are going to murder Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 70Despite Clotilde believing that Father Amadour had not got the message, what is learnt years later by the narrator?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 71What was preoccupying Father Amadour’s mind?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What news is delivered to the narrator’s brother as he wakes up?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter FourSummary (taken from Lit Chats)The Narrator jumps forward to the days following Santiago’s murder. Santiago’s body, which is ravaged and quickly decomposing is put on public display in his own living room. Before they can bury him an autopsy must be performed, but Dr Dionisio Aguaran is abroad. Under normal circumstances the duty would then fall to Cristo Bedoya, but he is excused due to his intimate relationship with Santiago. Finally, Father Amador agrees to perform the autopsy.The autopsy, which is clumsily executed, finds that seven of Santiago’s many wounds were fatal. His liver is sliced to pieces, his intestines and lungs and stomach perforated, his pancreas destroyed. In addition, he has minor wounds all over his arms and hands, including ones that look like ‘the stigmata of Christ.’ Father Amador weighs Santiago’s brain, and determines that Santiago was of greater than average intelligence, and had a bright future ahead of him. However, he notes that Santiago also had an enlarged liver – likely the result of poorly treated hepatitis – and would have died in a few years anyway. Dr Dionisio Iguaran, when he finally returns, disagrees with this hypothesis, arguing that Caribbean people have naturally larger livers. When the body is returned to Placida Linero, it is practically in pieces. They have to rush to bury it, because it’s beginning to stink up the house.The Narrator, grieving, finds solace in Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’ bed. He finds her feasting – this is her way of grieving. They begin to have sex, but suddenly Maria pushes him away, saying that he smells like Santiago. The Narrator agrees – everything smells of Santiago that day.It even smells of Santiago in Pablo and Pedro Vicario’s jail cell. They are there awaiting trial, unable to afford bail. The cell is exceedingly comfortable, but the twins are in hell. Pedro’s gonorrhoea is causing him extreme pain, and he can’t bring himself to sleep. Pablo comes down with a ‘pestilential diarrhoea’. They begin to worry that they’ve been poisoned – perhaps by vengeful Arabs (Santiago’s father was an Arab). Colonel Lazaro Aponte goes around interviewing the Arabs living in town. He finds them confused and sad, but not bloodthirsty.The rest of the Vicario family decide to leave town. Pura Vicario wraps Angela’s head in a towel to hide the bruises from her beating and dresses her in a red dress to pre-empt any suspicions that Angela might be in mourning for Santiago. Pura asks Father Amador to confess Pedro and Pablo, but Pedro refuses claiming that the two have not committed a sin. The twins are transferred to a larger prison in Riohacha, where they will await trial for three years. The Narrator inserts a glimpse of their futures after their acquittal. Pablo takes up his father’s profession, working as a goldsmith. Pedro returns to the military, and is eventually killed by Guerillas.Suddenly, everyone in town remembers Bayardo San Roman. Colonel Aponte takes a patrol up to the widower Xius’ house and finds Bayardo in the final stages of alcohol poisoning. His family is summoned back to town. Only his sisters and mother show up, and they all make a huge show of grieving for Bayardo’s misfortune – the Narrator can’t help but think they’re covering up ‘greater shames’. They drag off Bayardo, who seems half dead. Now empty, the widower Xius’ house begins to waste away.The Narrator now focuses on recounting Angela Vicario’s life after the murder. Many years later, the Narrator travels to the backwater town where Angela eventually settled. He finds her older-looking and somewhat pitiful, but ultimately mature and witty. The Narrator probes her, trying to tease out the truth about her relationship with Santiago Nasar – he doesn’t believe they were ever involved – but Angela deflects his questions, saying only that Santiago was the one.She goes on to tell the Narrator that, on her fateful wedding night, she couldn’t bring herself to try the tricks her friends had suggested she use on Bayardo – to do so seemed indecent. Then she recalls that, when her mother started beating her, she found herself thinking of Bayardo. She admits that she continued thinking about him for years, until she happened to see him in a hotel in Riohacha. He didn’t see her. She went crazy for him.She tells the narrator that, after their encounter in the hotel, she began writing letters to Bayardo. He never replied, but Angela found that the more she wrote to him, and the longer he went without replying, the more she went crazy for him. Finally, after seventeen years of not responding, Bayardo shows up on Angela’s doorstep, wearing the same clothes he wore when she first saw him. He is carrying a suitcase with clothing ‘in order to stay’ and has another suitcase full of her letters, all of them prehension questions – Chapter FourPage 72How did Father Amador describe the autopsy?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 73What reason is given to suggest the mayor’s incompetence?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why couldn’t they wait for Dr Dionisio Iguaran to return?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 74What did Placida do with the dogs?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What details are we given about Santiago’s body?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What experience had the priest had in conducting autopsies?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 75Why was the autopsy described as a massacre?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do we learn about the extent of Santiago’s injuries?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 76In cutting Santiago up, what did they discover about his health?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What cause of death was given?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why does the narrator say they had given back a completely different body?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 77What effect did seeing Santiago’s body have on the Colonel?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Where did the narrator find himself?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 78What was Maria’s normal approach to mourning?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why can’t Maria have sex with the narrator?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What remains of Santiago and where?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 79What are Pedro and Pablo Vicario unable to do since the murder?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does the noun ‘lucidity’ mean?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Identify three details provided about the twins’ prison room?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why might the Vicario twins consider the prison room humane?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What are the twins struggling to get rid of?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 80What was Pedro suffering from in prison?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How long did Pedro say he was awake for?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did Pedro and Pablo think the Turks had played a trick on them?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 81Where were Pablo and Pedro transferred to?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why were the twins fearful?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Identify five things we learn about the Arabs from the narrator’s description?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 82Why was it inconceivable that the Arabs would seek revenge?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who did the twins not suspect?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did the Colonel find when he visited the families?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Susana suggest had been the cause of Pablo and Pedro’s troubles?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 83What did the Vicario family do?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did Pura Vicario wrap Angela’s face and dress her in red?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did Pedro refuse to let Father Amador confess him?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did the twins refuse to leave at night?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What reason was given for the death of Angela’s father?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 84What happened when Pedro and Pablo were released from prison?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who did most people feel was the true victim and why?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What prompted the townsfolk to remember Bayardo?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 85When the mayor went up to Bayardo’s house, what state did he find Bayardo in?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did Bayardo’s father not come for him?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 86Why does the narrator think the family is putting on their distress?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What lasting memory did the townsfolk have of Bayardo?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 87In what condition was the house left?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How is it suggested Yolanda Xius is enacting her revenge?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 89What had become of Angela Vicario?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 90How were Angela and her mother different in the way they approached the narrator’s questions?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 91Although Angela never explains her naming of Santiago, what reason does the narrator suggest?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What had her friends failed to predict?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 92What reason does Angela give for not going through with her friends plans?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does Angela say she had made up her mind to do?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How had the event of being returned affected her in the immediate aftermath?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 93When did Angela see Bayardo again?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Angela see when she looked at her mum?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Angela do?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 94How many letters did Angela write?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What reason does she give for writing the letters?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What commitment had Angela made to Bayardo?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 95What types of letter did Angela write Bayardo?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Angela’s feverish letter contain?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 96For how many years did Angela continue to write?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What observations does Angela make of Bayardo when he arrives at her door?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was in the suitcase Bayardo was carrying?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chapter FiveSummary (taken from Lit Charts)For years, the murder is all anyone can talk about. Many feel guilty for not doing more to stop it, but most console themselves with the thought that affairs of honour are not to be interfered with. Still, the murder has a lasting effect on the town. Hortensia Baute, a local woman, goes crazy; Flora Miguel, Santiago’s fiancée, runs off; Don Rogelio de la Flor takes one look at Santiago’s door, which was chipped to pieces by the Vicario twins’ knives, and dies of shock. For her part, Placida Linero is able to forgive herself for locking her front door, because Divina Flor swore to her that she had seen Santiago had come inside (he hadn’t). However, she can never forgive herself for confusing the good omen of trees with the bad omens of birds in Santiago’s dream.Twelve days after the crime, an investigating Magistrate comes to town to make sense of it all. He is young, recently graduated from law school, and perhaps a bit too enamoured of literature. In his brief – part of which the Narrator is able to dig up, many years later – he is prone to ‘lyrical distractions’, and admits his bewilderment that the case seems to make ‘use of so many coincidences forbidden literature.’ Most of all, though, he is vexed by the utter lack of evidence connecting Santiago Nasar to Angela Vicario. For the Magistrate – and for the narrator – Santiago’s behaviour in the hours before his murder is overwhelming proof of his innocence. The Narrator admits that it is his personal impression that Santiago died without understanding his own death. Of those who failed to warn Santiago that morning, many later claim that his apparent good spirits brought them to think the whole matter had been cleared up. Others, like Fausta Lopez and Polo Carrillo, interpret his mood as arrogance. Indalecio Pardo, one of Santiago’s best friends, admits that when he had the chance to warn Santiago, he was simply too scared to say anything.Yamil Shaium, an old friend of Santiago’s father, Ibrahim, hears that Pedro and Pablo Vicario are plotting to kill Santiago, but he doesn’t want to alarm him unnecessarily, so he resolves to consult Cristo Bedoya first. When Cristo and Santiago are passing by Yamil’s shop, Yamil calls out to Cristo. Santiago takes his leave, and Yamil breaks the news to Cristo.Upon hearing the news, Cristo Bedoya is immediately distraught. He runs after Santiago but finds that his friend has disappeared into the crowd.Thinking Santiago has gone home, he rushes to Placida Linero’s house. There, Divina Flor and Victoria Guzman tell Cristo that Santiago hasn’t returned. Cristo searches Santiago’s bedroom anyway, where he picks up a pistol, which he intends to bring to Santiago. He runs into Placida Linero, which is cause for some confusion; he doesn’t have the heart to tell her that her son is in danger, and so can’t explain why he is in her house. He rushes out.As Cristo is passing Clotilde’s store, Pedro and Pablo Vicario emerge. Pedro looks haggard and unnaturally insolent, brandishing his knife, and Pablo is still wearing his wedding jacket. Pedro shouts at Cristo to tell Santiago he’s a dead man. Cristo, bluffing, warns them that Santiago is armed. The twins know better – Santiago never goes armed while wearing nice clothes. Clotilde appears behind the twins and shouts at Cristo to hurry up and warn Santiago, because it looks like no one else will.The twins’ shouts awaken interest, and people start convening in the square, waiting for something to happen. Cristo hurries off in search of Santiago. He asks everyone who passes, but no one has seen Santiago. He runs into Colonel Lazaro Aponte at the door of a social club and tells him that Pedro and Pablo are after Santiago. The Colonel, who confiscated the twins’ first pair of knives and sent them home, is confused at first, but eventually realised that the two must have gotten new weapons. Cristo runs off. The Colonel resolves to do something to prevent the crime, but first goes into the social club to set a date for a game of dominoes. When he emerges again, the crime has been committed.Cristo, thinking that Santiago has perhaps gone to the Narrator’s house for breakfast, runs along the river bank. He is waylaid by Prospera Arango; she begs Cristo to help her with her father, who is dying on the stoop of the house. Cristo helps her carry her father inside, and when he emerges there are distant shouts coming from the square. He continues on to the Narrator’s house, running now, and when he approaches he runs into the Narrator’s Mother. She is weeping and tells Cristo that she’s heard Santiago has been killed.The Narrator explains that, while Cristo was looking for him, Santiago had gone into his fiancée Flora Miguel’s house. Cristo hadn’t thought to check there because he, like everyone else in the community was under the impression that the Miguel family didn’t rise until noon. Flora had heard the news and was more mortified and angry than scared, thinking that the Vicario family would end up forcing Santiago to marry Angela as penance. When he enters Flora’s house, Santiago finds Flora in a rage. She shoves at him a chest full of letters he once sent her, and she tells him ‘I hope they kill you!’ Santiago is so confused that he drops the chest of letters. Nahir Miguel enters the room. He explains to Santiago in Arabic that Pablo and Pedro are after him. Santiago becomes extremely confused and disoriented. Nahir offers to either hide him in his house or provide him with a rifle.Instead, Santiago stumbles outside, where a huge crowd has gathered. Santiago is so confused that he can’t remember which direction his house is in. Members of the crowd shout after him, telling him which way to run. Yamil Shaium shouts at Santiago to hide in Yamil’s store, then runs inside to retrieve his gun, but can’t find the cartridges. Santiago runs back and forth several times. He starts to run home as if to enter through the back, but then seems to remember that his front door, which is accessible through the square, is open, and starts off in that direction. Pedro and Pablo Vicario see him, stand up, and unsheathe their knives. Clotilde Armante grabs Pedro by the shirt and shouts at Santiago to run.Back at Placida Linero’s house, Victoria Guzamn finally tells Placida that her son is in danger. Divina Flor is convinced that she saw Santiago Nasar, bearing flowers, come through the back door of the house and head up to his room, and she tells Victoria and Placida as much. Placida goes to the front door, through which she can see the Vicario twins running toward the house – but from her angle she can’t see Santiago, whom they’re pursuing. She closes and bolts the door just seconds before Santiago reaches it.Pedro and Pablo Vicario catch up to Santiago at his door. Santiago turns to face them, and they begin stabbing him, first in the side, then everywhere. The twins later recall feeling surprised at how hard it is to kill a man, not realising that it was their own knives holding Santiago up against the door, not letting him fall. Finally, Pablo Vicario gives Santiago a horizontal slash across the stomach, and his intestines spill out. The twins run off, pursued by Yamil Shaium and a group of Arabs.Placida Linero, who this whole time thinks that Santiago is safe in his room, can’t find him in the house. She goes out on the second floor of the house and looks down into the square to see her son bleeding trying to rise from the dirt. Santiago manages to stand and, cradling his intestines in his hands, passes through his neighbours’ house in order to get to his back door. They neighbours watch him pass through the kitchen and are petrified with fear. Santiago gets to his own back door, enters the house, and then falls on his face in the prehension questions – Chapter FivePage 98How did Santiago’s death affect Criso??____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Santiago’s death affect Hortensia Baute?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Santiago’s death affect Flora Miguel?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Santiago’s death affect Aura Villeros?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Santiago’s death affect Don Rogelio de la Flor?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did the townsfolk try to abdicate themselves from the responsibility of Santiago’s death?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 99How was Placida Linero affected by the death of Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Marquez writes ‘came upon a town that was like an open wound’, what image is conjured up in your mind?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How are we told that the Vicario twins court case was popular?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How is it suggested that the magistrate is inexperienced?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 100What evidence was there to suggest the magistrate was a man buring with ‘literature’?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What perplexed the magistrate?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 101How does Angela’s statement contradict her friends?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What do you think the judge meant when he wrote ‘Give me a prejudice and I will move the world’?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why does the judge believe Santiago Nasar to be innocent?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 102What evidence is provided to suggest Santiago’s complete lack of awareness about his impending murder?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What is Polo Carillo’s attitude towards Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 103Why did Indalecio fail to warn Santiago about his impending murder?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 104What detail did Cristo Bedoya recall about the townsfolk as he walked through the square with Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why did Celeste Dangond not warn Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yamil tried to warn Santiago – how?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 105What did Cristo do when he heard Yamil speak in Arabic?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Which door did Cristo go through?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Cristo fail to notice?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 106Why do Divina Flor and Victoria Guzman say that Santiago has not yet returned home?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 107Why was the bedroom locked from the inside?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Santiago discover in Placida Linero’s bedroom?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What condition was Santiago’s bedroom left in?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 108What item did Cristo take from Santiago’s bedroom?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who did Cristo see and how did she react?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 109Why didn’t Father Amador warn Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What two adjectives are used to describe Pedro?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What regret does Cristo have?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 110Why does Pedro not believe that Santiago is armed?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What warning does Pedro give?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Where had the townsfolk started to gather?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 111Why doesn’t the Colonel believe the twins have knives?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does the Colonel do which prevents the murder from happening?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who does Cristo get distracted by?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 112How many minutes was Santiago delayed?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Where had Santiago gone?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 113What do we learn about the engagement between Santiago and Flora?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 114Why was Flora weeping in her bedroom with rage?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did the magistrate write in folio 382 and what do you think is the meaning behind this?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 115What is Santiago shocked by?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How many family members were there?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 116What does Nahir Miguel tell Santiago and how does he react?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What two paths does Santiago have to follow?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does Nahir describe the look of Miguel?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When he steps out into the square what is he confronted by?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 117What warnings did the townsfolk shout to Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Santiago notice?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Who tried to prevent the twins from approaching him?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 118How many yards was Santiago from his house?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What did Victoria Guzman and Divina Flor tell Placida?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 119What did Placida do that sealed the fate of Santiago Nasar?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Pablo initially react to Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did they attack Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 120How did the twins continue to attack Santiago?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How did Santiago respond?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What does Pablo tell the narrator?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 121What graphic details are we provided with about the final moments of Santiago’s murder?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What two observations did Placida make from her window?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Page 122Summarise Santiago’s last moments.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________right-44450000-88900320040Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 100Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 1Journalistic styleFind examples where Marquez draws upon his journalistic skills in Chapter 1.Dreams (magical realism and examples of foreshadowing) are significant in this chapter. What dreams are described and what could these dreams represent / symbolise? How does Santiago Nasar’s mother mis-interpret his dream?ForeshadowingWhat examples of foreshadowing can you find in this chapter?Unreliable narrationWhat evidence is there to suggest that memory is fallible?left-46037500Fate and free willWhat examples can you find within Chapter One that suggest the death of Santiago Nasar is fated?WomenWhat do we learn about attitudes towards women in Chapter One?The sacred and the profaneWhat does the Bishop’s snub of the town suggest on a more symbolic level? How does the community’s behaviour change pre and post the visit from the Bishop? CommunityList the examples the narrator provides of opportunities that members of the community had to prevent the murder of Santiago.right-44767500Killer versus victimTrace what we learn about Santiago Nasar versus Pedro and Pablo Vicario. How are killers versus victim presented?Santiago NasarPedro and Pablo Vicario-556895-1161415Killer quotationsKiller quotationsEpigraph: the hunt for love is haughty falconry-260351968600On the day they were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirty in the morning to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on (Ch1.1)Trying to put the broken mirror of memory back together from so many scattered shards (Ch1.5)He won’t even get off the boat. He’ll given an obligatory blessing, as always, and go back the way he came. He hates this town (Ch1.6)She had been quartering three rabbits for lunch. (Ch1.7)“The time has come for you to be tamed.” (Ch1.8)The door to the square was cited several times with a dime-novel title: “The Fatal Door.” (Ch1.11)But after the Bishop passed without setting foot on land, the other repressed news reached its scandalous size (Ch1.20)“I didn’t warn him because I thought it was drunkards’ talks.” (Ch1.11)‘she wanted them to kill him.’ (Ch1.11)‘incapable of a decision of her own’ (Ch1.11)‘”He already looked like a ghost.” (Ch1.13)“Leave him later, if only out of respect for his grace the Bishop.” (Ch1.14)“They looked at him more with pity,” (Ch1.15)“I thought it had all been a fib.” (Ch1.18)1404257511628Gabriel Garcia Marquez – style / magical realism – Ch1 pg 1-2On the day there were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirty in the morning to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on. He’d dreamed he was going through a grove of timber trees where a gentle drizzle was falling, and for an instant he was happy in his dream, but when he awoke he felt completely spattered with bird shit. “He was always dreaming about trees,” Placida Linero, his mother, told me twenty-seven years later, recalling the details of that unpleasant Monday. “The week before, he’d dreamed that he was alone in a tinfoil airplane and flying through the almond trees without bumping into anything,” she told me. She had a well-earned reputation as an accurate interpreter of other people’s dreams, provided they were told her before eating, but she hadn’t noticed any ominous augury in those two dreams of her son’s, or in the other dreams of trees he’d told her about on the morning preceding his death. Nor did Santiago Nasar recognise the omen. He had slept little and poorly, without getting undressed, and he woke up with a headache and a sediment of copper stirrup on his palate, and he interpreted them as the natural havoc of the wedding revels that had gone on until after midnight. Furthermore; all the many people he ran into after leaving his house at five past six until he was carved up like a pig an hour later remembered him as being a little sleepy but in a good mood, and he remarked to all of them in a casual way that it was a very beautiful day. No one was certain if he was referring to the state of the weather Many people coincided in recalling that it was a radiant morning with a sea breeze coming through the banana groves, as was to be expected in a fine February of that period. But most agreed that the weather was funereal, with a cloudy, low sky and the thick smell of still waters, and that at the moment the misfortune a thin drizzle like the one Santiago Nasar had seen in his dream grove was falling. I was recovering from the wedding revels in the apostolic lap of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, and I only awakened with the clamour of the alarm bells, thinking they had turned them loose in honour of the bishop.00Gabriel Garcia Marquez – style / magical realism – Ch1 pg 1-2On the day there were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirty in the morning to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on. He’d dreamed he was going through a grove of timber trees where a gentle drizzle was falling, and for an instant he was happy in his dream, but when he awoke he felt completely spattered with bird shit. “He was always dreaming about trees,” Placida Linero, his mother, told me twenty-seven years later, recalling the details of that unpleasant Monday. “The week before, he’d dreamed that he was alone in a tinfoil airplane and flying through the almond trees without bumping into anything,” she told me. She had a well-earned reputation as an accurate interpreter of other people’s dreams, provided they were told her before eating, but she hadn’t noticed any ominous augury in those two dreams of her son’s, or in the other dreams of trees he’d told her about on the morning preceding his death. Nor did Santiago Nasar recognise the omen. He had slept little and poorly, without getting undressed, and he woke up with a headache and a sediment of copper stirrup on his palate, and he interpreted them as the natural havoc of the wedding revels that had gone on until after midnight. Furthermore; all the many people he ran into after leaving his house at five past six until he was carved up like a pig an hour later remembered him as being a little sleepy but in a good mood, and he remarked to all of them in a casual way that it was a very beautiful day. No one was certain if he was referring to the state of the weather Many people coincided in recalling that it was a radiant morning with a sea breeze coming through the banana groves, as was to be expected in a fine February of that period. But most agreed that the weather was funereal, with a cloudy, low sky and the thick smell of still waters, and that at the moment the misfortune a thin drizzle like the one Santiago Nasar had seen in his dream grove was falling. I was recovering from the wedding revels in the apostolic lap of Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, and I only awakened with the clamour of the alarm bells, thinking they had turned them loose in honour of the bishop.Passage analysis1404257511629The effects of death – Ch1 pg 4-5The last image his mother had of him was that of his fleeting passage through the bedroom. He’d awakened her while he was feeling around trying to find an aspirin in the bathroom medicine chest, and she turned on the light and saw him appear in the doorway with a glass of water in his hand, as she would remember him forever. Santiago Nasar told her then about the dream, but she didn’t pay any great attention to the trees.“Any dream about birds means good health,” she said.She said him from the same hammock and in the same position in which I found her prostrated by the last lights of old age when I returned to this forgotten village, trying to put the broken mirror of memory back together from so many scattered shards. She could barely make out shapes in full light and had some medicinal leaves on her temples for the eternal headache that her son had left her the last time he went through the bedroom. She was on her side, clutching the cords at the head of the hammock trying to get up, and in the half shadows there was the baptistery smell that had startled me on the morning of the crime.No sooner had I appeared on the threshold than she confused me with the memory of Santiago Nasar. “There he was,” she told me. “He was dressed in white linen that had been washed in plain water, because his skin was so delicate that it couldn’t stand the noise of starch.” She sat in the hammock for a long time, chewing pepper cress seeds, until the illusion that her son had returned left her. Then she sighed: “He was the man in my life.”00The effects of death – Ch1 pg 4-5The last image his mother had of him was that of his fleeting passage through the bedroom. He’d awakened her while he was feeling around trying to find an aspirin in the bathroom medicine chest, and she turned on the light and saw him appear in the doorway with a glass of water in his hand, as she would remember him forever. Santiago Nasar told her then about the dream, but she didn’t pay any great attention to the trees.“Any dream about birds means good health,” she said.She said him from the same hammock and in the same position in which I found her prostrated by the last lights of old age when I returned to this forgotten village, trying to put the broken mirror of memory back together from so many scattered shards. She could barely make out shapes in full light and had some medicinal leaves on her temples for the eternal headache that her son had left her the last time he went through the bedroom. She was on her side, clutching the cords at the head of the hammock trying to get up, and in the half shadows there was the baptistery smell that had startled me on the morning of the crime.No sooner had I appeared on the threshold than she confused me with the memory of Santiago Nasar. “There he was,” she told me. “He was dressed in white linen that had been washed in plain water, because his skin was so delicate that it couldn’t stand the noise of starch.” She sat in the hammock for a long time, chewing pepper cress seeds, until the illusion that her son had returned left her. Then she sighed: “He was the man in my life.”Passage analysiscenter511629Attitudes towards women – Ch1 pg 8Santiago Nasar grabbed her by the waist when she came to take the empty mug from him. “The time has come for you to be tamed,” he told her. Victoria Guzman showed him the bloody knife. “Let go of her, whitey,” she ordered him seriously. “You won’t have a drink of that water as long as I’m alive.” She’d been seduced by Ibrahim Nasar in the fullness of her adolescence. She’d made love to him in secret for several years in the stables of the ranch, and he brought her to be a house servant when the affection was over. Divina Flor, who was the daughter of a more recent mate, knew that she was destined for Santiago Nasar’s furtive bed, and that idea brought out a premature anxiety in her. “Another man like that hasn’t ever been born again,” she told me, fat and faded and surrounded by the children of other loves. “He was just like his father,” Victoria Guzman answered her. “A shit.” But she couldn’t avoid a wave of fright as she remember Santiago Nasar’s horror when she pulled out the insides of a rabbit by the roots and threw the steaming guts to the dogs. “Don’t be a savage,” he told her. “Make believe it was a human being.”00Attitudes towards women – Ch1 pg 8Santiago Nasar grabbed her by the waist when she came to take the empty mug from him. “The time has come for you to be tamed,” he told her. Victoria Guzman showed him the bloody knife. “Let go of her, whitey,” she ordered him seriously. “You won’t have a drink of that water as long as I’m alive.” She’d been seduced by Ibrahim Nasar in the fullness of her adolescence. She’d made love to him in secret for several years in the stables of the ranch, and he brought her to be a house servant when the affection was over. Divina Flor, who was the daughter of a more recent mate, knew that she was destined for Santiago Nasar’s furtive bed, and that idea brought out a premature anxiety in her. “Another man like that hasn’t ever been born again,” she told me, fat and faded and surrounded by the children of other loves. “He was just like his father,” Victoria Guzman answered her. “A shit.” But she couldn’t avoid a wave of fright as she remember Santiago Nasar’s horror when she pulled out the insides of a rabbit by the roots and threw the steaming guts to the dogs. “Don’t be a savage,” he told her. “Make believe it was a human being.”Passage analysiscenter508000The Bishop – Ch1 pg 15-16 Placida Linero was right: the bishop didn’t get off his boat. There were a lot of people at the dock in addition to the authorities and the schoolchildren, and everywhere one could see the crates of well-fattened roosters they were bearing as a gift for the bishop, because coxcomb soup was his favourite dish. At the loading pier there was so much firewood piled up that the boat would have needed at least two hours to load it. But it didn’t stop. It appeared at the bend in the river, snorting like a dragon, and then the band of musicians began to play the bishop’s anthem, and the cocks began to crow in their baskets and aroused the other roosters in town. In those days the legendary paddle-wheelers that burned wood were on the point of disappearing, and the few that remained in service no longer had player pianos or bridal staterooms and were barely able to navigate against the current. But this one was new, and it had two smokestacks instead of one, with the flag painted on them like armbands, and the wheel made of planks at the stern gave it the drive of a seagoing ship. On the upper deck, beside the captain’s cabin, was the bishop in his white cassock and with his retinue of Spaniards. “It was Christmas weather,” my sister Margot said. What happened, according to her, was that the boat whistle let off a shower of compressed steam as it passed by the docks, and it soaked those who were closest to the edge. It was a fleeting illusion: the bishop began to make the sign of the cross in the air opposite the crowd on the pier, and he kept on doing it mechanically afterwards without malice or inspiration, until the boat was lost from view and all that remained was the uproar of the roosters.00The Bishop – Ch1 pg 15-16 Placida Linero was right: the bishop didn’t get off his boat. There were a lot of people at the dock in addition to the authorities and the schoolchildren, and everywhere one could see the crates of well-fattened roosters they were bearing as a gift for the bishop, because coxcomb soup was his favourite dish. At the loading pier there was so much firewood piled up that the boat would have needed at least two hours to load it. But it didn’t stop. It appeared at the bend in the river, snorting like a dragon, and then the band of musicians began to play the bishop’s anthem, and the cocks began to crow in their baskets and aroused the other roosters in town. In those days the legendary paddle-wheelers that burned wood were on the point of disappearing, and the few that remained in service no longer had player pianos or bridal staterooms and were barely able to navigate against the current. But this one was new, and it had two smokestacks instead of one, with the flag painted on them like armbands, and the wheel made of planks at the stern gave it the drive of a seagoing ship. On the upper deck, beside the captain’s cabin, was the bishop in his white cassock and with his retinue of Spaniards. “It was Christmas weather,” my sister Margot said. What happened, according to her, was that the boat whistle let off a shower of compressed steam as it passed by the docks, and it soaked those who were closest to the edge. It was a fleeting illusion: the bishop began to make the sign of the cross in the air opposite the crowd on the pier, and he kept on doing it mechanically afterwards without malice or inspiration, until the boat was lost from view and all that remained was the uproar of the roosters.Passage analysisright-44450000center334010Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 200Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 2Status and wealth (Bayardo)The Vicario familyUnreliable narrationAppearance versus reality-419100-429260Killer quotationsKiller quotations“It also seems that he’s swimming in gold.” (Ch2.26)“When I wake up,” he said, “remind me that I am going to marry her.” (Ch2.28)“So much the better,” he said. “That makes it easier and cheaper besides.” (Ch2.29)-260351968500‘poor man’s goldsmith’ (Ch2.30)‘spirit of sacrifice’ (Ch2.30)‘The boys were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married.’ (Ch2.30) “Any man will be happy with them because they’ve been raised to suffer.’ (Ch2.31)‘every time she seemed more destitute in the window of her house, where she would sit in the afternoon making cloth flowers and singing single-woman waltzes with her neighbour.’ (Ch2.31)It came to be said that he had wiped out villages and sown terror in Casanare as troop commander, that he had escaped from Devil’s Island, that he’d been seen in Pernambuco trying to make a living with a pair of trained bears, and that he’d salvaged the remains of a Spanish galleon loaded with gold in the Windward Channel. (Ch2.32)‘General Petronio San Roman, hero of the civil wars of the past century, and one of the major glories of the Conservative regime for having put Colonel Aureliano Buendia to flight in the disaster of Tucurinca. (Ch2.33)The parents’ decisive argument was that a family dignified by modest means had no right to disdain that prize of destiny…”Love can be learned too.” (Ch2.34)“I’ll buy your house.” (Ch2.35)“The only thing they believe is what they see on the sheet.” (Ch2.38)Bayardo San Roman, for his part, must have got married with the illusion of buying happiness with the huge weight of his power and fortune. (Ch2.38) / my parents stubbornly held to the old song that our daughters would be married in our pigpen or they wouldn’t be married at all. (Ch2.40)Santiago Nasar had often told me that the smell of closed-in flowers had an immediate relation to death for him (Ch2.42)center511629Bayardo – Ch2 p.24-25Bayardo San Roman, the man who had given back his bride, had come for the first time in August of the year before: six months before the wedding. He arrived on the weekly boat with some saddlebags decorated with silver that matched the buckle of his belt and the rings of his boots. He was around thirty years old, but they were well concealed, because he had the waist of a novice bullfighter, golden eyes, and a skin slowly roasted by saltpetre. He arrived wearing a short jacket and very tight trousers, both of natural calfskin, and kid gloves of the same colour. Magdalena Oliver had come with him on the boat and couldn’t take her eyes off him during the whole trip. “He looked like a fairy,” she told me. “And it was a pity, because I could have buttered him and eaten him alive.” She wasn’t the only one who thought so, nor was she the last to realise that Bayardo San Roman was not a man to be known at first sight. My mother wrote me at school toward the end of August and said in a casual note: “A very strange man has come.” In the following letter she told me: “The strange man is called Bayardo San Roman, and everybody say he’s enchanting but I haven’t seen him.” Nobody knew what he’d come for. Someone who couldn’t resist the temptation of asking him, a little before the wedding, received the answer: “I’ve been going from town to town looking for someone to marry.” It might have been true, but he would have answered anything else in the same way, because he had a way of speaking that served him rather to conceal than to reveal. 00Bayardo – Ch2 p.24-25Bayardo San Roman, the man who had given back his bride, had come for the first time in August of the year before: six months before the wedding. He arrived on the weekly boat with some saddlebags decorated with silver that matched the buckle of his belt and the rings of his boots. He was around thirty years old, but they were well concealed, because he had the waist of a novice bullfighter, golden eyes, and a skin slowly roasted by saltpetre. He arrived wearing a short jacket and very tight trousers, both of natural calfskin, and kid gloves of the same colour. Magdalena Oliver had come with him on the boat and couldn’t take her eyes off him during the whole trip. “He looked like a fairy,” she told me. “And it was a pity, because I could have buttered him and eaten him alive.” She wasn’t the only one who thought so, nor was she the last to realise that Bayardo San Roman was not a man to be known at first sight. My mother wrote me at school toward the end of August and said in a casual note: “A very strange man has come.” In the following letter she told me: “The strange man is called Bayardo San Roman, and everybody say he’s enchanting but I haven’t seen him.” Nobody knew what he’d come for. Someone who couldn’t resist the temptation of asking him, a little before the wedding, received the answer: “I’ve been going from town to town looking for someone to marry.” It might have been true, but he would have answered anything else in the same way, because he had a way of speaking that served him rather to conceal than to reveal. Passage analysiscenter508000The Vicario family – Ch2 p.30-31Angela Vicario was the youngest daughter of a family of scant resources. Her father, Poncio Vicario was a poor man’s goldsmith, and he’d lost his sight from doing so much fine work in gold in order to maintain the honour of the house. Purisima del Carmen, her mother, had been a school teacher until she married forever. Her meek and somewhat afflicted look hid the strength of her character quite well. “She looked like a nun,” Mercedes recalls. She devoted herself with such spirit of sacrifice to the care of her husband and the rearing of her children that at times one forgot she still existed. The two oldest daughters had married very late. In addition to the twins, they had a middle daughter who had died of night-time fevers, and two years later they were still observing a mourning that was relaxed inside the house but rigorous on the street. The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married. They knew how to do screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artificial flowers and fancy candy, and write engagement announcements. Unlike the girls of the time, who had neglected the cult of death, the four were past mistresses in the ancient science of sitting up with the ill, comforting the dying, and enshrouding the dead. The only thing that my mother reproached them for was the custom of combing their hair before sleeping. “Girls,” she would tell them, “don’t comb your hair at night; you’ll slow down seafarers.” Except for that, she thought there were no better-reared daughters. “They’re perfect,” she was frequently heard to say. “Any man will be happy with them because they’ve been raised to suffer.”00The Vicario family – Ch2 p.30-31Angela Vicario was the youngest daughter of a family of scant resources. Her father, Poncio Vicario was a poor man’s goldsmith, and he’d lost his sight from doing so much fine work in gold in order to maintain the honour of the house. Purisima del Carmen, her mother, had been a school teacher until she married forever. Her meek and somewhat afflicted look hid the strength of her character quite well. “She looked like a nun,” Mercedes recalls. She devoted herself with such spirit of sacrifice to the care of her husband and the rearing of her children that at times one forgot she still existed. The two oldest daughters had married very late. In addition to the twins, they had a middle daughter who had died of night-time fevers, and two years later they were still observing a mourning that was relaxed inside the house but rigorous on the street. The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married. They knew how to do screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artificial flowers and fancy candy, and write engagement announcements. Unlike the girls of the time, who had neglected the cult of death, the four were past mistresses in the ancient science of sitting up with the ill, comforting the dying, and enshrouding the dead. The only thing that my mother reproached them for was the custom of combing their hair before sleeping. “Girls,” she would tell them, “don’t comb your hair at night; you’ll slow down seafarers.” Except for that, she thought there were no better-reared daughters. “They’re perfect,” she was frequently heard to say. “Any man will be happy with them because they’ve been raised to suffer.”Passage analyis1409700508000Widower Xius’ house – Ch2 p.35-36“Widower,” he told him, “I’ll buy your house.”“It’s not for sale,” the widower said.“I’ll buy it along with everything inside.”The widower Xius explained to him with the good breeding of olden days that the objects in the house had been bought by his wife over a whole lifetime of sacrifice and that for him they were still a part of her. “He was speaking with his heart in his hand,” I was told by Dr. Dionisio Iguaran, who was playing with them. “I was sure he would have died before he’d sell a house where he’d been happy for over thirty years.” Bayardo San Roman also understood his reasons.“Agreed,” he said. “So sell me the house empty.”But the widower defended himself until the end of the game. Three nights later, better prepared, Bayardo San Roman returned to the domino table.“Widower,” he began again, “what’s the price of the house?”“It hasn’t got a price.”“Name any one you want.”“I’m sorry, Bayardo,” the widower said, “but you young people don’t understand the motives of the heart.”Bayardo San Roman didn’t pause to think.“Let’s say five thousand pesos,” he said.“You don’t beat around the bush,” the widower answered him, his dignity aroused. “The house isn’t worth all that.”“Ten thousand,” said Bayardo San Roman. “Right now and with one bill on top of another.” 00Widower Xius’ house – Ch2 p.35-36“Widower,” he told him, “I’ll buy your house.”“It’s not for sale,” the widower said.“I’ll buy it along with everything inside.”The widower Xius explained to him with the good breeding of olden days that the objects in the house had been bought by his wife over a whole lifetime of sacrifice and that for him they were still a part of her. “He was speaking with his heart in his hand,” I was told by Dr. Dionisio Iguaran, who was playing with them. “I was sure he would have died before he’d sell a house where he’d been happy for over thirty years.” Bayardo San Roman also understood his reasons.“Agreed,” he said. “So sell me the house empty.”But the widower defended himself until the end of the game. Three nights later, better prepared, Bayardo San Roman returned to the domino table.“Widower,” he began again, “what’s the price of the house?”“It hasn’t got a price.”“Name any one you want.”“I’m sorry, Bayardo,” the widower said, “but you young people don’t understand the motives of the heart.”Bayardo San Roman didn’t pause to think.“Let’s say five thousand pesos,” he said.“You don’t beat around the bush,” the widower answered him, his dignity aroused. “The house isn’t worth all that.”“Ten thousand,” said Bayardo San Roman. “Right now and with one bill on top of another.” Passage analysiscenter508000The return of Angela – Ch2 p.She’d fallen into a deep sleep, when there was knocking on the door. “They were three very slow knocks,” she told my mother, “but they had that strange touch of bad news about them.” She told her that she’d open the door without turning on the light so as not to awaken anybody and saw Bayardo San Roman in the glow of the street light, his silk shirt unbuttoned and his fancy pants held up by his electric suspenders. “He had that green colour of dreams,” Pura Vicario told my mother. Angela Vicario was in the shadows, so she only saw her when Bayardo San Roman grabbed her by the arm and brought her into the light. Her satin dress was in shreds and she was wrapped in a towel up to the waist. Pura Vicario thought they’d gone off the road in the car and were lying dead at the bottom of the ravine. “Holy Mother of God,” she said in terror. “Answer me if you’re still of this world.” Bayardo San Roman didn’t go in, but softly pushed his wife into the house without saying a word. Then he kissed Pura Vicario on the cheek and spoke to her in a very deep, dejected voice, but with great tenderness. “Thank you for everything, mother,” he told her. “You’re a saint.”Only Pura Vicario knew what she did during the next two hours, and she went to her grave with her secret. “The only thing I can remember is that she was holding me by the hair with one hand and beating me with the other with such a rage that I thought she was going to kill me,” Angela Vicario told me. 00The return of Angela – Ch2 p.She’d fallen into a deep sleep, when there was knocking on the door. “They were three very slow knocks,” she told my mother, “but they had that strange touch of bad news about them.” She told her that she’d open the door without turning on the light so as not to awaken anybody and saw Bayardo San Roman in the glow of the street light, his silk shirt unbuttoned and his fancy pants held up by his electric suspenders. “He had that green colour of dreams,” Pura Vicario told my mother. Angela Vicario was in the shadows, so she only saw her when Bayardo San Roman grabbed her by the arm and brought her into the light. Her satin dress was in shreds and she was wrapped in a towel up to the waist. Pura Vicario thought they’d gone off the road in the car and were lying dead at the bottom of the ravine. “Holy Mother of God,” she said in terror. “Answer me if you’re still of this world.” Bayardo San Roman didn’t go in, but softly pushed his wife into the house without saying a word. Then he kissed Pura Vicario on the cheek and spoke to her in a very deep, dejected voice, but with great tenderness. “Thank you for everything, mother,” he told her. “You’re a saint.”Only Pura Vicario knew what she did during the next two hours, and she went to her grave with her secret. “The only thing I can remember is that she was holding me by the hair with one hand and beating me with the other with such a rage that I thought she was going to kill me,” Angela Vicario told me. Passage analysisleft-45720000center340995Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 300Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 3The LawCommunity failingsForeshadowingSymbolismSantiago versus the killersRituals Sexualityleft-629920Killer quotationsKiller quotations‘There had never been a death more foretold’ (Ch3.50)-260351905000“It was a matter of honor.” (Ch3.49)“When you sacrifice a steer you don’t dare look into its eyes.” (Ch3.52)…they didn’t give them people’s names but the names of flowers. (Ch3.52-3)It was their usual system. (Ch3.53)‘It’s to spare those poor boys from the horrible duty that’s fallen on them.” (Ch3.57)The Vicario brothers had told their plans to more than a dozen people (Ch3.58)‘While his brother agonized, drop by drop, trying to urinate under the tamarind trees.’ (Ch3.61)‘There’s no way out of this,’ he told him. ‘It’s as if it had already happened.’ (Ch3.62)‘Honor doesn’t wait’ (Ch.63)‘I never would have married him if he hadn’t done what a man should do.’ (Ch3.63)…but he shaved with his butcher knife. Clotilde thought that was the height of machismo.’ (Ch3.63)‘There’s no place in life sadder than an empty bed.’ (Ch3.65)‘A falcon who chases a warlike crane can only hope for a life of pain.’ (Ch3.65)‘Santiago Nasar pointed to an intermittent light at sea and told us that it was the soul in torment of a slave ship that had sunk with a cargo of blacks from Senegal across from the main harbour mouth at Cartenga de Indias.’ (Ch3.67)‘twenty-two people declared they had heard everything said…’ (Ch3.51)‘Their reputation as good people was so well founded that no one paid any attention to them.’ (Ch3.52)‘…she went to wake her husband to tell him what was going on in the shop.’ / ‘”Don’t be silly,” he told her. “Those two aren’t about to kill anybody, much less someone rich.” (Ch3.55)‘When I saw them I thought they were nothing but a pair of big bluffers’ (Ch3.56)‘I thought they had already killed him.’ (Ch3.62)‘My first thought was thought was that it wasn’t any business of mine but something for the civil authorities, but then I made up my mind to say something in passing to Placdia Linero.’ (Ch3.70)center508000The trial – Ch3 p.48-49The lawyer stood by the thesis of homicide in legitimate defense of honour, which was upheld by the court of good faith, and the twins declared at the end of the trial that they would have done it again a thousand times over for the same reason. It was they who gave a hint of the direction the defense would take as soon as they surrendered to their church a few minutes after the crime. They burst panting into the parish house, closely pursued by a group of roused-up Arabs, and they laid the knives, with clean blades, on Father Amador’s desk. Both were exhausted from the barbarous work of death, and their clothes and arms were soaked and their faces smeared with sweat and sill living blood, but the priest recalled the surrender as an act of great dignity. “We killed him openly,” Pedro Vicario said, “But we’re innocent.” “Perhaps before God,” said Father Amador. “Before God and before men,” Pablo Vicario said. “It was a matter of honour.” Furthermore, with the reconstruction of the facts, they had feigned a much more inclement bloodthirstiness than really was true, to such an extreme that it was necessary to use public funds to repair the main door of Placida Linero’s house, which was all chipped with knife thrusts. In the panopticon of Riohacha, where they spent three years awaiting trial because they couldn’t afford bail, the old prisoners remembered them for their good character and sociability, but they never noticed any indication of remorse in them. Still, the reality seemed to be that the Vicario brothers had done nothing right in line with killing Santiago Nasar right off and without any public spectacle, but had done much more than could be imagined for someone to stop them from killing him, and they failed.00The trial – Ch3 p.48-49The lawyer stood by the thesis of homicide in legitimate defense of honour, which was upheld by the court of good faith, and the twins declared at the end of the trial that they would have done it again a thousand times over for the same reason. It was they who gave a hint of the direction the defense would take as soon as they surrendered to their church a few minutes after the crime. They burst panting into the parish house, closely pursued by a group of roused-up Arabs, and they laid the knives, with clean blades, on Father Amador’s desk. Both were exhausted from the barbarous work of death, and their clothes and arms were soaked and their faces smeared with sweat and sill living blood, but the priest recalled the surrender as an act of great dignity. “We killed him openly,” Pedro Vicario said, “But we’re innocent.” “Perhaps before God,” said Father Amador. “Before God and before men,” Pablo Vicario said. “It was a matter of honour.” Furthermore, with the reconstruction of the facts, they had feigned a much more inclement bloodthirstiness than really was true, to such an extreme that it was necessary to use public funds to repair the main door of Placida Linero’s house, which was all chipped with knife thrusts. In the panopticon of Riohacha, where they spent three years awaiting trial because they couldn’t afford bail, the old prisoners remembered them for their good character and sociability, but they never noticed any indication of remorse in them. Still, the reality seemed to be that the Vicario brothers had done nothing right in line with killing Santiago Nasar right off and without any public spectacle, but had done much more than could be imagined for someone to stop them from killing him, and they failed.Passage analysiscenter508000The butcher’s knives – Ch3 p.51-52There had never been a death more foretold. After their sister revealed the name to them, the Vicario twins went to the bin in the pigsty where they kept their sacrificial tools and picked out the two best knives: one for quartering, ten inches long by two and a half inches wide, and the other for trimming, seven inches long by one and a half inches wide. They wrapped them in a rag and went to sharpen them at the meat market, where only a few stalls had begun to open.…They sharpened them on the grindstone, and the way they always did: Pedro holding the knives and turning them on the stone, and Pablo working the crank. At the same time, they talked about the splendour of the wedding with the other butchers. Some of them complained about not having gotten their share of cake, in spite of their being working companions, and they promised them to have some sent over later. Finally, they made their knives sing on the stone, and Pablo laid his beside the lamp so that the steel sparkled. “We’re going to kill Santiago Nasar,” he said. Their reputations as good people were so well founded that no one paid any attention to them. “We thought it was drunkards’ baloney,” several butchers declared, the same as Victoria Guzman and so many others who saw them later. I was to ask the butchers sometime later whether or not the trade of slaughterer didn’t reveal a soul predisposed to killing a human being. They protested: “When you sacrifice a steer you don’t dare look into its eyes.” One of them told me that they couldn’t eat the flesh of an animal he had butchered.00The butcher’s knives – Ch3 p.51-52There had never been a death more foretold. After their sister revealed the name to them, the Vicario twins went to the bin in the pigsty where they kept their sacrificial tools and picked out the two best knives: one for quartering, ten inches long by two and a half inches wide, and the other for trimming, seven inches long by one and a half inches wide. They wrapped them in a rag and went to sharpen them at the meat market, where only a few stalls had begun to open.…They sharpened them on the grindstone, and the way they always did: Pedro holding the knives and turning them on the stone, and Pablo working the crank. At the same time, they talked about the splendour of the wedding with the other butchers. Some of them complained about not having gotten their share of cake, in spite of their being working companions, and they promised them to have some sent over later. Finally, they made their knives sing on the stone, and Pablo laid his beside the lamp so that the steel sparkled. “We’re going to kill Santiago Nasar,” he said. Their reputations as good people were so well founded that no one paid any attention to them. “We thought it was drunkards’ baloney,” several butchers declared, the same as Victoria Guzman and so many others who saw them later. I was to ask the butchers sometime later whether or not the trade of slaughterer didn’t reveal a soul predisposed to killing a human being. They protested: “When you sacrifice a steer you don’t dare look into its eyes.” One of them told me that they couldn’t eat the flesh of an animal he had butchered.Passage analysis1409700508000The Vicario twins– Ch3 p.60-61Actually, they’d had their first disagreement. Not only were they much more different inside than they looked on the outside, but in difficult emergencies they showed opposite characters, We, their friends, had spotted it ever since grammar school. Pablo Vicario was six minutes older than his brother, and he was the more imaginative and resolute until adolescence. Pedro Vicario always seemed more sentimental to me, and by the same token more authoritarian. They presented themselves together for military service at the age of twenty, and Pablo Vicario was excused in order to stay home and take care of the family. Pedro Vicario served for eleven months on police patrol. The army routine, aggravated by the fear of death, had matured his tendency to command and the habit of deciding for his brother. He also came back with a case of sergeant’s blennorrhagia that resisted the most brutal methods of military medicine as well as the arsenic injections and permanganate purges of Dr. Dionisio Iguaran. Only in jail did they manage to cure it. We, his friends, agreed that Pablo Vicario had suddenly developed the strange dependence of a younger brother when Pedro Vicario returned with a barrack-room soul and with the novel trick of lifting his shift for anyone who wanted to see a bullet wound with seton on his left side. He even began to develop a kind of fervour over the great man’s blennorrhagia that his brother wore like a war medal.Pedro Vicario, according to his own declaration, was the one who made the decision to kill Santiago Nasar, and at first his brother only followed along. But he was also the one who considered his duty fulfilled when the mayor disarmed them, and then it was Pablo Vicario who assumed command.00The Vicario twins– Ch3 p.60-61Actually, they’d had their first disagreement. Not only were they much more different inside than they looked on the outside, but in difficult emergencies they showed opposite characters, We, their friends, had spotted it ever since grammar school. Pablo Vicario was six minutes older than his brother, and he was the more imaginative and resolute until adolescence. Pedro Vicario always seemed more sentimental to me, and by the same token more authoritarian. They presented themselves together for military service at the age of twenty, and Pablo Vicario was excused in order to stay home and take care of the family. Pedro Vicario served for eleven months on police patrol. The army routine, aggravated by the fear of death, had matured his tendency to command and the habit of deciding for his brother. He also came back with a case of sergeant’s blennorrhagia that resisted the most brutal methods of military medicine as well as the arsenic injections and permanganate purges of Dr. Dionisio Iguaran. Only in jail did they manage to cure it. We, his friends, agreed that Pablo Vicario had suddenly developed the strange dependence of a younger brother when Pedro Vicario returned with a barrack-room soul and with the novel trick of lifting his shift for anyone who wanted to see a bullet wound with seton on his left side. He even began to develop a kind of fervour over the great man’s blennorrhagia that his brother wore like a war medal.Pedro Vicario, according to his own declaration, was the one who made the decision to kill Santiago Nasar, and at first his brother only followed along. But he was also the one who considered his duty fulfilled when the mayor disarmed them, and then it was Pablo Vicario who assumed command.Passage analysis1409700508000Maria Alejandrina Cervantes– Ch3 p.65-66Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, about whom we used to say that she would only go to sleep once and that would be to die, was the most elegant and the most tender woman I have ever known, and the most serviceable in bed, but she was also the most strict. She’d been born and reared here, and here she lived, in a house with open doors with several rooms for rent and an enormous courtyard for dancing with lanterns gourds bought in the Chinese bazaars of Paramaribo. It was she who did away with my generation’s virginity. She taught us much more than we should have learned, but she taught us above all that there’s no place in life sadder than an empty bed. Santiago Nasar lost his senses the first time he saw her. I warned him: “’A falcon who chases a warlike crane can only hope for a life of pain.’” But he didn’t listen to me, dazzled by Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’ illusory calls. She was his made passion, his mistress of tears at the age of fifteen, until Ibrahim Nasar drove him out of the bed with a whip and shut him up for more than a year on The Divine Face. Ever since then they were still linked y a serious affection, but without the disorder of love, and she had so much respect for him that she never again went to bed with anyone if he was present. During those last vacations she would send us off early with the pretext that she was tired, but she left the door unbarred and with a lamp lighted in the hall so that I could come in secretly. Santiago Nasar has an almost magical talent for disguises, and his favourite sport was to confuse the identities of the mulatto girls. He would rifle the wardrobe of some to disguise the others, so that they all ended up feeling different from themselves and like the ones they weren’t.00Maria Alejandrina Cervantes– Ch3 p.65-66Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, about whom we used to say that she would only go to sleep once and that would be to die, was the most elegant and the most tender woman I have ever known, and the most serviceable in bed, but she was also the most strict. She’d been born and reared here, and here she lived, in a house with open doors with several rooms for rent and an enormous courtyard for dancing with lanterns gourds bought in the Chinese bazaars of Paramaribo. It was she who did away with my generation’s virginity. She taught us much more than we should have learned, but she taught us above all that there’s no place in life sadder than an empty bed. Santiago Nasar lost his senses the first time he saw her. I warned him: “’A falcon who chases a warlike crane can only hope for a life of pain.’” But he didn’t listen to me, dazzled by Maria Alejandrina Cervantes’ illusory calls. She was his made passion, his mistress of tears at the age of fifteen, until Ibrahim Nasar drove him out of the bed with a whip and shut him up for more than a year on The Divine Face. Ever since then they were still linked y a serious affection, but without the disorder of love, and she had so much respect for him that she never again went to bed with anyone if he was present. During those last vacations she would send us off early with the pretext that she was tired, but she left the door unbarred and with a lamp lighted in the hall so that I could come in secretly. Santiago Nasar has an almost magical talent for disguises, and his favourite sport was to confuse the identities of the mulatto girls. He would rifle the wardrobe of some to disguise the others, so that they all ended up feeling different from themselves and like the ones they weren’t.Passage analysis+1409700508000Seranading– Ch3 p.66-67It was he who got the idea, almost at four o’clock, to go up the widower Xius’ hill and sing for the newlyweds. Not only did we sing under the windows, but we set off rockets and fireworks in the gardens, yet we didn’t perceive any sign of life inside the farmhouse. It didn’t occur to us that there was no one there, especially because the new car was by the door with its top still folded down and with the satin ribbons and bouquets of wax orange blossoms they had hung on it during the festivities. My brother Luis Enrique, who played the guitar like a professional at that time, improvised a song with matrimonial double meanings in honour of the newlyweds. Until then it hadn’t rained. On the contrary, the moon was high in the sky and the air was clear, and at the bottom of the precipice you could see the trickle of light from the Saint Elmo’s fire in the cemetery. On the other side you could make out the groves of blue banana trees in the moonlight, the sad swamps, and the phosphorescent line of the Caribbean on the horizon. Santiago Nasar pointed to an intermittent light at sea and told us that it was the soul in torment of a slave ship that had sunk with a cargo of blacks from Senegal across from the main harbour mouth at Cartagena de Indias. It was possible to think that his conscience was bothering him, although at that time he didn’t know that the ephemeral married life of Angela Vicario had come to an end two hours before.00Seranading– Ch3 p.66-67It was he who got the idea, almost at four o’clock, to go up the widower Xius’ hill and sing for the newlyweds. Not only did we sing under the windows, but we set off rockets and fireworks in the gardens, yet we didn’t perceive any sign of life inside the farmhouse. It didn’t occur to us that there was no one there, especially because the new car was by the door with its top still folded down and with the satin ribbons and bouquets of wax orange blossoms they had hung on it during the festivities. My brother Luis Enrique, who played the guitar like a professional at that time, improvised a song with matrimonial double meanings in honour of the newlyweds. Until then it hadn’t rained. On the contrary, the moon was high in the sky and the air was clear, and at the bottom of the precipice you could see the trickle of light from the Saint Elmo’s fire in the cemetery. On the other side you could make out the groves of blue banana trees in the moonlight, the sad swamps, and the phosphorescent line of the Caribbean on the horizon. Santiago Nasar pointed to an intermittent light at sea and told us that it was the soul in torment of a slave ship that had sunk with a cargo of blacks from Senegal across from the main harbour mouth at Cartagena de Indias. It was possible to think that his conscience was bothering him, although at that time he didn’t know that the ephemeral married life of Angela Vicario had come to an end two hours before.Passage analysisleft-41148000right389255Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 400Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 4ViolenceReligionCommunity (impact of Santiago’s death)JusticeAppearanceFate vs free willRituals‘It was as if we killed him all over again.’ (Ch4.72)-2773045-1132205Killer quotationsKiller quotations-260351905000Colonel Lazaro Aponte…ended up being a vegetarian as well as a spiritualist (Ch4.77)‘It was a massacre’ (Ch4.75)“I can’t,” she said. “You smell of him.” (Ch4.78)“I was awake for eleven months.” (Ch4.80)‘..we couldn’t get rid of the idea that it was some trick of the Turks.’ (Ch4.80)‘The Arabs comprised a community of peaceful immigrants.’ (Ch4.81)‘‘Pura Vicario wrapped the face of the rejected daughter in a cloth so that no one would see the bruises, and she dressed her in bright red so nobody might think she was mourning her secret lover.’ (Ch4.83) “Nobody fucks with me.” (Ch4.85)‘Santiago Nasar had expiated the insult, the brothers Vicario had proved their status as men, and the seduced sister was in possession of her honor once more.’ (Ch4.84)‘That was all we had left of him: the memory of a victim.’ (Ch4.86)“It was very easy,” she told me, “because I’d made up my mind to die.” (Ch4.92)‘Angela Vicario saw her as she was: a poor woman devoted to the cult of her defects.’ (Ch4.93)‘Mistress of her fate for the first time, Angela Vicario then discovered that hate and love are reciprocal passions’ (Ch4.94)‘She became lucid, overbearing, mistress of her own free will…’ (Ch4.94)‘She was frightened because she knew he was seeing her just as diminished as she saw him…’ (Ch4.96)1409700508000The autopsy– Ch4 p.75-6The priest had studied medicine and surgery at Salamanca, but had entered the seminary before he was graduated, and even the mayor knew that his autopsy would have no legal standing. Nevertheless, he made him carry out the order. It was a massacre, performed at the public school with the help of the druggist, who took notes, and a first-year medical student who was here on vacation. They only had a few instruments for minor surgery available and the rest were craftsmen’s tools. But despite the havoc wrought on the body, Father Amador’s report seemed in order and the investigator incorporated it in the brief as a useful piece of evidence. Seven of the several wounds were fatal. The liver was almost sliced in pieces by two deep cuts on the anterior side. He had four incisions in the stomach, one of them so deep that it went completely through and destroyed the pancreas. He had six other lesser perforations in the transverse colon and multiple wounds in the small intestine. The only one he had in the back, at the level of the third lumbar vertebra, had perforated the right kidney. The abdominal cavity was filled with large clots of blood, and in the midst of the morass of gastric contents appeared a medal of the Virgin of Carmel that Santiago Nasar had swallowed at the age of four. The thoracic cavity showed two perforations: one in the second right intercostal space that affected the lung and another quite close to the left armpit. He also had six minor wounds on his arms and hands, and two horizontal cuts: one on the right thigh and the other in the abdominal muscles. He had a deep stab in the right hand. The report says: ‘’It looked like a stigma of the crucified Christ.’00The autopsy– Ch4 p.75-6The priest had studied medicine and surgery at Salamanca, but had entered the seminary before he was graduated, and even the mayor knew that his autopsy would have no legal standing. Nevertheless, he made him carry out the order. It was a massacre, performed at the public school with the help of the druggist, who took notes, and a first-year medical student who was here on vacation. They only had a few instruments for minor surgery available and the rest were craftsmen’s tools. But despite the havoc wrought on the body, Father Amador’s report seemed in order and the investigator incorporated it in the brief as a useful piece of evidence. Seven of the several wounds were fatal. The liver was almost sliced in pieces by two deep cuts on the anterior side. He had four incisions in the stomach, one of them so deep that it went completely through and destroyed the pancreas. He had six other lesser perforations in the transverse colon and multiple wounds in the small intestine. The only one he had in the back, at the level of the third lumbar vertebra, had perforated the right kidney. The abdominal cavity was filled with large clots of blood, and in the midst of the morass of gastric contents appeared a medal of the Virgin of Carmel that Santiago Nasar had swallowed at the age of four. The thoracic cavity showed two perforations: one in the second right intercostal space that affected the lung and another quite close to the left armpit. He also had six minor wounds on his arms and hands, and two horizontal cuts: one on the right thigh and the other in the abdominal muscles. He had a deep stab in the right hand. The report says: ‘’It looked like a stigma of the crucified Christ.’Passage analysis1417320502920The Arabs– Ch4 p.80-81The twins’ fear was in response to the mood in the streets. Revenge by the Arabs wasn’t dismissed, but no one, except the Vicario brothers, had thought of poison. It was supposed, rather, that they would wait for nightfall in order to pour gasoline through the skylight and burn up the prisoners in their cell. But even that was too easy a supposition. The Arabs comprised a community of peaceful immigrants who had settled at the beginning of the century in Caribbean towns, even in the poorest and most remote, and there they remained, selling coloured cloth and bazaar trinkets. They were clannish, hard-working, and Catholic. They married among themselves, imported their wheat, raised lambs in their yards and grew oregano and egg-plants, and playing cards was their only driving passion. The older ones continued speaking the rustic Arabic they had brought from their homeland, and they maintained it intact in the family down to the second generation, but those of the third, with the exception of Santiago Nasar, listened to their parents in Arabic and answered them in Spanish. So it was inconceivable that they would suddenly change their pastoral spirit to avenge a death for which we all could have been to blame. On the other hand, no one thought about reprisals from Placida Linero’s family, who had been powerful and fighting people until their fortune ran out, and had bred more than two barroom killers who had been preserved by the salt of their name.00The Arabs– Ch4 p.80-81The twins’ fear was in response to the mood in the streets. Revenge by the Arabs wasn’t dismissed, but no one, except the Vicario brothers, had thought of poison. It was supposed, rather, that they would wait for nightfall in order to pour gasoline through the skylight and burn up the prisoners in their cell. But even that was too easy a supposition. The Arabs comprised a community of peaceful immigrants who had settled at the beginning of the century in Caribbean towns, even in the poorest and most remote, and there they remained, selling coloured cloth and bazaar trinkets. They were clannish, hard-working, and Catholic. They married among themselves, imported their wheat, raised lambs in their yards and grew oregano and egg-plants, and playing cards was their only driving passion. The older ones continued speaking the rustic Arabic they had brought from their homeland, and they maintained it intact in the family down to the second generation, but those of the third, with the exception of Santiago Nasar, listened to their parents in Arabic and answered them in Spanish. So it was inconceivable that they would suddenly change their pastoral spirit to avenge a death for which we all could have been to blame. On the other hand, no one thought about reprisals from Placida Linero’s family, who had been powerful and fighting people until their fortune ran out, and had bred more than two barroom killers who had been preserved by the salt of their name.Passage analysis1417320502920The Vicario family – Ch4 p83-84The whole family left, even the older sisters with their husbands, on Colonel Aponte’s initiative. They left without anyone’s noticing, sheltered by public exhaustion, while the only survivors of that irreparable day among us who were awake were burying Santiago Nasar. They were leaving until spirits cooled off, according to the mayor’s decision, but they never came back. Pura Vicario wrapped the face of the rejected daughter in a cloth so that no one would see the bruises, and she dressed her in bright red so nobody might think she was mourning her secret lover. Before leaving, she asked Father Amador to confess her sons in jail, but Pedro Vicario refused and convinced his brother that they had nothing to repent. They remained alone, and on the day of their transfer to Riohacha they had recovered so much and were so convinced that they were right that they didn’t want to be taken out by night, as had been done with the family, but in broad daylight and with their faces showing. Poncio Vicario, the father, died a short time later. “His moral pain carried him off,” Angela Vicario told me. When the twins were absolved they remained in Riohacha, only a day’s trip from Manaure, where the family was living. Prudencia Cotes went there to marry Pablo Vicario, who learned to work with precious metals in his father’s shop and came to be an elegant goldsmith. Pedro Vicario, without love or a job, reenlisted in the armed forces three years later, earned his first sergeant’s stripes, and one fine morning his patrol went into guerrilla territory singing whorehouse songs and was never heard of again.00The Vicario family – Ch4 p83-84The whole family left, even the older sisters with their husbands, on Colonel Aponte’s initiative. They left without anyone’s noticing, sheltered by public exhaustion, while the only survivors of that irreparable day among us who were awake were burying Santiago Nasar. They were leaving until spirits cooled off, according to the mayor’s decision, but they never came back. Pura Vicario wrapped the face of the rejected daughter in a cloth so that no one would see the bruises, and she dressed her in bright red so nobody might think she was mourning her secret lover. Before leaving, she asked Father Amador to confess her sons in jail, but Pedro Vicario refused and convinced his brother that they had nothing to repent. They remained alone, and on the day of their transfer to Riohacha they had recovered so much and were so convinced that they were right that they didn’t want to be taken out by night, as had been done with the family, but in broad daylight and with their faces showing. Poncio Vicario, the father, died a short time later. “His moral pain carried him off,” Angela Vicario told me. When the twins were absolved they remained in Riohacha, only a day’s trip from Manaure, where the family was living. Prudencia Cotes went there to marry Pablo Vicario, who learned to work with precious metals in his father’s shop and came to be an elegant goldsmith. Pedro Vicario, without love or a job, reenlisted in the armed forces three years later, earned his first sergeant’s stripes, and one fine morning his patrol went into guerrilla territory singing whorehouse songs and was never heard of again.Passage analysis1295399504825Bayardo – Ch4 p85-86“Things looked like they were under water,” the mayor told me. Bayardo San Roman was unconscious on the bed, still the way Pura Vicario had seen him early Tuesday morning, wearing his dress pants and silk shirt, but with his shoes off. There were empty bottles on the floor and many more unopened beside the bed, but not a trace of food. “He was in the last stages of ethylic intoxication,” I was told by Dr. Dionisio Iguaran, who had given him emergency treatment. But he recovered in a few hours, and as soon as his mind had cleared, he threw them out of the house with the best manners he was capable of.“Nobody fucks with me,” he said. “Not even my father with his war veteran’s balls.” The mayor informed General Petronio San Roman of the episode, down to the last literal phrase, in an alarming telegram. General San Roman must have followed his son’s wishes to the letter, because he didn’t come for him, but sent his wife with their daughters and two other older women who seemed to be her sisters. They came on a cargo boat, locked in mourning up to their necks because of Bayardo San Roman’s misfortunes, and with their hair hanging loose in grief. Before stepping onto land, they took off their shoes and went barefoot through the streets up to the hilltop in the burning dust of noon, pulling out strands of hair by the roots and wailing loudly with such high-pitched shrieks that they seemed to be from joy. I watched them pass from Magdalena Oliver’s balcony and I remember thinking that distress like that could only be put on in order to hide other, greater shames.Colonel Lazaro Aponte accompanied to them to the house on the hill, and then Dr Dionisio Iguaran went up on the mule he had for emergencies. When the sun let up, two men from the town government brought Bayardo San Roman down on a hammock hanging from a pole, wrapped up to his neck in a blanket and with a retinue of wailing women. Magdalena Oliver thought he was dead.“Collons de deu!” she exclaimed. “What a waste!”He was laid out by alcohol again, but it was hard to believe they were carrying a living person, because his right arm was dragging on the ground, and as soon as his mother put it back inside the hammock it would fall out again, so that he left a trail on the ground from the edge of the precipice to the deck of the boat. That was all that we had left of him: the memory of a victim.00Bayardo – Ch4 p85-86“Things looked like they were under water,” the mayor told me. Bayardo San Roman was unconscious on the bed, still the way Pura Vicario had seen him early Tuesday morning, wearing his dress pants and silk shirt, but with his shoes off. There were empty bottles on the floor and many more unopened beside the bed, but not a trace of food. “He was in the last stages of ethylic intoxication,” I was told by Dr. Dionisio Iguaran, who had given him emergency treatment. But he recovered in a few hours, and as soon as his mind had cleared, he threw them out of the house with the best manners he was capable of.“Nobody fucks with me,” he said. “Not even my father with his war veteran’s balls.” The mayor informed General Petronio San Roman of the episode, down to the last literal phrase, in an alarming telegram. General San Roman must have followed his son’s wishes to the letter, because he didn’t come for him, but sent his wife with their daughters and two other older women who seemed to be her sisters. They came on a cargo boat, locked in mourning up to their necks because of Bayardo San Roman’s misfortunes, and with their hair hanging loose in grief. Before stepping onto land, they took off their shoes and went barefoot through the streets up to the hilltop in the burning dust of noon, pulling out strands of hair by the roots and wailing loudly with such high-pitched shrieks that they seemed to be from joy. I watched them pass from Magdalena Oliver’s balcony and I remember thinking that distress like that could only be put on in order to hide other, greater shames.Colonel Lazaro Aponte accompanied to them to the house on the hill, and then Dr Dionisio Iguaran went up on the mule he had for emergencies. When the sun let up, two men from the town government brought Bayardo San Roman down on a hammock hanging from a pole, wrapped up to his neck in a blanket and with a retinue of wailing women. Magdalena Oliver thought he was dead.“Collons de deu!” she exclaimed. “What a waste!”He was laid out by alcohol again, but it was hard to believe they were carrying a living person, because his right arm was dragging on the ground, and as soon as his mother put it back inside the hammock it would fall out again, so that he left a trail on the ground from the edge of the precipice to the deck of the boat. That was all that we had left of him: the memory of a victim.Passage analysis1417320502920Angela Vicario– Ch4 p.94-96She was reborn. “I went crazy over him,” she told me, “out of my mind.” She only had to close her eyes to see him she heard him breathing in the sea, the blaze of his body in bed would awaken her at midnight. Toward the end of that week, unable to get a moment’s rest, she wrote him the first letter. It was a conventional missive, in which she told him that she’d seen him come out of the hotel, and that she would have liked it if he had seen her. She waiting in vain for a reply. At the end of two months, tired of waiting, she sent him another letter in the same oblique style as the previous one, whose only aim seemed to be to reproach him for his lack of courtesy. Six months later she had written six letters with no reply, but she comforted herself with the proof that he was getting them.Mistress of her fate for the first time, Angela Vicario then discovered that hate and love are reciprocal passions. The more letters she sent the more the coals of her fever burned, but the happy rancour she felt for her mother also heated up. “Just seeing her would turn my stomach,” she told me, “but I couldn’t see her without remembering him.” Her life as a rejected wife continued on, simple as that of an old maid, still doing machine embroidery with her friends, just as before she had made cloth tulips and paper birds, but when her mother went to bed she would stay in the room until dawn writing letters with no future. She became lucid, overbearing, mistress of her own free will, and she became a virgin again just for him, and she recognised no other authority than her own nor any other service than that of her obsession.She wrote a weekly letter for over half a lifetime. “Sometimes I couldn’t think of what to say,” she told me, dying with laughter, “but it was enough for me to know that he was getting them.” At first they were a fiancee’s notes, then they were little messages from a secret lover, perfumed cards from a furtive sweetheart, business papers, love documents, and lastly they were the indignant letters of an abandoned wife who invented cruel illnesses to make him return. One night, in a good mood, she spilled the inkwell over the finished letter and instead of tearing up she added a postscript: “As proof of my love I send you my 00Angela Vicario– Ch4 p.94-96She was reborn. “I went crazy over him,” she told me, “out of my mind.” She only had to close her eyes to see him she heard him breathing in the sea, the blaze of his body in bed would awaken her at midnight. Toward the end of that week, unable to get a moment’s rest, she wrote him the first letter. It was a conventional missive, in which she told him that she’d seen him come out of the hotel, and that she would have liked it if he had seen her. She waiting in vain for a reply. At the end of two months, tired of waiting, she sent him another letter in the same oblique style as the previous one, whose only aim seemed to be to reproach him for his lack of courtesy. Six months later she had written six letters with no reply, but she comforted herself with the proof that he was getting them.Mistress of her fate for the first time, Angela Vicario then discovered that hate and love are reciprocal passions. The more letters she sent the more the coals of her fever burned, but the happy rancour she felt for her mother also heated up. “Just seeing her would turn my stomach,” she told me, “but I couldn’t see her without remembering him.” Her life as a rejected wife continued on, simple as that of an old maid, still doing machine embroidery with her friends, just as before she had made cloth tulips and paper birds, but when her mother went to bed she would stay in the room until dawn writing letters with no future. She became lucid, overbearing, mistress of her own free will, and she became a virgin again just for him, and she recognised no other authority than her own nor any other service than that of her obsession.She wrote a weekly letter for over half a lifetime. “Sometimes I couldn’t think of what to say,” she told me, dying with laughter, “but it was enough for me to know that he was getting them.” At first they were a fiancee’s notes, then they were little messages from a secret lover, perfumed cards from a furtive sweetheart, business papers, love documents, and lastly they were the indignant letters of an abandoned wife who invented cruel illnesses to make him return. One night, in a good mood, she spilled the inkwell over the finished letter and instead of tearing up she added a postscript: “As proof of my love I send you my Passage analysis1295400502920Angela Vicario – Ch4 p.94-96 conttears.” On occasion, tired of weeping, she would make fun of her own madness. Six times the postmistress were changed and six times she got their complicity. The only thing that didn’t occur to her was to give up. Nevertheless, he seemed insensible to her delirium; it was like writing to nobody.Early one windy morning in the tenth year, she was awakened by the certainty that he was naked in her bed. Then she wrote him a feverish letter, twenty pages long, in which without shame she let out the bitter truths that she had carried rotting in her heart ever since that ill-fated night. She spoke to him of the eternal scars he had left on her body, the salt of his tongue, the fiery furrow of his African tool. On Friday she gave it to the postmistress who came Friday afternoons to embroider with her and pick up the letters, and she was convinced that that final alleviation would be the end of her agony. But there was no reply. From then on she was no longer conscious of what she wrote nor to whom she was really writing, but she kept on writing without quarter for seventeen years.Halfway through one August day, while she was embroidering with her friends, she heard someone coming to the door. She didn’t have to look to see who it was. “He was fat and was beginning to lose his hair, and he already needed glasses to see things close by,” she told me. “But it was him, God damn it, it was him!” She was frightened because she knew he was seeing her just as diminished as she saw him, and she didn’t think he had as much love inside as she to bear up under it. His shirt was soaked in sweat, as she had seen him the first time at the fair, and he was wearing the same belt, and carrying the same unstitched leather saddlebags with silver decorations. Bayardo San Roman took a step forward, unconcerned about the other astonished embroiderers, and laid his saddlebags on the sewing machine.“Well,” he said, “here I am.”He was carrying a suitcase with clothing in order to stay and another just like it with almost two thousand letters she had written him. They were arranged by date in bundles tied with coloured ribbons and all unopened.00Angela Vicario – Ch4 p.94-96 conttears.” On occasion, tired of weeping, she would make fun of her own madness. Six times the postmistress were changed and six times she got their complicity. The only thing that didn’t occur to her was to give up. Nevertheless, he seemed insensible to her delirium; it was like writing to nobody.Early one windy morning in the tenth year, she was awakened by the certainty that he was naked in her bed. Then she wrote him a feverish letter, twenty pages long, in which without shame she let out the bitter truths that she had carried rotting in her heart ever since that ill-fated night. She spoke to him of the eternal scars he had left on her body, the salt of his tongue, the fiery furrow of his African tool. On Friday she gave it to the postmistress who came Friday afternoons to embroider with her and pick up the letters, and she was convinced that that final alleviation would be the end of her agony. But there was no reply. From then on she was no longer conscious of what she wrote nor to whom she was really writing, but she kept on writing without quarter for seventeen years.Halfway through one August day, while she was embroidering with her friends, she heard someone coming to the door. She didn’t have to look to see who it was. “He was fat and was beginning to lose his hair, and he already needed glasses to see things close by,” she told me. “But it was him, God damn it, it was him!” She was frightened because she knew he was seeing her just as diminished as she saw him, and she didn’t think he had as much love inside as she to bear up under it. His shirt was soaked in sweat, as she had seen him the first time at the fair, and he was wearing the same belt, and carrying the same unstitched leather saddlebags with silver decorations. Bayardo San Roman took a step forward, unconcerned about the other astonished embroiderers, and laid his saddlebags on the sewing machine.“Well,” he said, “here I am.”He was carrying a suitcase with clothing in order to stay and another just like it with almost two thousand letters she had written him. They were arranged by date in bundles tied with coloured ribbons and all unopened.Passage analysisright-44196000center374015Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 500Tracing key themes and ideas – Chapter 5Fate CommunityJusticeViolence‘The cocks of dawn would catch us trying to give order to the chain of many chance events that had made absurdity possible, and it was obvious that we weren’t doing it from an urge to clear up mysteries but because none of us could go on living without an exact knowledge of the place and the mission assigned to us by fate.’ (Ch5.97)-2773045-1132205Killer quotationsKiller quotations‘Twelve days after the crime, the investigating magistrate came upon a town that was an open wound’ (Ch5.99)-4354-79238900‘…he had to ask for troop reinforcements to control the crowd that was pouring in to testify without being summoned, anxious to show off their own important parts of the drama’ (Ch5.99)‘He was so perplexed by the enigma that chance had touched with, that many times he fell into lyrical distractions that ran contrary to the rigor of his profession. Most of all, he never thought it legitimate that life should make use of so many coincidences forbidden literature, so that there should be the untrammeled fulfillment of a death so clearly foretold.’ (Ch5.100)‘On folio 416, in his own handwriting and with the druggist’s red ink, he wrote a marginal note: Give me a prejudice and I will move the world.’ (Ch5.101)“He thought that his money made him untouchable.’ (Ch5.102)“Just like all Turks.” (Ch5.103)‘…the victim’s very behavior during his last hours was overwhelming proof of his innocence.’ (Ch5.101)“They were looking at us as if we had our faces painted.” (Ch5.104)‘My personal impression is that he died without understanding his death.’ (Ch5.102)“Dead men can’t shoot.” (Ch5.110)‘He promised to take care of it at once, but he went into the social club to check on a date for dominoes that night, and when he came out again the crime had been committed’ (Ch5.111)‘Santiago Nasar was so perplexed that he dropped the chest and his loveless letters poured out onto the floor.’ (Ch5.115) ‘He turned pale and lost control in such a way that it was impossible to think that he was pretending.’ (Ch5.116)‘The people had stationed themselves on the square the way they did on parade days. (Ch5.116)‘But they both suddenly awakened to reality, because they were exhausted, and yet they thought that Santiago Nasar would never fall. “Shit cousin,” Pablo Vicario told me, “you can’t imagine how hard it is to kill a man!” (Ch5.120)‘Santiago Nasar walked with his usual good bearing, measuring his steps well, and that his Saracen face with its headstrong ringlets was handsomer than ever.’ (Ch5.122)1409700508000Flora Miguel – Ch5 p113-115Flora Miguel awoke that Monday with the first bellows of the bishop’s boat, and shortly thereafter she found out that the Vicario twins were waiting for Santiago Nasar to kill him. She told my sister the nun, the only one she spoke to after the misfortune, that she didn’t even remember who’d told her. “I only know that at six o’clock in the morning everybody knew it,” she told her. Nevertheless, it seemed inconceivable to her that they were going to kill Santiago Nasar, but on the other hand, it occurred to her that they would force him to marry Angela Vicario in order to give her back her honour. She went through a crisis of humiliation. While half the town was waiting for the bishop, she was in her bedroom weeping with rage, and putting in order the chestful of letters that Santiago Nasar had sent her from school.….The fact is that Santiago Nasar went in through the main door, in full view of everyone, and without doing anything not to be seen. Flora Miguel was waiting for him in the parlour, green with rage, wearing one of the dresses with unfortunate ruffles that she was in the habit of putting on for memorable occasions, and put the chest in his hands.“Here you are,” she told him. “And I hope they kill you!”Santiago Nasar was so perplexed that he dropped the chest and his loveless letters poured out onto the floor. He tried to catch Flora Miguel in the bedroom, but she closed the door and threw the bolt.00Flora Miguel – Ch5 p113-115Flora Miguel awoke that Monday with the first bellows of the bishop’s boat, and shortly thereafter she found out that the Vicario twins were waiting for Santiago Nasar to kill him. She told my sister the nun, the only one she spoke to after the misfortune, that she didn’t even remember who’d told her. “I only know that at six o’clock in the morning everybody knew it,” she told her. Nevertheless, it seemed inconceivable to her that they were going to kill Santiago Nasar, but on the other hand, it occurred to her that they would force him to marry Angela Vicario in order to give her back her honour. She went through a crisis of humiliation. While half the town was waiting for the bishop, she was in her bedroom weeping with rage, and putting in order the chestful of letters that Santiago Nasar had sent her from school.….The fact is that Santiago Nasar went in through the main door, in full view of everyone, and without doing anything not to be seen. Flora Miguel was waiting for him in the parlour, green with rage, wearing one of the dresses with unfortunate ruffles that she was in the habit of putting on for memorable occasions, and put the chest in his hands.“Here you are,” she told him. “And I hope they kill you!”Santiago Nasar was so perplexed that he dropped the chest and his loveless letters poured out onto the floor. He tried to catch Flora Miguel in the bedroom, but she closed the door and threw the bolt.Passage analysis1295400609600Santiago’s death – Ch5 p119-121Santiago Nasar only lacked a few seconds to get in when the door closed. He managed to pound with his fists several times, and he turned at once to face his enemies with his bare hands. “I was scared when I saw him face on,” Pablo Vicario told me, “because he looked twice as big as he was.” Santiago Nasar raised his hand to stop the first strike from Pedro Vicario, who attacked him on the right side with his knife straight in.“Sons of bitches!” he shouted.The knife went through the palm of his right hand and then sank into his side up to the hilt. Everybody heard his cry of pain.“Oh, mother of mine!”Pedro Vicario pulled out his knife with his slaughterer’s iron wrist and dealt him a second thrust almost in the same place. “The strange thing is that the knife kept coming out clean,” Pedro Vicario declared to the investigator. “I’d given it to him at least three times and there wasn’t a drop of blood.” Santiago Nasar twisted after the third stab, his arms crossed over his stomach, let out the moan of a calf, and tried to turn his back to them. Pablo Vicario, who was on his left, then gave him the only stab in the back and a spurt of blood under high pressure soaked his shirt. “It smelled like him,” he told me. Mortally wounded three times, Santiago Nasar turned frontward again and leaned his back against his mother’s door, without the slightest resistance, as if he only wanted to help them finish killing him by equal shares. “He didn’t cry out again,” Pedro Vicario told the investigator. “Just the opposite: it looked to me as if he was laughing.” Then they both kept on knifing him against the door with alternate and easy stabs, floating in the dazzling backwater they had found on the other side of fear. They didn’t hear the shouts of the whole town, frightened by its own crime. “I felt the way you do when you’re galloping on horseback,” Pablo Vicario declared. But they both suddenly awakened to reality, because they were exhausted, and yet they thought that Santiago Nasar would never fall. “Shit, cousin,” Pablo Vicario told me, “you can’t imagine how hard it is to kill a man!”00Santiago’s death – Ch5 p119-121Santiago Nasar only lacked a few seconds to get in when the door closed. He managed to pound with his fists several times, and he turned at once to face his enemies with his bare hands. “I was scared when I saw him face on,” Pablo Vicario told me, “because he looked twice as big as he was.” Santiago Nasar raised his hand to stop the first strike from Pedro Vicario, who attacked him on the right side with his knife straight in.“Sons of bitches!” he shouted.The knife went through the palm of his right hand and then sank into his side up to the hilt. Everybody heard his cry of pain.“Oh, mother of mine!”Pedro Vicario pulled out his knife with his slaughterer’s iron wrist and dealt him a second thrust almost in the same place. “The strange thing is that the knife kept coming out clean,” Pedro Vicario declared to the investigator. “I’d given it to him at least three times and there wasn’t a drop of blood.” Santiago Nasar twisted after the third stab, his arms crossed over his stomach, let out the moan of a calf, and tried to turn his back to them. Pablo Vicario, who was on his left, then gave him the only stab in the back and a spurt of blood under high pressure soaked his shirt. “It smelled like him,” he told me. Mortally wounded three times, Santiago Nasar turned frontward again and leaned his back against his mother’s door, without the slightest resistance, as if he only wanted to help them finish killing him by equal shares. “He didn’t cry out again,” Pedro Vicario told the investigator. “Just the opposite: it looked to me as if he was laughing.” Then they both kept on knifing him against the door with alternate and easy stabs, floating in the dazzling backwater they had found on the other side of fear. They didn’t hear the shouts of the whole town, frightened by its own crime. “I felt the way you do when you’re galloping on horseback,” Pablo Vicario declared. But they both suddenly awakened to reality, because they were exhausted, and yet they thought that Santiago Nasar would never fall. “Shit, cousin,” Pablo Vicario told me, “you can’t imagine how hard it is to kill a man!”Passage analysisright-44450000left1431290Ambiguity and specificityTimeBiblical traitsBlindnessBayardo San RomanLettersWhiteCatholicismThe Bishop020000Ambiguity and specificityTimeBiblical traitsBlindnessBayardo San RomanLettersWhiteCatholicismThe Bishopleft385445MOTIFs are dominant or recurring ideas in the text. Look at the motifs listed below and track where they appear in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.020000MOTIFs are dominant or recurring ideas in the text. Look at the motifs listed below and track where they appear in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.center-47434500center340360OmensBirds / falconrySmellsThe Vicario twinsMarriageHonourFestivals / partiesShadowsBloodWaterArabs020000OmensBirds / falconrySmellsThe Vicario twinsMarriageHonourFestivals / partiesShadowsBloodWaterArabsleft-41910000right299085Maria Alejandrina Cervantes“Outsiders”FamilyKnivesIrony020000Maria Alejandrina Cervantes“Outsiders”FamilyKnivesIronycenter-41910000635001736090Paper 2 is your literature exam. You will be given six essay-based questions and will need to choose one to respond to across a two-hour period. Whilst you will study three texts (Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The Great Gatsby and The Handmaid’s Tale), you will only need to explore two of the texts in your exam. The questions will focus on how meaning in a text is shaped by the culture and by the contexts of the circumstances of its production as well as how meaning is shaped by what the reader brings to a text.The three learning outcomes for Paper 2 areTo consider the changing historical, cultural and social contexts in which particular texts are written and received.To demonstrate how the formal elements of the text, genre and structure can not only be seen to influence meaning but can also be influenced by contextTo understand the attitudes and values expressed by literary texts and their impact on readers.On the next page, you will find the assessment criteria. Essentially, it boils down to four things:How well you know the text How well you know the context surrounding the textHow well you respond to the question How well you can analyse the methods the writer has used and their effectHow well you can organise and structure your responseHow clear your language use is00Paper 2 is your literature exam. You will be given six essay-based questions and will need to choose one to respond to across a two-hour period. Whilst you will study three texts (Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The Great Gatsby and The Handmaid’s Tale), you will only need to explore two of the texts in your exam. The questions will focus on how meaning in a text is shaped by the culture and by the contexts of the circumstances of its production as well as how meaning is shaped by what the reader brings to a text.The three learning outcomes for Paper 2 areTo consider the changing historical, cultural and social contexts in which particular texts are written and received.To demonstrate how the formal elements of the text, genre and structure can not only be seen to influence meaning but can also be influenced by contextTo understand the attitudes and values expressed by literary texts and their impact on readers.On the next page, you will find the assessment criteria. Essentially, it boils down to four things:How well you know the text How well you know the context surrounding the textHow well you respond to the question How well you can analyse the methods the writer has used and their effectHow well you can organise and structure your responseHow clear your language use is-25400334645Paper 200Paper 2Paper 2: Essay (HL)5 marks4 marks3 marks2 marks1 mark0 marksCriterion A: Knowledge and understandingHow much knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works and their context has the student demonstrated in relation to the question answered?Knowledge of the part 3 works and the way context affects their meaning is thoroughly and persuasively illustrated and the understanding shown is perceptive.Knowledge of the part 3 works and the way context affects their meaning is pertinently illustrated and the understanding shown is good.Knowledge of the part 3 works and the way context affects their meaning is adequately illustrated; understanding is satisfactory.Knowledge of the part 3 works and the way context affects their meaning is sometimes illustrated; understanding is superficial.Little knowledge is shown of the part 3 works and the way context affects their meaning.The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors on the left.Criterion B: Response to the question.To what extent is an understanding of the expectations of the question shown? How relevant is the response to these expectations, and how far does it show critical analysis?There is excellent understanding of the expectations and many of the subtleties of the question; the response is relevant, focused and insightful.There is good understanding of the expectations and some of the subtleties of the question; the response is consistently relevant and critical.There is adequate awareness of the expectations of the question; the response is generally relevant and critical.There is some awareness of the expectations of the question; the response is only partly relevant and is mostly unsubstantiated generalisation.There is little awareness of the expectations of the question.The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors on the left.Criterion C:Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic featuresTo what extent does the essay show awareness of how the writer’s choice of the stylistic features in the text are used to construct meaning? To what extent does the essay show understanding of the effects of stylistic features?There is excellent awareness and illustration of the use of stylistic features, with very good understanding of their effects.There is good awareness and illustration of the use of stylistic features, with good understanding of their effects.There is adequate awareness and illustration of the use of stylistic features, with adequate understanding of their effects.There is some awareness and illustration of the use of stylistic features, with limited understanding of their effects.There is little awareness or illustration of the use of stylistic features.The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors on the left.Criterion D: Organisation and developmentHow logical and developed is the argument of the essay? How coherent and effective is the formal structure of the essay?There is precise focus, structure and excellent structure; the work is coherently sequenced and thoroughly developed.There is good focus and structure with a logical sequence and development.There is adequate focus, structure, sequencing of ideas and development.There is some focus, structure, sequencing of ideas and development. There is little focus, structure, sequencing of ideas and development.The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors on the left.Criterion E: LanguageHow clear, varied and accurate is the language? How appropriate is the choice of register, style and terminology?Language is very clear, effective, carefully chosen and precise with a high degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are effective and appropriate to the task.Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are consistently appropriate to the task.Language is clear and carefully chosen with an adequate degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction despite some lapses; register and style are mostly appropriate to the task.Language is sometimes clear and carefully chosen; grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction are fairly accurate, although errors and inconsistencies are apparent; the register and style are to some extent appropriate to the task.Language is rarely clear and appropriate; there are many errors in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction and little sense of register and style.The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors on the left.Essay planningIt could be argued that in some societies or cultures women are at a disadvantage to men or even actively discriminated against. To what degree is this evident in the way women are represented in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:Are women at a disadvantage to men in COADF? If so, in what ways? Are there any examples where women are not disadvantaged?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationThe depiction of violence in some form (cultural, political, physical, psychological etc) is a central preoccupation of many works of literature. Discuss how violence is depicted and explore its significance in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How is violence depicted in COADF? What is the significance of the violence?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationHow do authorial choices regarding setting (time and place) create order and influence meaning in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:What settings are evidence in COADF? How do the settings help to create order and influence meaning?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationIn the past it was believed that literature achieved its importance due to its ability to show people the way to goodness and virtue. To what extent can this be said to be of importance in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:How does COADF show its readers the way to goodness and virtue? Why is this of importance in literature?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationSymbols can help a writer convey ideas, develop characters, establish atmosphere, etc. To what effect are symbols employed in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:How are symbols used in COADF? How does the use of symbols enhance the narrative and our understanding of it?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationTime of day or time of year are often presented by a writer in such a way as to support ideas in the work, to develop character or establish mood, atmosphere etc. In what ways is time used effectively in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:How is time used effectively in COADF? How important is time to the narrative for readers?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotation‘Working together’ or ‘standing on your own two feet’ – how do either or both of these ways of behaving reflect the cultural contexts in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:How is the concept of working together or standing on your own two feet evident in COADF? Why are these concepts important?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationWriting is both an art and a craft, where form and content are carefully constructed and language and style artistically embellish the whole. Discuss in what ways Chronicle of a Death Foretold effectively combines both art and craft.Introduction:How does COADF combine both art and craft? How does the combination of the two enhance your reading of the narrative?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationTension is often created between ‘new’ and ‘old’. To what effect do writers make use of such tension in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How is tension between new and old created in COADF? Why is this tension so significant?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationDiscuss the significance of particular times, places or events from real life, either mentioned or implied, in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How has real life been referred to or implied in COADF? How do references to real life improve a narrative?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationHow does the writer of Chronicle of a Death Foretold foreshadow events or ideas to come later in their works, and what is the effect of foreshadowing?Introduction:Are women at a disadvantage to men in COADF? If so, in what ways? Are there any examples where women are not disadvantaged?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationDiscuss whether or not the ending / conclusion to Chronicle of a Death Foretold is satisfactory.Introduction:How does COADF end? Is the ending satisfactory? Why are the endings of narratives so significant?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationAppearances can be deceptive. Discuss the relevance of this statement in regard to Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:Are appearances deceptive in COADF? How does this add to the reader experience?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPride can lead to failure and self-destruction or to accomplishment and self-fulfilment. Discuss the presentation of pride and its consequence in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How does the theme of pride feature in COADF? Is pride something that leads to failure and self-destruction or to an accomplishment and self-fulfilment in COADF?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationTo what effect is contrast and / or juxtaposition used in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:How is contrast / juxtaposition used in COADF? What purpose does the use of juxtaposition in COADF serve?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationIdentify some of the forms intolerance can take, and discuss how it effects both the victim and the intolerant in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How does the theme of intolerance appear in COADF? What is the effect of intolerance on both the victims and the intolerant in COADF?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationOften the appeal for the reader of a literary work is the atmosphere a writer creates (for example, peaceful, menacing or ironic). Discuss some of the ways atmosphere is conveyed and to what effect in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How is atmosphere created in COADF? What effect does the atmosphere have on the reader? How does it help to enhance our reading of the text?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationWriters often choose words, phrases and names of characters and places not only for their literal meaning, but for further meanings that they may suggest to the reader. Discuss how such words and their associations contribute to your understanding and appreciation of Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How are the names of characters and places significant in COADF? How do they help the reader in making inferences about character and place?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationIn what way(s) can the term ‘artificial’ be applied to Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:How can the term ‘artificial’ be applied to COADF? Why do writers create artificial characters, places or events? In what ways might this enhance a readers’ experience of a text?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationHow is ‘home’ depicted in Chronicle of a Death Foretold and what is its significance?Introduction:How do we define home? How is home depicted in COADF? How is the idea of ‘home’ significant in COADF?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationHow has the writer used narrative voice and / or characterization to explore a social or intellectual concern in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:How has the writer used narrative voice to explore a social or intellectual concern in COADF? How important is it that literature explores such concerns?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationDiscuss the pursuit of happiness in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How is the pursuit of happiness evident in COADF? How significant is the pursuit of happiness?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationIn what ways may a work’s stylistic features (the writer’s use of language, literary conventions, devices etc) add to or detract from its popularity over time? Discuss with reference to Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How does the use of stylistic features add to or detract from COADF’s popularity over time? Are the use of stylistic features important in a narrative?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationTo what extent could Chronicle of a Death Foretold be considered a work of protest?Introduction:How might COADF be considered a work of protest? Is it important that literature acts as a form of protest to raise awareness of particular issues?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationIn what ways do the families depicted in Chronicle of a Death Foretold help you to understand cultural similarities and differences?Introduction:How does the depiction of family help the reader to understand the culture being presented? How significant is the depiction of families in enhancing our cultural understanding?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationIrony can be used for either humorous or tragic effect. To what purpose has irony been employed in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How has irony been used in COADF? What is the purpose of irony in COADF?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationDiscuss the significance of the rural and / or the urban in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How significant are rural and urban environments in COADF? How does the depiction of both add to a reader’s understanding of the narrative?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationWith reference to Chronicle of a Death Foretold, analyse the techniques used by the writers to evoke an emotional response in the reader.Introduction:How have techniques been used to evoke an emotional response in COADF? How do emotional responses enhance our engagement with a narrative?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationWith reference to Chronicle of a Death Foretold, show how sub-plots or secondary themes contribute to the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the work as a whole.Introduction:How does a sub-plot or secondary theme contribute to the narrative of COADF? Do sub-plots or secondary themes enhance or detract from the overall narrative?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationHow are challenges to authority presented in Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and what impact have such challenges had on readers or audiences?Introduction:How is a challenge to authority evidence in COADF? What impact do challenges to authority have?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationThe personal history of an author can have a significant influence on the way meaning is constructed in his / her writing. Comment on specific instances of such influence in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How has the personal history of the author significantly influenced COADF? Should an author’s personal history influence the writing of a narrative?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationExamine the presentation of male and female views of the central concerns or issues in Chronicle of a Death Foretold and discuss the ways in which these views differ.Introduction:How are male and female perspectives on the central concerns presented in COADF? Do these perspectives differ or are they similar?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationMany works are concerned with human suffering. How has the concern been expressed in a way that engages audiences of various times and / or places in Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Introduction:What evidence is there of human suffering in COADF? Why has the writer included human suffering? How is it meant to engage the reader?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationTension often builds to a critical point in a piece of literature. How is tension created in Chronicle of a Death Foretold and for what purpose?Introduction:How is tension created in COADF? What purpose does the tension serve?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationExplore the presentation and significance of jealousy in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.Introduction:How is jealousy presented in COADF? Why is jealousy significant?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationIn what ways do the form and content of Chronicle of a Death Foretold reflect the time and place in which they were written?Introduction:How does the form and content reflect the time and place of COADF? How important is it that the form and content reflect the time and place of texts?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationWhat techniques are used in Chronicle of a Death Foretold to convey the thoughts of their characters, narrators or speakers and to what effect?Introduction:What techniques are used in COADF to convey the thoughts of characters, narrators or speakers? How successful were the inclusion of these techniques?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationIn what ways does Chronicle of a Death Foretold explore the role of the individual within society and what conclusions might be drawn from these explorations?Introduction:How is the role of the individual within society explored in COADF? What conclusions can we draw about the individual’s role within society?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationHow and why might Chronicle of a Death Foretold be considered inspirational?Introduction:How might COADF be considered inspirational? Why is it important for texts to inspire?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationHow does the writer of Chronicle of a Death Foretold convey a sense of place to their readers and to what purpose?Introduction:How is a sense of place conveyed in COADF? Why is place so significant in COADF?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationTo what extent does Chronicle of a Death Foretold show that an individual is in control of his or her own destiny?Introduction:How are individuals in control of their own destiny in COADF? What is the importance of presenting individuals in this way?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationHow can examining a literary work from different perspectives enrich our understanding of both the work and the techniques used by the writer? Introduction:How might examining COADF from a different perspective enrich your understanding of the work and the techniques used by the writer? How might it be detracting to do this?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationAnalyse the role non-human elements play in at least two of the works you have studied.Introduction:What role do non-human elements play in COADF? How significant are non-human elements?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationSome say ignorance is bliss. How is ‘not knowing’ presented in Chronicle of a Death Foretold and to what effect?Introduction:How is ‘not knowing’ presented in COADF? Why is ‘not knowing’ sometimes as significant as knowing?Point and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationPoint and quotationWider ReadingThe Origins of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Magic Realism"Surrealism runs through the streets," the Colombian author, who died today at age 87, told?The Atlantic?in 1973.?"Surrealism comes from the reality of Latin America."ASHLEY FETTERSAPR 17, 2014It’s often said that the works of Colombian novelist and short-story writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez are quintessential examples of “magic realism”: fiction that integrates elements of fantasy into otherwise realistic settings. In his 1967 novel?One Hundred Years of Solitude, which ambles through a century in the lives of one family in the enchanted Latin American hamlet of Macondo, magic carpets fly, ghosts haunt villagers, and trickles of blood from a killing climb stairs and turn corners to find the victim’s mother in her of FormWhen Garcia Marquez, who died today at age 87, spoke to William Kennedy in an extensive interview published in the January 1973 issue of?The Atlantic, he explained why he and other Latin American authors chose to weave fantastical details into their stories:In?Leaf Storm, the old doctor sits down to a pretentious, bourgeois dinner and startles everybody by saying to a servant: "Look, miss, just start boiling a little grass and bring that to me as if it were soup." "What kind of grass, doctor?" the servant asks. "Ordinary grass, ma'am," the doctor says. "The kind that donkeys eat."Surreal? Not to García. "A man said that in my house," he said.He believes that Faulkner differs from him on this matter in that Faulkner's outlandishness is?disguised?as reality."Faulkner was surprised at certain things that happened in life," García said, 'but he writes of them not as surprises but as things that happen every day."García feels less surprised. "In Mexico," he says, "surrealism runs through the streets. Surrealism comes from the reality of Latin America."About two weeks before he talked, a newsman had called to ask García for his reaction to an occurrence in a rural Colombian town. About ten in the morning at a small school, two men pulled up in a truck and said, "We came for the furniture." Nobody knew anything about them, but the schoolmaster nodded, the furniture was loaded onto the truck and driven off, and only much later was it understood that the truckmen were thieves."Normal," says García."One day in Barcelona," he continued, "my wife and I were asleep and the doorbell rings. I open the door and a man says to me, 'I came to fix the ironing cord.' My wife, from the bed, says, 'We don't have anything wrong with the iron here.' The man asks, 'Is this apartment two?' 'No,' I say, 'upstairs.' Later, my wife went to the iron and plugged it in and it burned up. This was a reversal. The man came before we knew it had to be fixed. This type of thing happens all the time. My wife has already forgotten it."García likes the principles of surrealism but not the surrealists themselves. Given a choice, he prefers the painters to the poets, but he does not think of himself as being like any of them. And it is true that his work is based more in the anecdote than in the symbolic or random flow of events so important to the surrealists; true also that his aim is to be accessible, not obscure. And yet, a surreal quality, a rendering of the improbable and impossible as real, pervades his work. the Bystander EffectBy?Kendra Cherry?Updated December 27, 2018If you witnessed an emergency happening right before your eyes, you would certainly take some sort of action to help the person in trouble, right? While we might all like to believe that this is true, psychologists suggest that whether or not you intervene might depend upon the number of other witnesses present.Understanding the EffectThe term bystander effect refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present, the less likely people are to help a person in distress. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. Being part of a large crowd makes it so no single person has to take responsibility for an action (or inaction).In a series of classic studies, researchers Bibb Latane and John Darley found that the amount of time it takes the participant to take action and seek help varies depending on how many other observers are in the room. In one?experiment, subjects were placed in one of three treatment conditions: alone in a room, with two other participants or with two confederates who pretended to be normal participants.As the participants sat filling out questionnaires, smoke began to fill the room. When participants were alone, 75% reported the smoke to the experimenters. In contrast, just 38% of participants in a room with two other people reported the smoke. In the final group, the two confederates in the experiment noted the smoke and then ignored it, which resulted in only 10% of the participants reporting the smoke.Additional?experiments?by Latane and Rodin (1969) found that while 70 percent would help a woman in distress when they were the only witness, only about 40 percent offered assistance when other people were also present.ExampleThe most frequently cited example of the bystander effect in introductory psychology textbooks is the brutal murder of a young woman named Catherine "Kitty" ?Genovese. On Friday, March 13, 1964, 28-year-old Genovese was returning home from work. As she approached her apartment entrance, she was attacked and stabbed by a man later identified as Winston Moseley.Despite Genovese’s repeated calls for help, none of the dozen or so people in the nearby apartment building who heard her cries called the?police to report the incident. The attack first began at 3:20 AM, but it was not until 3:50 AM that someone first contacted police.Initially reported in a 1964?New York Times?article, the story sensationalized the case and reported a number of factual inaccuracies. While frequently cited in psychology textbooks, an article in the September 2007 issue of?American Psychologist?concluded that the story is largely misrepresented mostly due to the inaccuracies repeatedly published in newspaper articles and psychology textbooks.While Genovese's case has been subject to numerous misrepresentations and inaccuracies, there have been numerous other cases reported in recent years. The bystander effect can clearly have a powerful impact on social behavior, but why exactly does it happen? Why don't we help when we are part of a crowd?Explanations for the Bystander EffectThere are two major factors that contribute to the bystander effect.First, the presence of other people creates a?diffusion of responsibility. Because there are other observers, individuals do not feel as much pressure to take action, since the responsibility to take action is thought to be shared among all of those present.The second reason is the need to?behave in correct and socially acceptable ways. When other observers fail to react, individuals often take this as a signal that a response is not needed or not appropriate. Other researchers have found that onlookers are less likely to intervene if the situation is ambiguous. In the case of Kitty Genovese, many of the 38 witnesses reported that they believed that they were witnessing a "lover's quarrel," and did not realize that the young woman was actually being murdered.Characteristics of the situation can play a role. During a?crisis, things are often chaotic and the situation is not always crystal clear. Onlookers might wonder exactly what is happening. During such chaotic moments, people often look to others in the group to determine what is appropriate. When people look at the crowd and see that no one else is reacting, it sends a signal that perhaps no action is needed.Can You Prevent the Bystander Effect?So what can you do to avoid falling into this trap of inaction? Some psychologists suggest that simply being aware of this tendency is perhaps the greatest way to break the cycle. When faced with a situation that requires action, understanding how the bystander effect might be holding you back and consciously taking steps to overcome it can help. However, this does not mean you should place yourself in danger.But what if you are the person in need of assistance? How can you inspire people to lend a hand? One?often-recommended tactic?is to single out one person from the crowd. Make eye contact and ask that individual specifically for help. By personalizing and individualizing your request, it becomes much harder for people to turn you down.Colombia’s Gender Problem12/01/201312/01/2013By The Morningside PostBy Sara Lisa ?rstavik and Andres Lizcano Rodriguez of?The Morningside PostAndrés Jaramillo is the owner of Andrés Carne de Res in Bogotá, Colombia, one of Latin America’s best restaurants, and one which American travelers frequent regularly. A prominent restaurateur who has been featured in the?New York Times, Jaramillo would appear to represent cosmopolitan, forward-thinking Colombia. But his recent and very public comments about a rape incident reveal dangerous views on women that permeate Colombian culture.Responding to a woman’s allegations that she had been raped in the restaurant parking lot on November 2, Jaramillo made these remarks during an?interview?last week:“Let’s study what happens with a 20-year-old girl that arrives with her girlfriends, left by her father to god’s goodwill. She arrives dressed with a coat and a miniskirt underneath — well, what’s she playing at? And then, in order to absolve her sins she tells her father that she’s been raped.”Unforgivable remarks like these, which made national and?international news, are emblematic of Colombia’s gender gap. Progressing from the status of a nearly failed state, Colombia has made impressive strides in economic development that now places it in an enviable place in global markets. But beneath the country’s rosy modernization narrative is a disturbing tale of violence against women, violations of women’s rights, and entrenched gender inequity.According to a recent national?study, 37 percent of married women have been physically abused by their husbands. Ten percent of those women report having been raped. Six percent of the women surveyed have been raped by someone other than their husband.Violence against women in Colombia is not only common, it often goes unpunished.Only 21 percent of physically abused women reported visiting a doctor or health center for treatment and information, according to the same study. Of those that did seek help, a full third were not informed about possibilities for placing a formal complaint.Seeking medical support or reporting abuse to authorities carries risks too. Disturbing stories of abuse and degrading treatment by medical practitioners and police are all too common, showing a second victimization. With a low probability of winning their case in court (impunity for reported cases of violence against women is at?86 percent), women are implicitly and explicitly discouraged from seeking help and justice.These problems are difficult to address in a male dominated political system and society. With only 12 percent of seats in national parliament held by women, Colombia ranks 106th out of 187 countries, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. One in 10 citizens?agrees?that “an adequate education for girls is one that develops their roles as mothers and wives,” and that job openings are openly discriminatory.According to the United Nations Development Program’s Gender Inequality Index, Colombia ranks 91 out of 186 countries in gender equity, which puts it below the Latin American and Caribbean regional average and below countries like Oman, Libya, Bahrain, and Myanmar. Further, the country’s Attorney General Alejandro Ordó?ez has received widespread critique (including a Constitutional Court ruling) for not providing true, complete, and reliable information on sexual and reproductive health for women.This political context, where even Colombia’s leaders are thwarting gender progress, may make Jaramillo’s remarks unsurprising, but they are no less wrong. His comments, as with many others, implicitly blame a woman for a rape. They are void of any questions or discerning thoughts about the alleged male rapist. Recent media on the issue received hundreds of reader comments defending Jaramillo or echoing his attitudes. Some commentators insisted that his business acumen was a reason to indulge his comments. One?column?even advocated for people to forget his mistake because justifying rape is so common and because there are “more relevant issues” to address, such as white-collar crimes.All this reflects a society which is not yet conscious of the gravity of the gender issues it is facing. Unless such reactions are called out and opposed, by someone other than a minority group of women’s advocates, there is little hope that future rape victims will feel comfortable seeking help from a doctor, reporting their case to the police, or hiring a (probably male) lawyer to tell their story in front of a group of (probably male) judges.Incidents like these are reminiscent of last December’s gang rape in Delhi, after which the young woman died. The tragedy brought attention to how victims of rape in India are often blamed not only in court, but also by their own families.In some cases, Indian women have to undergo the invasive, demeaning procedure to assess if the women have been raped — a barbaric practice whereby doctors determine whether or not woman was raped, and whether or not she had consented. Unsurprisingly, the conviction rate for rape cases in the country is extremely low (25 percent in 2011). All these factors discourage Indian women from denouncing sexual crimes.Of course, the situation is different in Colombia. There are no tests like those in India, and familial attitudes towards a woman who has been raped are, on average, not as demeaning as in India. But, as Natalia Orduz, one of the organizers of a protest in front of Jaramillo’s restaurant last Sunday, explains: “the ruling class here feels very modern and cosmopolitan because they travel and study abroad, but they still have a very archaic mentality.”According to Orduz, the protest was meant to bring attention to harmful social attitudes and gender stereotypes. During the protest, people painted on the sidewalk, played music, displayed posters advocating for women’s rights, all while wearing miniskirts to combat the surprisingly widespread fallacy that a woman’s clothing is an invitation for attack.Though Jaramillo quickly apologized after seeing the reactions to his comments on social media, he did nothing more. He missed an opportunity to show respect towards women and their rights. Business will resume as usual, the media coverage will subside. But can Colombia afford to forget the consistent violence more than half of its population endures?For the country’s development narrative to be complete, gender inequities and stereotypes need to be visibly challenged in the public debate. Gender inequities can begin to be addressed by ensuring the existing legal protections for victims of gender violence are properly applied, more women are appointed to political leadership positions, and women’s needs are a government priority reflected in the budget. But to make real inroads on these monumental issues, social attitudes need to be brought to the 21st century. Colombia’s influential public figures, especially its men, must serve as examples for gender justice: by refraining from participating in and by denouncing disparaging discourse that reinforce antiquated social attitudes about the rightful roles of men and women in society. Furthermore, policies should aim at actively communicating and engaging with citizens to educate them about the social construction of gender roles that are keeping the country back.Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Colombia’s public figures in politics and business have a renewed chance to contribute to their country’s progress. Let’s hope they will not miss it.This article was?originally published at World Policy?and is crossposted here by permission of the authors.The Diffusion of Responsibility Concept in PsychologyWhy Being Part of a Group May Reduce Our Sense of ResponsibilityBy?Kendra Cherry?Updated September 02, 2018Diffusion of responsibility is a psychological phenomenon in which people are less likely to take action when in the presence of a large group of people.For example, imagine that you are in a large city on a bustling street. You notice a man fall to the ground and start convulsing as if having a seizure. Many people turn and look at the man, but no one moves to help or call for medical assistance.Why? Because there are so many people present, no one person feels pressured to respond. Each person might think, "Oh, someone else has probably already called for help" or "No one else is doing anything, so it must not be that serious."This situation is often used to explain the?bystander effect, which suggests that the greater the number of people present, the less likely people are to help a person in distress. This isn't to suggest that people aren't acting because they lack?compassion, but they may not be able to process a?traumatic event?as it unfolds, especially when others are around.Darley and Latané?on Diffusion of ResponsibilityIn a series of classic experiments conducted in the late 1960s, researchers John Darley and Bibb Latané asked participants to fill out questionnaires in a room which suddenly began to fill with smoke.In one scenario the subjects of the experiment were alone when the smoke entered the room. Seventy-five percent of these subjects reported the smoke to researchers right away. But in another scenario, there was one subject and two people who were part of the experiment in the room. Since those two ignored the smoke, only 10 percent of the “naive” subjects reported the smoke.Darley and Latané noted that once a person notices that something is happening, a series of important decisions must first be made.The first step involves actually noticing a problem.Next, the individual must decide if what they are witnessing is actually an emergency.Next is perhaps the most critical decision in this process: Deciding to take personal responsibility to act.Then the individual has to decide what needs to be done.Finally, the bystander must actually take action.What complicates this process is that these decisions often need to be made quickly. There is often an element of danger,?stress, emergency, and sometimes personal risk involved. Adding to this pressure-packed situation is the problem of ambiguity. Sometimes it isn't entirely clear who is in trouble, what is wrong, or what needs to be done.Factors That Influence Diffusion of ResponsibilityResearchers have also discovered a number of different factors that can increase and decrease the likelihood that diffusion of responsibility will occur. If bystanders do not know the victim, they’re less likely to help and more likely to expect someone else in the crowd to offer assistance.If onlookers are not really sure what is happening, are unclear about who is in trouble, or are unsure if the person really needs assistance, then they are far less likely to take action.But people are more likely to help if they feel some sort of connection or personal knowledge of the person in trouble. If a victim makes eye contact and asks a specific individual for help, that person will feel more compelled to take action.And sometimes, people don’t step in to help because they feel unqualified. A person who has received specific training in first aid and CPR will probably feel more capable of offering assistance.Other Instances of Diffusion of ResponsibilityEver been part of a team at work and felt like not everyone was pulling their weight? This too might be an instance of diffusion of responsibility. People feel less motivation to work toward a common goal and slackers may even go out of their way to hide how little they're contributing. This is also known as "social loafing."A much more consequential type of diffusion of responsibility occurs within hierarchical organizations. Subordinates who claim to be following orders avoid taking responsibility for committing what they logically know to be illegal or immoral actions. This kind of group behavior led to such crimes against humanity as the Nazi Holocaust.?Gabriel García Márquez, Conjurer of Literary Magic, Dies at 87By?Jonathan KandellApril 17, 2014Gabriel García Márquez, the Colombian novelist whose “One Hundred Years of Solitude” established him as a giant of 20th-century literature, died on Thursday at his home in Mexico City. He was 87.Cristóbal Pera, his former editor at Random House, confirmed the death. Mr. García Márquez learned he had lymphatic cancer in 1999, and a brother said in 2012 that he had developed senile dementia.Mr. García Márquez, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, wrote fiction rooted in a mythical Latin American landscape of his own creation, but his appeal was universal. His books were translated into dozens of languages. He was among a select roster of canonical writers — Dickens, Tolstoy and Hemingway among them — who were embraced both by critics and by a mass audience.“Each new work of his is received by expectant critics and readers as an event of world importance,” the Swedish Academy of Letters said in awarding him the Nobel.Mr. García Márquez was a master of the literary genre known as magical realism, in which the miraculous and the real converge. In his novels and stories, storms rage for years, flowers drift from the skies, tyrants survive for centuries, priests levitate and corpses fail to decompose. And, more plausibly, lovers rekindle their passion after a half-century apart.Magical realism, he said, sprang from Latin America’s history of vicious dictators and romantic revolutionaries, of long years of hunger, illness and violence. In accepting his Nobel, Mr. García Márquez said: “Poets and beggars, musicians and prophets, warriors and scoundrels, all creatures of that unbridled reality, we have had to ask but little of imagination. For our crucial problem has been a lack of conventional means to render our lives believable.”Like many Latin American intellectuals and artists, Mr. García Márquez felt impelled to speak out on the political issues of his day. He viewed the world from a left-wing perspective, bitterly opposing Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the right-wing Chilean dictator, and unswervingly supporting Fidel Castro in Cuba. Mr. Castro became such a close friend that Mr. García Márquez showed him drafts of his unpublished books.No draft had more impact than the one for “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Mr. García Márquez’s editor began reading it at home one rainy day, and as he read page after page by this unknown Colombian author, his excitement grew. Soon he called the Argentine novelist Tomás Eloy Martínez and summoned him urgently to the home.Mr. Eloy Martinez remembered entering the foyer with wet shoes and encountering pages strewn across the floor by the editor in his eagerness to read through the work. They were the first pages of a book that in 1967 would vault Mr. García Márquez onto the world stage. He later authorized an English translation, by Gregory Rabassa. In Spanish or English, readers were tantalized from its opening sentences:“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Col. Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. At that time Macondo was a village of 20 adobe houses built on the bank of a river of clear water that ran along a bed of polished stones, which were white and enormous, like prehistoric eggs. The world was so recent that many things lacked names, and in order to indicate them it was necessary to point.” “One Hundred Years of Solitude” would sell tens of millions of copies. The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda called it “the greatest revelation in the Spanish language since ‘Don Quixote.’?” The novelist William Kennedy hailed it as “the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race.”Mr. García Márquez was rattled by the praise. He grew to hate “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” he said in interviews, because he feared his subsequent work would not measure up to it in readers’ eyes. He need not have worried. Almost all his 15 other novels and short-story collections were lionized by critics and devoured by readers.ImageLived With His GrandparentsGabriel García Márquez was born in Aracataca, a small town near Colombia’s Caribbean coast, on March 6, 1927, the eldest child of Luisa Santiaga Márquez and Gabriel Elijio García. His father, a postal clerk, telegraph operator and itinerant pharmacist, could barely support his wife and 12 children; Gabriel, the eldest, spent his early childhood living in the large, ramshackle house of his maternal grandparents. The house influenced his writing; it seemed inhabited, he said, by the ghosts his grandmother conjured in the stories she told.His maternal grandfather, Nicolás Márquez Mejía, a retired army colonel, was also an influence — “the most important figure of my life,” Mr. García Márquez said. The grandfather bore a marked resemblance to Colonel Buendía, the protagonist of “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” and the book’s mythical village of Macondo draws heavily on Aracataca.In his 2002 memoir, “Living to Tell the Tale,” Mr. García Márquez recalled a river trip back to Aracataca in 1950, his first trip there since childhood.“The first thing that struck me,” he wrote, “was the silence. A material silence I could have identified blindfolded among all the silences in the world. The reverberation of the heat was so intense that you seemed to be looking at everything through undulating glass. As far as the eye could see there was no recollection of human life, nothing that was not covered by a faint sprinkling of burning dust.”Much of his fiction unfolds in or near Macondo, just as William Faulkner, whom he admired, invented Yoknapatawpha County as the Mississippi setting for some of his own novels.Mr. García Márquez moved to Bogotá as a teenager. He studied law there but never received a degree; he turned instead to journalism. The late 1940s and early ’50s in Colombia were a period of civil strife known as La Violencia. The ideological causes were nebulous, but the savagery was stark, as many as 300,000 deaths. La Violencia would become the background for several of his novels.Mr. García Márquez eked out a living writing for newspapers in Cartagena and then Barranquilla, where he lived in the garret of a brothel and saw a future in literature. “It was a bohemian life: finish at the paper at 1 in the morning, then write a poem or a short story until about 3, then go out to have a beer,” he said in an interview in 1996. “When you went home at dawn, ladies who were going to Mass would cross to the other side of the street for fear that you were either drunk or intending to mug or rape them.”He read intensely — the Americans Hemingway, Faulkner, Twain and Melville; the Europeans Dickens, Tolstoy, Proust, Kafka and Virginia Woolf.“I cannot imagine how anyone could even think of writing a novel without having at least a vague of idea of the 10,000 years of literature that have gone before,” Mr. García Márquez said. But, he added, “I’ve never tried to imitate authors I’ve admired. On the contrary, I’ve done all I could not to imitate them.”As a journalist he scored a scoop when he interviewed a sailor who had been portrayed by the Colombian government as the heroic survivor of a navy destroyer lost at sea. The sailor admitted to him that the ship had been carrying a heavy load of contraband household goods, which unloosed during a storm and caused the ship to list enough to sink. His report, in 1955, infuriated Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, the country’s dictator, and Mr. García Márquez fled to Europe. He spent two years there as a foreign correspondent.Unimpressed by EuropeMr. García Márquez was less impressed by Western Europe than many Latin American writers, who looked to the Old World as their cultural fountainhead. His dispatches often reflected his belief that Europeans were patronizing toward Latin America even though their own societies were in decline.ADVERTISEMENTHe echoed these convictions in his Nobel address. Europeans, he said, “insist on measuring us with the yardstick that they use for themselves, forgetting that the ravages of life are not the same for all, and that the quest for our own identity is just as arduous and bloody for us as it was for them.”Mr. García Márquez lost his job when his newspaper was shut down by the Rojas Pinilla regime. Stranded in Paris, he scavenged and sold bottles to survive, but he managed to begin a short novel, “In Evil Hour.”While working on that book he took time off in 1957 to complete another short novel, “No One Writes to the Colonel,” about an impoverished retired army officer, not unlike the author’s grandfather, who waits endlessly for a letter replying to his requests for a military pension. It was published to acclaim four years later. (“In Evil Hour” was also published in the early 1960s.)Mr. García Márquez alternated between journalism and fiction in the late 1950s. (A multipart newspaper series on a sailor lost at sea for 10 days was later published in book form as “The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor.”) While working for newspapers and magazines in Venezuela, he wrote a short-story collection, “Big Mama’s Funeral,” which is set in Macondo and incorporates the kind of magical elements he would master in “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” From 1959 to 1961 he supported the Castro revolution and wrote for Prensa Latina, the official Cuban press agency.In 1961 he moved to Mexico City, where he would live on and off for the rest of his life. It was there, in 1965, after a four-year dry spell in which he wrote no fiction, that Mr. García Márquez began “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” The inspiration for it, he said, came to him while he was driving to Acapulco.Returning home, he began an almost undistracted 18 months of writing while his wife, Mercedes, looked after the household. “When I was finished writing,” he recalled, “my wife said: ‘Did you really finish it? We owe $12,000.’?”With the book’s publication in 1967, in Buenos Aires, the family never owed a penny again. “One Hundred Years of Solitude” was sold out within days.In following the rise and fall of the Buendía family through several generations of war and peace, affluence and poverty, the novel seemed to many critics and readers the defining saga of Latin America’s social and political history.Mr. García Márquez made no claim to have invented magical realism; he pointed out that elements of it had appeared before in Latin American literature. But no one before him had used the style with such artistry, exuberance and power. Magical realism would soon inspire writers on both sides of the Atlantic, most notably Isabel Allende in Chile and Salman Rushdie in Britain.“Reality is also the myths of the common people,” Mr. García Márquez told an interviewer. “I realized that reality isn’t just the police that kill people, but also everything that forms part of the life of the common people.”In 1973, when General Pinochet overthrew Chile’s democratically elected Marxist president, Salvador Allende,?who committed suicide, Mr. García Márquez vowed never to write as long as General Pinochet remained in power.The Pinochet dictatorship lasted 17 years, but Mr. García Márquez released himself from his vow well before it ended. “I never thought he’d last so long,” he said in a 1997 interview with The Washington Post. “Time convinced me I was wrong. What I was doing was allowing Pinochet to stop me from writing, which means I had submitted to voluntary censorship.”In 1975 he published his next novel, “The Autumn of the Patriarch,” about a dictator in a phantasmagorical Latin American state who rules for so many decades that nobody can recall what life was like before him. As he had predicted, some critics faulted the work for not matching the artistry of “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” But others raved about it, and it became a global best seller. He called it his best novel.Video00:002:272:27García Márquez, Magical Realism MasterGabriel García Márquez, the Nobel laureate Colombian author whose “One Hundred Years of Solitude” established him as a giant of 20th-century literature, died on Thursday at his home in Mexico City.CreditCreditEdgard Garrido/ReutersIn “Chronicle of a Death Foretold,” published in 1981, Mr. García Márquez used journalistic techniques to tell a story, apparently drawn from a real incident, in which the brothers of a woman who has lost her virginity murder the man responsible, Santiago Nasar. The brothers announce their intention to avenge their family honor, but because of a variety of odd circumstances, Nasar remains unaware of his impending fate.“Love in the Time of Cholera,” published in 1985, was Mr. García Márquez’s most romantic novel, the story of the resumption of a passionate relationship between a recently widowed septuagenarian and the lover she had broken with more than 50 years before. “The General in His Labyrinth,” published in 1989, combined imagination with historical fact to conjure up the last days of Simón Bolívar, the father of South America’s independence from Spain. The portrait of the aging Bolívar as a flatulent philanderer, abandoned and ridiculed by his onetime followers, aroused controversy on a continent that viewed him as South America’s version of George Washington. But Mr. García Márquez said that his depiction had been drawn from a careful perusal of Bolívar’s personal letters.As his fame grew, Mr. García Márquez — or Gabo, as he was called by friends — enjoyed a lifestyle he would have found inconceivable in his struggling youth. He kept homes in Mexico City, Barcelona, Paris and Cartagena, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Recognizable by his bushy mustache, he dressed fastidiously, preferring a white monotone encompassing linen suits, shirts, shoes and even watchbands.Devoted to the LeftHe contributed his prestige, time and money to left-wing causes. He helped finance a Venezuelan political party. He was a strong defender of the Sandinistas, the leftist revolutionaries who took power in Nicaragua.For more than three decades the State Department denied Mr. García Márquez a visa to travel in the United States, supposedly because he had been a member of the Colombian Communist Party in the 1950s but almost certainly because of his continuing espousal of left-wing causes and his friendship with Mr. Castro. The ban was rescinded in 1995 after President Bill Clinton invited him to Martha’s Vineyard.Mr. García Márquez’s ties to Mr. Castro troubled some intellectuals and human rights advocates. Susan Sontag wrote in the 1980s, “To me it’s scandalous that a writer of such enormous talent be a spokesperson for a government which has put more people in jail (proportionately to its population) than any other government in the world.”He attributed the criticism to what he called Americans’ “almost pornographic obsession with Castro.” But he became sensitive enough about the issue to intercede on behalf of jailed Cuban dissidents.After receiving his cancer diagnosis in 1999, Mr. García Márquez devoted most of his subsequent writing to his memoirs. One exception was the novella “Memories of My Melancholy Whores,” about the love affair between a 90-year-old man and a 14-year-old prostitute, published in 2004.In July 2012,?his brother, Jaime,?was quoted as saying that Mr. García Márquez had senile dementia and had stopped writing. Mr. Pera, the author’s editor at Random House Mondadori, said at the time that Mr. García Márquez had been working on a novel, “We’ll See Each Other in August,” but that no publication date had been scheduled. The author seemed disinclined to have it published, Mr. Pera said: “He told me, ‘This far along I don’t need to publish more.’?”Dozens of television and film adaptations were made of Mr. García Márquez’s works, but none achieved the critical or commercial success of his writing, and he declined requests for the movie rights to “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” The novel’s readers, he once said, “always imagine the characters as they want, as their aunt or their grandfather, and the moment you bring that to the screen, the reader’s margin for creativity disappears.”Besides his wife, Mercedes, his survivors include two sons, Rodrigo and Gonzalo.Mr. García Márquez attributed his rigorous, disciplined schedule in part to his sons. As a young father he took them to school in the morning and picked them up in the afternoon. During the interval — from 8 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon — he would write.“When I finished one book, I wouldn’t write for a while,” he said in 1966. “Then I had to learn how to do it all over again. The arm goes cold; there’s a learning process you have to go through again before you rediscover the warmth that comes over you when you are writing.”WORLDNOVEMBER 29, 2007Is South America Moving Beyond Machismo?Survey results reflect women’s gains in the home, workplaceBY JESUS RIOS AND?STEVE CRABTREEWASHINGTON, D.C. -- The historic election of Argentina's president-elect Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has reignited the discussion of gender roles in Latin America. In South America, residents appear accepting of women in positions of power. The broader question is whether this acceptance is largely confined to the public sphere or if it reflects a shift in underlying attitudes applicable to the private domain as well. The answer could affect the future of the region as deeply entrenched gender biases have long hurt economic growth and development in Latin America.Recent Gallup Polls in South America suggest recent social trends -- such as dropping fertility rates and the growing presence of women in the workforce -- have fostered attitudes that no longer fit neatly into the conception of a male-dominated Latin American society. Data from nine South American countries reveal that on average, a majority of men (69%) and women (84%) agree that it is easier for women than men to juggle work and family demands. Almost identical percentages agree that women should manage the household's finances. And roughly two in three men (65%) and women (65%) in the nine countries agree that the number of househusbands in their countries has increased.Women in the WorkplaceAlmost everywhere in Latin America, progress toward greater gender parity is evident in education. World Bank figures indicate that in several countries -- including Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia -- girls are enrolled in secondary school at higher rates than boys. A 2004 report from the Inter-American Development Bank noted that one potential factor in this difference is higher unemployment rates for teenage girls, making them more likely than boys to stay in school.However, women's greater likelihood to remain unemployed suggests these gains in educational parity are often not capitalized on outside the home. Though it has narrowed in the past two decades, the gap between the proportion of men and the proportion of women in the workforce remains relatively wide. According to the most recent International Labour Organization statistics, the typical female-to-male ratio in the labor forces in the nine South American countries surveyed is 3-to-4 (by comparison, the corresponding ratio in the United States is about 9-to-10).On the other hand, those women who do have jobs are no less likely than employed men in these nine countries to feel positive about their work. On average, 84% of employed men and 85% of employed women say they are satisfied with their jobs, while 85% of men and 88% of women say their jobs give them the opportunity to do what they do best every day. Perhaps most tellingly, given women's historical social status, an average of 78% of employed men and 80% of employed women say their opinions count at work.Bottom LineThe progress of women in Latin America shouldn't be overstated. Strict gender roles still inhibit modernization in some areas, and problems such as domestic violence and gender wage gaps still exist. Nonetheless, these survey results suggest that the increased visibility of female leaders is a manifestation of growing gender parity.Survey MethodsResults are based on face-to-face interviews with about 1,000 adults, aged 15 and older, in each of the nine countries conducted between June and October 2007. For results based on each national sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.Gabriel García Márquez, The Art of Fiction No. 69Interviewed by Peter H. StoneISSUE 82, WINTER 1981?Gabriel García Márquez was interviewed in his studio/office located just behind his house in San Angel Inn, an old and lovely section, full of the spectacularly colorful flowers of Mexico City. The studio is a short walk from the main house. A low elongated building, it appears to have been originally designed as a guest house. Within, at one end, are a couch, two easy chairs, and a makeshift bar—a small white refrigerator with a supply of acqua minerale on top.The most striking feature of the room is a large blown-up photograph above the sofa of García Márquez alone, wearing a stylish cape and standing on some windswept vista looking somewhat like Anthony Quinn.García Márquez was sitting at his desk at the far end of the studio. He came to greet me, walking briskly with a light step. He is a solidly built man, only about five feet eight or nine in height, who looks like a good middleweight fighter—broad-chested, but perhaps a bit thin in the legs. He was dressed casually in corduroy slacks with a light turtleneck sweater and black leather boots. His hair is dark and curly brown and he wears a full mustache.The interview took place over the course of three late-afternoon meetings of roughly two hours each. Although his English is quite good, García Márquez spoke mostly in Spanish and his two sons shared the translating. When García Márquez speaks, his body often rocks back and forth. His hands too are often in motion making small but decisive gestures to emphasize a point, or to indicate a shift of direction in his thinking. He alternates between leaning forward towards his listener, and sitting far back with his legs crossed when speaking reflectively.?INTERVIEWERHow do you feel about using the tape recorder?GABRIEL GARC?A M?RQUEZThe problem is that the moment you know the interview is being taped, your attitude changes. In my case I immediately take a defensive attitude. As a journalist, I feel that we still haven’t learned how to use a tape recorder to do an interview. The best way, I feel, is to have a long conversation without the journalist taking any notes. Then afterward he should reminisce about the conversation and write it down as an impression of what he felt, not necessarily using the exact words expressed. Another useful method is to take notes and then interpret them with a certain loyalty to the person interviewed. What ticks you off about the tape recording everything is that it is not loyal to the person who is being interviewed, because it even records and remembers when you make an ass of yourself. That’s why when there is a tape recorder, I am conscious that I’m being interviewed; when there isn’t a tape recorder, I talk in an unconscious and completely natural way.INTERVIEWERWell, you make me feel a little guilty using it, but I think for this kind of an interview we probably need it.?GARC?A M?RQUEZAnyway, the whole purpose of what I just said was to put you on the defensive.?INTERVIEWERSo you have never used a tape recorder yourself for an interview??GARC?A M?RQUEZAs a journalist, I never use it. I have a very good tape recorder, but I just use it to listen to music. But then as a journalist I’ve never done an interview. I’ve done reports, but never an interview with questions and answers.?INTERVIEWERI heard about one famous interview with a sailor who had been shipwrecked.?GARC?A M?RQUEZIt wasn’t questions and answers. The sailor would just tell me his adventures and I would rewrite them trying to use his own words and in the first person, as if he were the one who was writing. When the work was published as a serial in a newspaper, one part each day for two weeks, it was signed by the sailor, not by me. It wasn’t until twenty years later that it was re-published and people found out I had written it. No editor realized that it was good until after I had written?One Hundred Years of Solitude.?INTERVIEWERSince we’ve started talking about journalism, how does it feel being a journalist again, after having written novels for so long? Do you do it with a different feel or a different eye??GARC?A M?RQUEZI’ve always been convinced that my true profession is that of a journalist. What I didn’t like about journalism before were the working conditions. Besides, I had to condition my thoughts and ideas to the interests of the newspaper. Now, after having worked as a novelist, and having achieved financial independence as a novelist, I can really choose the themes that interest me and correspond to my ideas. In any case, I always very much enjoy the chance of doing a great piece of journalism.?INTERVIEWERWhat is a great piece of journalism for you??GARC?A M?RQUEZHiroshima?by John Hersey was an exceptional piece.?INTERVIEWERIs there a story today that you would especially like to do??GARC?A M?RQUEZThere are many, and several I have in fact written. I have written about Portugal, Cuba, Angola, and Vietnam. I would very much like to write on Poland. I think if I could describe exactly what is now going on, it would be a very important story. But it’s too cold now in Poland; I’m a journalist who likes his comforts.?INTERVIEWERDo you think the novel can do certain things that journalism can’t??GARC?A M?RQUEZNothing. I don’t think there is any difference. The sources are the same, the material is the same, the resources and the language are the same.?The Journal of the Plague Year?by Daniel Defoe is a great novel and?Hiroshima?is a great work of journalism.?INTERVIEWERDo the journalist and the novelist have different responsibilities in balancing truth versus the imagination??GARC?A M?RQUEZIn journalism just one fact that is false prejudices the entire work. In contrast, in fiction one single fact that is true gives legitimacy to the entire work. That’s the only difference, and it lies in the commitment of the writer. A novelist can do anything he wants so long as he makes people believe in it.?INTERVIEWERIn interviews a few years ago, you seemed to look back on being a journalist with awe at how much faster you were then.?GARC?A M?RQUEZI do find it harder to write now than before, both novels and journalism. When I worked for newspapers, I wasn’t very conscious of every word I wrote, whereas now I am. When I was working for?El Espectador?in Bogotá, I used to do at least three stories a week, two or three editorial notes every day, and I did movie reviews. Then at night, after everyone had gone home, I would stay behind writing my novels. I liked the noise of the Linotype machines, which sounded like rain. If they stopped, and I was left in silence, I wouldn’t be able to work. Now, the output is comparatively small. On a good working day, working from nine o’clock in the morning to two or three in the afternoon, the most I can write is a short paragraph of four or five lines, which I usually tear up the next day.INTERVIEWERDoes this change come from your works being so highly praised or from some kind of political commitment?GARC?A M?RQUEZIt’s from both. I think that the idea that I’m writing for many more people than I ever imagined has created a certain general responsibility that is literary and political. There’s even pride involved, in not wanting to fall short of what I did before.INTERVIEWERHow did you start writing?GARC?A M?RQUEZBy drawing. By drawing cartoons. Before I could read or write I used to draw comics at school and at home. The funny thing is that I now realize that when I was in high school I had the reputation of being a writer, though I never in fact wrote anything. If there was a pamphlet to be written or a letter of petition, I was the one to do it because I was supposedly the writer. When I entered college I happened to have a very good literary background in general, considerably above the average of my friends. At the university in Bogotá, I started making new friends and acquaintances, who introduced me to contemporary writers. One night a friend lent me a book of short stories by Franz Kafka. I went back to the pension where I was staying and began to read?The Metamorphosis. The first line almost knocked me off the bed. I was so surprised. The first line reads, “As Gregor Samsa awoke that morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. . . .” When I read the line I thought to myself that I didn’t know anyone was allowed to write things like that. If I had known, I would have started writing a long time ago. So I immediately started writing short stories. They are totally intellectual short stories because I was writing them on the basis of my literary experience and had not yet found the link between literature and life. The stories were published in the literary supplement of the newspaper?El Espectador?in Bogotá and they did have a certain success at the time—probably because nobody in Colombia was writing intellectual short stories. What was being written then was mostly about life in the countryside and social life. When I wrote my first short stories I was told they had Joycean influences.INTERVIEWERHad you read Joyce at that time?GARC?A M?RQUEZI had never read Joyce, so I started reading?Ulysses. I read it in the only Spanish edition available. Since then, after having read?Ulysses?in English as well as a very good French translation, I can see that the original Spanish translation was very bad. But I did learn something that was to be very useful to me in my future writing—the technique of the interior monologue. I later found this in Virginia Woolf, and I like the way she uses it better than Joyce. Although I later realized that the person who invented this interior monologue was the anonymous writer of the?Lazarillo de Tormes.INTERVIEWERCan you name some of your early influences?GARC?A M?RQUEZThe people who really helped me to get rid of my intellectual attitude towards the short story were the writers of the American Lost Generation. I realized that their literature had a relationship with life that my short stories didn’t. And then an event took place which was very important with respect to this attitude. It was the Bogotazo, on the ninth of April, 1948, when a political leader, Gaitan, was shot and the people of Bogotá went raving mad in the streets. I was in my pension ready to have lunch when I heard the news. I ran towards the place, but Gaitan had just been put into a taxi and was being taken to a hospital. On my way back to the pension, the people had already taken to the streets and they were demonstrating, looting stores and burning buildings. I joined them. That afternoon and evening, I became aware of the kind of country I was living in, and how little my short stories had to do with any of that. When I was later forced to go back to Barranquilla on the Caribbean, where I had spent my childhood, I realized that that was the type of life I had lived, knew, and wanted to write about.Around 1950 or ’51 another event happened that influenced my literary tendencies. My mother asked me to accompany her to Aracataca, where I was born, and to sell the house where I spent my first years. When I got there it was at first quite shocking because I was now twenty-two and hadn’t been there since the age of eight. Nothing had really changed, but I felt that I wasn’t really looking at the village, but I was?experiencing?it as if I were reading it. It was as if everything I saw had already been written, and all I had to do was to sit down and copy what was already there and what I was just reading. For all practical purposes everything had evolved into literature: the houses, the people, and the memories. I’m not sure whether I had already read Faulkner or not, but I know now that only a technique like Faulkner’s could have enabled me to write down what I was seeing. The atmosphere, the decadence, the heat in the village were roughly the same as what I had felt in Faulkner. It was a banana-plantation region inhabited by a lot of Americans from the fruit companies which gave it the same sort of atmosphere I had found in the writers of the Deep South. Critics have spoken of the literary influence of Faulkner, but I see it as a coincidence: I had simply found material that had to be dealt with in the same way that Faulkner had treated similar material.From that trip to the village I came back to write?Leaf Storm, my first novel. What really happened to me in that trip to Aracataca was that I realized that everything that had occurred in my childhood had a literary value that I was only now appreciating. From the moment I wrote?Leaf Storm?I realized I wanted to be a writer and that nobody could stop me and that the only thing left for me to do was to try to be the best writer in the world. That was in 1953, but it wasn’t until 1967 that I got my first royalties after having written five of my eight books.INTERVIEWERDo you think that it’s common for young writers to deny the worth of their own childhoods and experiences and to intellectualize as you did initially?GARC?A M?RQUEZNo, the process usually takes place the other way around, but if I had to give a young writer some advice I would say to write about something that has happened to him; it’s always easy to tell whether a writer is writing about something that has happened to him or something he has read or been told. Pablo Neruda has a line in a poem that says “God help me from inventing when I sing.” It always amuses me that the biggest praise for my work comes for the imagination, while the truth is that there’s not a single line in all my work that does not have a basis in reality. The problem is that Caribbean reality resembles the wildest imagination. Varieties of Violence: Structural, Cultural, and DirectCONFLICT RESOLUTION - MEDIATION, 21 Oct 2013William T. Hathaway – Counter CurrentsTerrorists, serial killers, domestic murderers — their ghoulish deeds fill our news and popular entertainment, interspersed with wars, riots, and brutal repressions. Violence surrounds us.Where does it come from?The answer propagated by the mass media is that violence is human nature. It’s just the way people are.This view ignores anthropological evidence about societies that have lived in relative peace, and it also contradicts our knowledge of ourselves as human beings. In certain situations we may feel violent impulses, but we can control them; we know they are only a small part of our make-up.The Norwegian peace researcher Johan Galtung denies that human nature condemns us to violence; instead he gives another explanation of its etiology based on three interacting forces: structural, cultural, and direct.Structural violence is injustice and exploitation built into a social system that generates wealth for the few and poverty for the many, stunting everyone’s ability to develop their full humanity. By privileging some classes, ethnicities, genders, and nationalities over others, it institutionalizes unequal opportunities for education, resources, and respect. Structural violence forms the very basis of capitalism, patriarchy, and any dominator system.Cultural violence is the prevailing attitudes and beliefs that justify and legitimize the structural violence, making it seem natural. Feelings of superiority/inferiority based on class, race, sex, religion, and nationality are inculcated in us as children and shape our assumptions about us and the world. They convince us this is the way things are and they have to be.Direct violence — war, murder, rape, assault, verbal attacks — is the kind we physically perceive, but it manifests out of conditions created by the first two invisible forms and can’t be eliminated without eliminating them. Direct violence has its roots in cultural and structural violence; then it feeds back and strengthens them. All three forms interact as a triad. Cultural and structural violence cause direct violence. Direct violence reinforces structural and cultural violence. We are trapped in a vicious cycle that is now threatening to destroy life on earth.Our society with its fixation on the physical focuses on direct violence and ignores the structural and cultural. Our leaders know that making changes on those levels would threaten their whole system. But as radicals we focus on the structural and cultural because we know that change has to begin at the roots.Our best chance to break this cycle is through socialism. Economic democracy and social equality will reduce the structural and cultural violence, which will reduce the direct violence. By approaching it from these fundamental levels, socialism can wind down the syndrome of violence. This may not create utopia, but it will create a society vastly better than the one we now suffer under. We really can have peace, but not under capitalism. ................
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