Chronicle Of A Death Foretold Irony Analysis

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A Chronicle of ironic honor When defining honor one might come up with ideas based on high moral standards, ethics, and integrity. Often times doing the right thing is the hardest decisions of all to make as the right thing to one person may not be a respectable choice to another. This idea brings readers to question the acceptable level of morals in other cultures, specifically Márquez explores the idea of honor in Columbian culture. Gabriel Márquez in the novella, Chronicle of A Death Foretold, displays a negative connotation of Columbian cultural values by ironically castigating the social perspectives and themes of honor and fate.
The foreshadow of Santiago’s murder is an ironic element that furthers a common theme throughout the novella
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Most all citizens have a reason for why they do not warn Santiago. All fall short of an acceptable reason to forget to mention one’s murder. For example, “Victoria Guzman, for her part, had been categorical with her answer that neither she nor her daughter knew about the men waiting for Santiago Nasar to kill him…” I didn’t warn him because I thought it was drunkard’s talk” (Márquez 12-13). Like many other of the local townspeople, Victoria chooses not to tell Santiago about the murder threat. The town’s lack of warning as a whole shows the priorities of the masses; despite their cultural support for honor, they allow the twins to kill a defenseless man. This is an ironic contradiction with the code of honor that the Columbian small town claims to follow as, “There had never been a death more foretold” (Márquez 50). The entire novella shows the Columbian culture as a seemingly supportive community to the “poor” Angela while displaying a disregard for human life. The culture is more concerned with satisfying the Vicario’s family revenge rather than saving a fellow community member’s