Chronicle of a Death Foretold: Narration

Narrator

• The narrator describes rigid gender roles influencing character actions, such as "The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married.”
• The opening line, "On the day they were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirty in the morning to wait for the boat Bishop was coming on," immediately informs the reader of Santiago Nasar's impending death
• The narrator shares that "He'd been dreaming of trees" foreshadowing the events
• "Most of those who could have done something to prevent the crime and did not excuse themselves on the grounds that it was a matter of honour," reflects the collective responsibility of the town
• The narrator expresses doubt about the twins' intoxication, casting uncertainty on the motivations behind the murder, "The strange thing is that the twins weren't as drunk as they claimed to be."
• The narrator shares a village resident's perspective that "They killed him,' he told me, 'to avoid any more rumours,... They did it right," highlighting distorted honor
• The narrator reflects that “Life is shorter than you think”

Santiago Nasar

• The last thing Santiago says before his death is, "When I wake up, remind me that I have to see the bishop"
• Santiago's state is described as, "He was healthier than the rest of us, but when you listened with the stethoscope you could hear the tears bubbling inside his heart", suggesting hidden emotional turmoil
• Santiago is unarmed, contributing to his vulnerability
• Santiago's final words are, "He grabbed my arm and said in a low voice, 'They've killed me, Pura,'"

Pedro and Pablo Vicario

• The brothers declare their innocence despite admitting to the murder, due to honor with their statement "We killed him openly... But we're innocent."
• The twins justify their actions, "We killed him because... we thought it was right,"
• Pablo Vicario speaks of the inescapability of their fate, "There's no way out of this... as if it had happened already"
• The brothers explicitly announce their intentions, “We are going to kill Santiago Nasar”

Angela Vicario

• Angela's statement, "He was the one," sets the events in motion
• Angela admits, "I never loved him," revealing the lack of genuine affection in her marriage
• Angela discloses that she married Bayardo San Roman out of obligation with "I married him without love, but I married him anyway because my mother insisted."
• Ángela expresses her evolving understanding of love with “Love can be learned”

Bayardo San Roman

• Bayardo's decision to marry Angela, "I'll marry her," initiates the chain of events
• Bayardo's wealth and influence suggest his ability to manipulate situations since “He had enough money to buy his way out of anything”

Clotilde Armenta

• Clotilde expresses her moral opposition to the impending murder, "No, I don't want them to commit a crime in front of me."
• "It was as if we were killing him again after he was dead," expresses the collective guilt

Other characters

• Placida Linero's reflects on her misinterpretation of Santiago's dream with "That was awful, she was always confusing dreams."
• Divina Flor expresses a sense of foreknowledge about Santiago's fate, "I already knew that he was going to die."
• Colonel Aponte dismisses the twins' threats, "When I saw them coming towards me with those butcher knives, I thought it was just drunken bragging."
• Father Amador admits his helplessness with "I confess that I didn't know what to do."
• Victoria Guzman's interaction, "Don't be a savage... Leave it for later," shows the brutal mindset

Common themes in quotations

• Foreshadowing of Santiago Nasar's death
• Concept of honor in the characters' motivations
• Sense of inevitability
• Collective responsibility of the community
• Social norms dictate the roles of individuals

The Role of Quotes

• Quotes help to build suspense
• Quotes provide insight into the mindset of the characters
• They emphasize the cultural context
• The quotes underscore themes of fate, honor, guilt, and responsibility.