Chronicle of a Death Foretold Reflective Statement

“Chronicle of a Death Foretold” Reflective Statement

When I first read “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” and about the Vicario brother’s honor killing, I was appalled; I thought that that the actions of the Vicario brothers had been excessive in the murder of Santiago Nasar. The lack of reaction to the murder from the community also surprised me because in today’s society a murder is often a huge event. The discussion held in class and the interactive oral presentations helped me change these views because at the time, in Columbia and in many other parts of the world, honor killings were normal and an accepted way of regaining one’s honor.

When I read that the Vicario brothers were going to kill Santiago Nasar for deflowering their sister before marriage, it raised the question of why Bayardo San Roman had not killed Angela when he discovered that she was no longer a virgin as I thought had been the custom. Then a class mate explained that Angela had not been killed because it was her family’s honor that had been taken, not Bayardo’s. In marriage, the man’s honor was only tarnished if the woman cheated after they were married; if the woman is not a virgin before marriage then the shame is on her and her family. This information explains why Santiago had been the one killed in the first place, as well as why the Vicario brothers could then go on to confess their innocence; Pablo and Pedro were only defending their own honor as members of the family. I could then see why the murder had been committed and how it had been a justified act at the time.

Then there is the town’s lack of reaction to the murder. At the time that I read the novel, the way the town reacts to the murder was way below my expectation. Now that I know that honor killing was fairly normal in upper class Columbian society, as one of my classmates pointed out, I can now understand the town’s reaction.