Chronicle of a Death Foretold

What would you do if someone calls you a name? Make fun of you? Would you just let it slide and walk away or would you try to regain your honour? Some people do not have the courage to defend themselves and some may respond by standing up for themselves. In Latin America, where the novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold takes place, there are numerous cultural beliefs that impact the narrative of the novel. This story contains deeply rooted cultural beliefs of honour, this idea is crucial to the novel because it becomes the foundation and the heart of the story. Out of all the characters in Chronicle of a Death Foretold written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Vicario brothers are, without a doubt, the most prominent characters who act as champions of honour. As champions of honour, the brothers hold honour in the family, honour as Latin American males, and last but not least, they can easily be seen as champions in the eyes of the other characters based on their actions.

Family is the cornerstone of most societies; and the Vicario brothers prove this point to be true. The story occurs in the early twentieth century in Latin America a place where family and honor are highly regarded, they are essential in order to achieve social respect. In the story, Angela Vicario marries Bayardo San Roman only to have him send her back after finding out that "[She] wasn't a virgin." (Page 37) Subsequently, she disgraces her family and also dishonours her family name which in turn gives the brothers their first reason to act to restore the family name. Evidently, the members of the Vicario family do not object to their actions because they allow the brothers to "kill [Santiago] openly" (Page 49), after asking their sister who deflowered her. Family honour is so important here that although they "killed him openly" (Page 49), the brothers insists that they are innocent, claiming "Before God and before men... It was a matter of honor" (Page 49).