Magic Realism in Chronicle Of a Death Foretold Essay

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is an exceptional fiction novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and published by Vintage Books in 1981. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Marquez utilizes magical realism to emphasize certain events. The stories coils around the question: who really took Angela Vicarios virginity? The novel also discusses the events that lead up to the death and murder of Santiago Nasar, further clarifying the title.

Angela Vicario is of a conservative family. In this traditional, Latin American society, a woman is expected to hold her virginity until matrimony. This introduces the theme of ritual. Major themes also include honor and violence. Bayardo San Romn, a wealthy man, comes along making attempts to woo Angela and charm her family in the hopes of marrying her. In doing this, he conquers the awe of the Vicario family, but not Angelas yet.

A significant moment in the story occurs when it is discovered that Angela is, in fact, not a virgin, violating tradition and the respect of her family. It becomes shameful and humiliating for the Vicario family when Bayardo discovers this and returns his wife back to his family as if she were a product. In doing so, the Vicario family is dishonored and humiliated for not being able to protect the purity of the girl. The twin brothers of the Vicario family, Pablo and Pedro, seek the man whom initially took the light from their sister, and so they murder Santiago Nasar. The murder of Nasar, which the town had been warned about, plays a significant role in the course of the story. The foretelling of the crime builds up the suspense and mystery occurring in the novel. Garcia Marquez uses elements such as the supernatural to add a sense of magical realism. It is this instrument that Marquez generally uses to decorate the circumstances into unreal worlds. It is clearly distinguished in the dream Nasar had before his death: "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."

The way the story was written was very successful. The mystery and suspense were both played out well. The authors strategy in writing kept the story more alive in a way. By strategy, I refer to the way the author presented facts about who was killed, who was the murderer, and details of the crime. Whats left to complete the puzzle are the chronicles of the events leading up to it, and that is what makes the story so interesting. It being a short novel of only 120 pages, it was difficult to put it down, not to mention what a great writer Garcia Marquez is. Ultimately the question of whether Nasar is guilty or not is still at hand. Garcia Marquezs writing brilliantly leaves the reader in a mystical state. He is an enchanting narrator. I would definitely recommend the novel to any person of any level of reading.

With the use of vivid imagery, his brilliant style of writing and themes such as magical realism, Gabriel Garcia Marquez merges a phenomenal story with characters one can feel they personally know. Garcia Marquez is definitely gifted in enthralling a reader; Chronicle of a Death Foretold does this exactly, leaving the reader (myself) with such a great impression.