Death is a universal subject used in many novels to engage the reader. The way death is represented varies greatly between novels and authors. Two examples of differing views can be seen in The House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende and Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garca Mrquez. In both novels deaths occur to young characters, in The House of the Spirits the character Rosa, who was young, beautiful and engaged, dies as an accident whereas in Chronicle of a Death Foretold the young character, Santiago Nasar, is murdered. These unexpected deaths both result in autopsies. As seen in the close reading of the autopsies, in The House of the Spirits Rosas autopsy reveals family bonds, emotion and care, whereas in Chronicle of a Death Foretold Santiago Nasars autopsy shows lacking in emotion and care.
The diction in Allendes extract is emotionally attached, whereas the diction in Mrquezs extract is unemotional and medical. Throughout the extract from The House of the Spirits the diction is somber. The mood is created through using words such as; weeping, fried, upset, etc. Care for Rosas body is emphasized by the diction used to describe the way she was handled. The characters performing the autopsy, Dr. Cuevas and his assistant, gently set down Rosas body and lifted her nightgown. On the contrary there was no care for Santiagos body in the extract from Chronicle of a Death Foretold. The diction in the autopsy of Santiago is medical and doesnt contain any emotional words. In the third paragraph the diction is strictly medical. This is ironic as the autopsy [has] no legal standing and is performed by Father Amador. The diction creates a sense of dehumanization as Santiago is referred to as the body. Mrquez uses diction to create an unemotional passage while Allende creates a caring passage.
Allende creates an emotional passage through the use of diction as well as the choice of detail. The choice of detail that Allende chooses in the autopsy enhances the care and shows the respect that other characters have for Rosa. Throughout the passage the characters cry, this choice of detail shows that they are emotionally attached and care about her. The doctor and the assistant are very careful with Rosas body and they performed the autopsy on a piece of marble where Nana kneaded pastry and chopped vegetables. This is a clean environment showing that even after death they are respectful enough to perform the autopsy on a clean surface. After they finished the autopsy the assistant suggested that they fix her up a bit. The assistant wiped the blood stains from [Rosas] skin again this choice of detail reinforces the carefulness in handling Rosas body.
On the contrary this carefulness was not shown to Santiagos body. Mrquezs choice of detail reinforces the lack of emotion for Santiago. After Santiagos death his body started excreting a syrup colors liquid, even his mother didnt want to see his face and covered it with a handkerchief. The author chose this detail to show that there wasnt much care for him. Not even his mother who is meant to be the closest to him wants to see his face. The autopsy was done mostly with craftsmens tools and it was a massacre performed at the public school these choices of detail shows the lack of respect for Santiagos body. Ironically, Santiagos body is compared to the stigma of the crucified Christ. After the autopsy Father Amador concluded that Santiago only had a few years of life left. This shows that Santiagos death was inevitable and even if he wasnt murdered by the Vicario brothers, he would have died.
Even though Santiagos murder was brutal, there wasnt much emotion attached to his death, whereas Rosas death caused the family great sorrow. Although the two extracts deal with the autopsy of an undeveloped character, the authors show two completely different emotions. Through diction the authors set two contrasting settings. Allende uses diction to create a caring environment, while Mrquez uses diction to create a macabre environment. The effect of these contrasting settings is that Allendes extract shows family bonds and affections whereas Mrquez shows degage and brutality. This is reinforced by the choice of detail that both the authors use. Allende mentions the characters crying and gentleness while handling Rosas body. On the other hand, Mrquez describes the autopsy and gave a strong visual imagery of how Santiagos body looked. Though the extracts are about similar situations, they differ greatly in the emotion and care for each of the characters who are dead.
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