Quotes for Chronicle of a Death Foretold

“On the day they were going to kill him”

• Foreshadowing

• Dramatic irony

• Ominous tone 

• Inevitable fate of Santiago Nasar 

“A grove of timber trees where a gentle drizzle was falling”

• Timber trees: connotes the cycle of life and death Timber trees generally have a timed death.

• Bad weather to come

“Spattered with bird shit”

• Vulgar language

• Omen for the future 

• Juxtaposition of the mystical dream 

“Flying through the almond trees without bumping into anything”

• Juxtaposition to previous dream 

• Almond trees: prosperous, hope, renewal and growth 

• Santiago as a falcon 

• Reinforce the bad omen 

“carved up like a pig”

• Violent imagery

• Dramatic irony

• Motif of cattle

• Inhumane

• Similie

“it was a radiant morning” “the weather was funeral”

• Juxtaposition between different peoples interpretations / relocations of the day

• Adjectives: radiant (life, luminous, happy) in contrast to funeral (sad, depressing, death)

“Santiago Nasar put on shirt and pants of white linen” 

• White linen → purity, peace, unharmed 

• Clothing for special events - the irony of wearing clean clothing on the day of his death - ironic how it coincides with the bishops arrival

“a magnum .357…could cut a horse in two through the middle”

• Santiago’s plethora of guns and the connotations of weapons of war being possessed by Santiago

• Violent imagery → connotes power and danger

• A symbol of his masculinity and power → measured by tangible items

• Guns with “double strength telescopic sight” being housed at the Nasar household, unused in the time of Santiagos murder

“He never left it loaded”

• High modal verb ‘never’ which denotes the finality in his decisions

“The bullet wrecked the cupboard in the room” “the thunder of war”

• Violent visual imagery to depict the power of guns and them being weapons of war

• Irony of Santiago being without his powerful guns in his time of need

“Any dreams about birds mean good health” 

• Birds symbolising prosperity, peace, freedom and vitality 

• Placida Linero’s dream reader abilities 

“broken mirror of memory back together from so many scattered shards”

• Visual imagery

• A metaphor of memory from the chaotic event

• ‘shards’ being fragmented memories and harsh moments (e.g. Angela being beaten by her mother)

• sibilance sound to build tension and emphasise on the challenge of narrating the event

• Fickleness of memory

“it [the white linen] couldn’t handle the noise of starch”

• Personification of clothing 

• Characterisation of Santiago who can only wear clothing without starch, sensitive skin 

“He was the man in my life” “a shit”

• The contrasting characterisations of Santiago Nasar

• Placida Linero describing her son

• Victoria Guzman describing her daughters manipulator and the man she must serve to

"[he] hadn’t had a single instant of happiness”

• Santiago Nasar being stolen of his childhood

• Being born of a “marriage of convenience”

• Lacking the parental adoration

“dressed up pontifical style in case he had a chance to kiss the bishop’s ring” 

• Religious symbol 

• The possibility to meet and interact with a religious power 

• Dressed in white linen to impress 

• irony of the event

“just coming into bloom”

• Depiction of women

• Metaphor for maturing

• Literal meaning is a flower blooming

• How women are characterised and measured

“whispers from the fire”

• Personification 

• The house being quiet in the morning, awaiting the chaos

“The girl, as yet a bit untamed”

• Zoomorphism → wild, free-willed

• Need to be managed and controlled

• Patriarchal society

“Victoria Guzman showed him the bloody knife”

• Foreshadowing

• Knives as powerful weapons

“destined for Santiago Nasar’s furtive bed”

• Divina Flor being objectified for male needs / pleasures

• Male dominance

• Love as a transaction

“She pulled out the insides of a rabbit by the roots and threw the steaming guts to the dogs”

• Foreshadowing of Santiago’s death and the treatment of his dead body

• Rabbit motif

• Violent imagery

“Make believe it was a human being”

• IRONIC 

• The treatment of a rabbit carcass being of concern to Santiago, a cattle farmer 

• Foreshadowing of Santiago’s death and treatment by the Vicario twins