An Analysis of the Honour Code and Culture in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s *Chronicle of a Death Foretold* through the Character of Angela Vicario
Introduction: The Honour Code in Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold was published in 1981.
The novel critically examines Colombian society and its rigid social and cultural norms.
Central Theme: The inflexible "honour code" in Colombian society which directly led to the murder of Santiago Nasar.
Paper's Thesis: To analyze this honour code through the character of Angela Vicario, arguing she is the focal point of its representation in the novel.
The analysis will involve:
Studying Angela Vicario's character and her role.
Examining her relationship with other characters.
Detailing her specific part in the implementation of the honour code.
Discussing her as the focal point of this culture's representation.
Exploring whether she displays a possibility of transcending this honour culture.
Angela Vicario: Character, Role, and Societal Confinement
Family Background: Daughter of Poncio Vicario and Puricima del Carmen.
Description:
Described as the prettiest of four daughters.
The narrator's mother compares her to "great queens of history" due to being born with her umbilical cord around her neck. This is a possible reference to Queen Nzinga Mbande, known for fearlessness and military strategy (KeriLynn Engel, "Ana Nzinga Mbande, fearless African queen").
Personality:
Ironically, Angela Vicario lacks a forceful personality, contrasting sharply with Queen Nzinga Mbande.
She is not keen on marrying Bayardo San Roman but is forced by her family due to his wealth and their lack of money.
She feels "horrified" by the forced marriage but lacks the courage to defy her family or society.
Lives a life dominated by fear, especially of Bayardo discovering she is not a virgin. She initially seeks help from friends to deceive him.
Ultimately chooses not to deceive Bayardo, which backfires and initiates the chain of events leading to Santiago Nasar's death.
Symbolism of Birth:
Being born with the umbilical cord around her neck can symbolize her living life "strangled" by society. Potential complications like asphyxiation are associated with such births.
Narrator's Perception:
The narrator emphasizes her personality over physical appearance, noting her "helpless air and a poverty of spirit that augured an uncertain future for her" (p. 31).
He portrays her as leading a "trapped existence," confined to her house and forced to conform to conventional roles for women.
The narrator suggests her lack of spirit contributes to her inability to make strong decisions and her trapped life.
Family's Perception:
Her family, like society, views her as helpless, passive, and needing constant supervision and protection, incapable of making independent decisions.
Her mother dismisses her doubts about marriage by saying, "Love can be learned too" (p. 34).
Treatment as a Commodity:
Her lack of forcefulness allows others to treat her like an object to be passed around.
The Music Box Incident: Bayardo San Roman buys her a music box. Her brothers, Pablo and Pedro Vicario, return it, considering it inappropriate based on the honour code. This incident highlights her objectification. They ultimately return home drunk, still with the music box, symbolic of their initial failure to exert dominance.
Angela herself is "exchanged" – given to Bayardo San Roman, then returned by him in her "disgraced state," having no personal say in the matter.
Santiago Nasar's Perception: He views her solely in terms of sexual maturity, stating to the narrator, "She is all set to be hooked" (p. 31).
Passive Vessel: Angela Vicario becomes a passive vessel illustrating the repressive aspects of Colombian culture, specifically the rules women were expected to follow and the lifestyle they were expected to lead.
The Honour Code in Colombian Society
Definition/Core Aspects:
A rigid set of social norms dictating behaviour, particularly for women, and serving as the primary reason for Santiago Nasar's death.
Marital Choice: It is considered honourable to marry the man chosen by one’s parents.
Chastity: Remaining chaste until marriage is paramount to honour.
Societal Status Quo: The code appears more focused on maintaining social status and appearance rather than true moral values.
Implementation through Angela Vicario: All acts of honour in the novel are centered around Angela Vicario.
Music Box Incident: Pedro and Pablo Vicario's attempt to return the music box is an act of honour, demonstrating their adherence to the code even in minor social interactions.
Santiago Nasar's Murder: The ultimate act of honour, carried out by the brothers to restore family honour after Angela's perceived "disgrace." This act serves to maintain the social sense of status quo.
Societal Rigidity and Moral Compromise:
The novel shows how cultural values can become so deeply ingrained that they transcend moral values, shifting people's priorities.
Public Complicity: Townspeople, despite knowing a murder is imminent, do not intervene. This is because stopping the murder would "hamper the execution of 'correct behaviour' according to the honour code."
S. Subhamukhi, in "The Role of Religion in Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez," states that Marquez portrays honour as a fundamental Columbian value that "binds the characters, restraining them from doing the right thing - or anything at all - to prevent the murder of Santiago Nasar."
Male Dominance and Patriarchy:
The honour code serves to validate male dominance.
Vicario Brothers' Reluctance and Motivation: They are reluctant to kill Santiago Nasar but feel immense pressure from the honour code, motivating them to fulfill their perceived duty.
Exertion of Dominance: Killing Santiago Nasar is not just about restoring Angela's honour but also about the brothers reasserting their dominance and power in society.
Exchange of the Music Box: Returning the music box was an initial attempt by the Vicario brothers to exert their dominance over Bayardo San Roman. Their failure (returning home still with it, drunk) signifies a defeat and a transfer of power to Bayardo.
Bayardo's return of Angela ("in her disgraced state") further intensifies his power, making the murder of Santiago Nasar the only apparent way for the brothers to regain their lost social dominance and power.
Control on Women: The honour code is fundamentally a method of controlling women and upholding patriarchal structures.
Chastity vs. Truth:
Angela's friends advise her to deceive Bayardo about her virginity, implying such tricks are common and socially acceptable within the honor code's framework for women to manage it.
Angela chooses to tell the truth, traditionally seen as honourable, but is punished for it.
The honour code prioritizes chastity over truthfulness; it seems "acceptable to lie about one’s chastity" to maintain societal facade rather than valuing truthfulness itself.
Angela Vicario's Transgression and Quest for Self-Determination
Major Transgression: Her "most important 'transgression'" is having premarital intercourse, which triggers the novel's violent events.
Contrasting Personality Sides: Her generally meek demeanor makes this act, and her later choices, appear even more shocking. She exhibits two very contrasting sides to her personality.
She quietly endures a beating from her mother.
She marries the man chosen by her parents without objection.
She makes no objection to Santiago Nasar's killing.
Yet, on her wedding night, Bayardo discovers her non-virginity.
Appearances of Defiance/Transcendence: Her individuality is suppressed, but there are times she appears to 'transcend' the honour code.
Valuing Truth: Her decision not to lie to Bayardo about her virginity, despite the severe consequences, demonstrates an individual value for truth.
Post-Rejection Actions: She writes letters to Bayardo San Roman even after he leaves her, showing persistence and initiative and a determination to make her own decisions.
Individual Choices vs. Transcendence:
These acts are described as a "series of individual choices" rather than a full "transcending" of the honour code as such.
Angela doesn't appear to possess a "rebellious spirit."
Her choices stem from "her own genuine beliefs."
Breaking Free: Instead of fully transcending the code, Angela appears to be "slowly breaking free of the restrictions she has had to put up with for her entire life and finally begins to make her own decisions."
Conclusion: The Pervasive Nature of the Honour Code
Marquez effectively portrays the honour code's rigidity and how it universally encompasses everyone in society.
Ripple Effect: A "ripple of disturbance" caused by Angela Vicario profoundly affects the entire town.
Unquestioned Guilt: It remains unclear if Santiago Nasar was genuinely responsible for taking Angela's virginity. He is denied any chance to defend himself.
Societal Apathy: Not a single person in the town questions Santiago Nasar's guilt; their sole focus is that "someone had to die in order to restore Angela Vicario’s honour and by extension, the equilibrium of society."
Restoration of Balance: Santiago Nasar's death ultimately restores this perceived "balance." The honour code remains strong throughout the novel.
Marquez's Message:
Cultural norms can drastically alter people's priorities.
Social balance is an extremely delicate construct.