Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Chapters 2 & 3: Analysis Questions

While reading the chapters, annotate for the common elements of craft and then answer each of
the following questions in at least 3-4 concise sentences.

DO NOT RESEARCH THESE ONLINE!

CHALLENGE YOUR INTELLECT AND DO THE WORK YOURSELF!

1. Discuss the physical characterization, motivations, and actions of Bayardo San Roman. Why
does he come to town? What do people really know about him? How does the narrator present
him? Etc. Then discuss how his characterization in the novel supports a main theme. Please use
at least two quotes to support your analysis.
Bayardo San Roman is immediately characterized as being incredibly handsome and attractive
and we know he came to town “looking for someone to marry” (26). He is shown as a very
mysterious character that spoke in a way that “served to conceal rather than to reveal” (26). We
know little about him except that most agree he is very attractive and has strong masculine
qualities. This supports the idea that love is a hunt and the men take advantage of the women
because the women are seen as their prey that they must catch.

2. Now, conversely, discuss the characterization of Angela Vicario and examine her feelings and
those of her family and surrounding community concerning arranged marriages. Also use a quote
to support your analysis.
Angela Vicario did not want to marry Bayardo at all because she “detested conceited men, and
[she’d] never seen one so stuck-up” (29). Despite that, her family was poor and it was normal for
women to have arranged marriages to wealthy or higher-status guys so that they can bring up the
family name. Her parents pushed her to marry Bayardo because they knew he was wealthy and
well-liked so it would make the family look good and was a wise decision whether or not Angela
actually wanted the marriage.

3. Examine the cultural representation of machismo and marianismo gender roles within the
chapter, providing multiple examples with supporting analysis. Also provide at least one quote
per each gender role.

1. ​“Bayardo San Roman was going to marry whomever he chose” because men were
supposed to ‘hunt’ for their wives and seduce women (34). The role of men (machismo)
was to be very masculine and flirtatious around women and seduce them. They were seen
as the predators searching for women to be with and this is what they were taught.

2. ​At this time, “girls had been reared to get married” and they were taught how to
embroider and sew (31). It was a womens job to learn how to take care of the house and
provide satisfaction for her husband so they were brought up learning how to do things to
take care of the household. The main goal when raising a woman was to make her a good
bride one day and help her marry a good husband that will help the family.
4. Using your knowledge of the entire novel, discuss the double irony connected to Bayardo’s
purchase of the widower Xius’s house.
It’s ironic that the house belonged to a widow because Bayardo becomes a widow too shortly
after buying the house because he finds out Angela was not a virgin. It’s also ironic that the
widow chose love for his former wife over the money that Bayardo offered. We know that
Angela is marrying Bayardo for his money and not for love so it is an obvious contrast between
the two couples.

5. Make THREE connections to main ideas or Global Issues between CDF and TGG in Chapter
2. For each, provide an example and support quote, and then brief analysis as to the correlation:

1. ​The poor individuals always wanted to move up to a higher social class even if it
required sacrifice or giving up their freedom. Angela came from “a family of scant
resources” and their family wanted her to marry Bayardo because he was wealthy and
popular within the town (30). The marriage would help them move up and be wealthier
so this is similar to the characters (ex. Mrs Wilson) in the Great Gatsby that wanted to
marry into a higher upper class.

2. ​The outward appearance of individuals is often inaccurate and deceiving and they are
actually corrupt on the inside. In CDF the town first believes that he is “honest and has a
good heart” (27). Later though, we learn that people began to see into him more clearly
and saw that he was more of a devil than an angel. This is similar to the way that the
outward appearance of Daisy made us think she was innocent but in reality she was
deceiving readers and her husband.

3. ​Both CDF and TGG show alcohol in a negative light and expose the abuses of alcohol
and how it causes immature behavior and clouded judgement. Pablo and Pedro were
supposed to do something in town but they returned “foggy with drink” and they did the
opposite of what they had intended because the alcohol they drank caused them to make
the wrong decisions. This is similar to the way the author of TGG criticizes the use of
alcohol and always sheds a negative light on it.

Chapter 3 Questions:

6. Analyze the importance of the passage specifying that “there had never been a death more
foretold” and its relationship to the Bystander Effect throughout the chapter (50). Provide three
specific examples with quotes from the chapter and, last, explain how they support a main theme.

1. ​The twins tell the rest of the butchers that they’re “going to kill Santiago Nasar” so
they all knew that this was going to happen and they knew they were using their knives
(52). Despite this, they all ignored the comment and continued with their day instead of
warning Santiago because they did not think the twins would actually commit the crime.
 The butchers did not want to be the one to worry and warn him if it wasn’t actually going
to happen and the twins were just joking around.

2. ​The twins inform Clotilde Armenta that they were “looking for him to kill him” but
she dismisses their comment because she is shocked that they should say such a thing
(54). She questioned them a bit but was too afriad to get involved in the plan and prevent
a murder because she might have ended up being the victim. Instead of warning Santiago
she sat quietly and kept to her shop and minded her own business so that she was not
involved and was not targeted for standing out amongst the crowd.

3. ​We also know that “Officer Leandro Pornoy revealed the Vicario brothers’ intentions
to [Colonel Lazaro Aponte]” (55). It is interesting that both men were known to settle
disputes but neither of them spoke up and tried to stop the twins or warn Santiago.
Neither of them wanted to get involved in the situation and decided it was best to
continue with their day and join the rest of the town in welcoming the bishop.

4. ​The theme that the bystander effect shows is that problems occur because people do
not want to be the first one to break away from the norm and do something that no one
else would and they are afraid of being different. The murder could’ve been avoided if
someone had been brave enough to stand up and say something. Instead, everyone just
ignored it and pretended nothing was happening because they did not want to be the first
person to say something and no one wanted to be wrong.

7. Find two examples of class prejudice within the chapter and discuss the Global Issue involved.
Please support your examples with direct quotes.

1. ​At this time, not everyone got a fair trial and some people were stuck waiting in jail for
a trail “because they couldn’t afford bail” (49). The wealth of an individual determined
their treatment because if they were wealthy then they could buy their way out of
situations. The social injustices between the classes caused much tension and hatred to
rise because the lower class did not like the unfair treatment they received.

2. ​The narrator tells us that “there were so many other rich people who deserved dying”
before Santiago Nasar (53). This was because the rich always took advantage of the
lower class individuals and treated them poorly. This caused tension between the
classes and the lower class wanted to get revenge on the upper class and even kill some
of the people who abused their power.

8. Make another connection to a main idea or Global Issue shared in both CDF and TTTC.
Provide the example, a quote, and supporting analysis. ​*There is definitely a specific passage
that you should be able to easily identify here…
The twins point that they “killed him openly” but they were “innocent” because “it was a matter
of honor” (49). In TTTC the men joined the war to withhold their honor and to avoid the
embarrassment of being called cowards and in this case the twins are acting in the same way. We
know that the twins were not as eager to kill after a while and they only needed someone to “do
them the favor of stopping them” but instead of looking like cowards, they decided to fight for
their family honor and kill Santiago (57). The soldiers in TTTC and the twins in CDF both did
things they did not actually want to do but they felt as though they had to because of honor.

9. Finally, examine the relationship dynamic between Santiago and Maria Alejandrina Cervantes.
Be sure to discuss the motif of falconry and further animal symbolism used to describe their
relationship. ​This should be a well developed response.
The narrator explains that Santiago was the “falcon” in the relationship and he was chasing “a
warlike crane” when he fell for Maria Alejandrina Cervantes (65). Throughout this passage we
learn that he is addicted to her ways and she respected him when he was around. They both had a
love for each other and respected one another which was rare but they continued to sleep with
other people. It also reflects that he is the predator in this case but they still respected one another
which was different from all other situations and relationships they’ve been in.