Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Chapter 1: Analysis Questions

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

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CHALLENGE YOUR INTELLECT AND DO THE WORK YOURSELF!

1. After having finished your Level-1 read of the novel, please identify at least seven main
themes that you will be annotating throughout your second, Level-2 reading. ​These should be in
the form of complete sentences that clearly express a lesson for the reader:

1. Honor is a corrupt justifaction for murder that ultimely never brings consolation to the
murders.

2. Social Class and cultural differences reveal the components of the bystander effect.

3. An individual’s devotion to contain honor enforces one to execute atrocities.

4. Women are objectified and identified as having to be pure deliberately for the satisfaction
of men in cultures and societies that incorporate machismo and marianismo.

5. An individual’s lack of morality and candor results to tragedies, where one isn’t able to
accurately develop the reconstruction of events

6. Classical traditions develop one to carry on customs which prevents creating induvailty
amongst family.

7. The Catholic Church reveals their practice of corruption and insincerity when failing to
portray their moral values.

8. The act of gossiping amongst others reveals the obstruction of communicating factual
evidence.

2. There are two significant dreams simply in the first paragraph of the novel. Choose ONE of
them and analyze the meaning of the dream, any relevant symbolism, and its relevance to the
novel as a whole. Use direct quotes as necessary.
​Santiago’s dream of himself on a “tinfoil airplane...flying through the almond trees without
bumping into anything” reveals his true intentions of avoiding the trouble of dealing with
consequences (4). The tinfoil airplane portrays that although Santiago seems externally pleasant,
internally he is weak and comptent of destruction.
3. Identify TWO examples in the chapter where the narrator seems to portray the church in a
negative light, using quotes for support, and then connect them to one of the main themes of the
novel:

1. When the twins were planning to murder Santiago, nobody stopped them bevause they
believed that killing him was the correct punishment for him. They would “leave him for
later if [it was] only out of respect for his grace the bishop” (16). This depicts that they
were encouraging the twins to murder him due to their “honor” for their beliefs. This is
able to connect to the theme of hypocrisy of the catholic church because they encourage
“honor” killings but abnormally also preach about forgiveness.

2. Many civilians weren’t worried about Santiago, Father Carmen Amador believed that he
since he “saw him safe and sound [he] thought it had all been a fib” (19). This reveals
that they didn’t bother checking on Santiago to make sure he was okay and didn’t bother
to notify anyone, when most individuals willingly trust the church with their life. This
connects to the theme of the bystander effect because Father Carmen wasn’t willingly to
take responsibility and check on Santiago.

4. Discuss a specific example of Falconry in this chapter, whether literal or figurative, and
explain how it supports one of the main themes of the novel. Use a direct quote to support your
example and analysis.
​At a young age, Santiago had “learned...the manipulation of firearms, his love for horses, and
the mastery of high-flying birds of prey...” (7). Santiago’s knowledge that he acquired from his
father correlates to machismo, he wasn’t able to have his own individuality and instead became
just like his father.

5. Identify at least THREE significant aspects of Santiago’s characterization in this chapter and
make a case for their significance in the novel as a whole. Use a direct quote in support of each:

1. Santiago was “merry and peaceful, and openhearted” by his nature (8). This reveals that
Santiago was portrayed as a good man but after the allegations, people quickly changed
their mind about him. Santiago liked that he was well known and liked, but also kept the
idea that others saw romance.

2. When interviewing Clotilde Armenta, she depicted that “he [Santuago was] always
dressed in aluminium (15). His appearance was extravagant and looked expensive, but
aluminum is actually weak and cheap. Thus portrays that Santiago is materialistic and
overall cares about his reputation and what others have to say about him. His appearance
depicts confidence but internally, he is insecure and self conscious.
 3. Santiago kept a gun under his pillow and “in the country he wore a .357 Magnum on his
belt” (5). Although Santiago was rich and had luxurious items, he was scared and
paranoid of what could happen to him. He is illustrated as a man that is able to endure
anything but in reality he is cautious and fearful.

6. Examine TWO key symbols within the chapter that have not already been discussed in the
previous questions. Briefly discuss the context of each symbol, and then analyze their meaning
and how they support a main idea in the novel:

1. Disemboweling of rabbits: When Santiago was in the kitchen, the two women
“were disemboweling the rabbits on the stove” (9). This symbolizes the death of
Santiagobecause that is the way he is depicted as he is dying. The disemboweling
of the rabbit and Santiago support the main idea of everything and everyone
foreshadowing Santiago’s death.

2. White linen: The day Santiago was killed, he was wearing white linen shirt and
pants. The white linen symbolizes that he disguises that he committed the crime
with the white innocent of the linens. The white linen supports the main idea of
concealing the truth.