Santiago As A Death Foretold Analysis

In this bloody scenery, Santiago is seen being murdered by Angela’s twin brothers Pedro and Pablo Vicario. Though the audience does not truly know whether or not Santiago has taken Angela’s virginity, or in other words the Vicario’s family’s honor, the passage illustrates the toll Santiago must pay for this rumor- death. Marquez uses the gruesomely detailed murder in order to paint Santiago as a Christ figure. Throughout the passage, Marquez creates a violent mood with aggressive diction such as, “attacked,” “spurt of blood,” “knifing,” “stabs,” “exploded out,” and “wild cut.” Marquez describes such minor yet crucial details in order to describe how vividly gruesome Santiago’s death was. Much like how Jesus was nailed to the cross through the palms of his hands, Santiago was also stabbed “through the palm of his right hand.” However when Pedro Vicario stabbed Santiago, the knife came out clean, indicating Santiago’s innocence.

In addition, Santiago was killed in white linen, a symbol of purity and innocence.

When Santiago’s blood soaked Pablo’s, he stated that “it smelled like him” and later stated how the whole town smelled of him. The unfading smell parallels to the guilt that would not wash away from not only the twins, but also the townspeople, creating a guilty and shameful setting in accordance to the town. Just as how the Jews cursed Jesus and then felt guilty and horrible afterwards, the townspeople also did not step in to rescue Nasar, only to feel a wave of guiltiness after. Though Santiago was cut deeply and even had to hold his insides together, Santiago displayed a God-like strength and even smiled, which suggested a sense of forgiveness, a crucial aspect in Jesus’s crucifixion. In the finale, Santiago dropped into the kitchen with his last breath, resembling the ceremonial eating of the body of Christ. Marquez utilizes the idea of honor in that honor is the only everlasting impression of someone and thus should be kept dignified and

clean. Even Santiago knew he must pass away purified and clean and therefore flicked the speck of dust on his intestines with his short-lived energy. The importance of a clean reputation is crucial in this particular culture. Honor is such an important factor in one’s life that it is seen as justly to go to extreme levels to win it back. In this particular case, the Vicario twins thought it was justly to kill Nasar with little to no evidence because their family’s honor was on the line. Marquez symbolized Santiago as the Christ figure because he died for the sake of the Viscario’s family’s reputation. He, in a way, agreed to die by not fighting back because he knew of the importance of a woman’s purity. He accepted his death and died for the greater good of the people and their sins.