Santiago Nasar Juxtaposition

In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez writes his novella during the late twentieth century in which he satirizes the morals and traditions of Colombian culture. Such tradition and moral guidelines include the importance of the dominant Catholic religion, distinction of social class, and expectation of faithful relationships. Marquez utilizes the juxtaposition of protagonist, Santiago Nasar to minor character, Xius to further illuminate the moral façade created by Colombian society. Through the actions of these two characters the reader can understand the moral corruption in Marquez’s work.
Marquez clearly shows his view on Colombian culture with the criticism of the dominant Catholic religion supposedly worshiped by the

majority of society. Marquez primarily introduces the juxtaposition of the characters, Santiago Nasar and Xius. This contrast established by Marquez becomes most evident in the name symbolism of each character. Marquez introduces Santiago in the beginning of the novella as he heads out of his house on day of his murder by the Vicario brothers. As he walks out of the door, “Santiago Nasar put on a shirt and pants of white linen” (Marquez 5). The name “Santiago” represents a common Spanish name and stands for the Hebrew name Jacob, initially applied to denotate Saint James the Great, the brother of John Apostle. Marquez incorporates the name to stress the moral corruption presented by Colombian society. With Marquez’s implementation of a satire in his writing, when he compares Santiago to a holy figure, he mocks the dominant religious faith followed by Colombian society. As Marquez reveals the immoral decisions and actions performed by Santiago, this idea becomes more evident: the traditional Catholic religion demonstrates lack of representation in society. Furthermore, the rest of the characters in the novella have very traditional and common Spanish names such as “Angela Vicario” (Marquez 35) and “Cristo Bedoya” (Marquez 19), denotating to religion. With names representing morality and righteousness, it would be wonted of Colombian society to have a very just and civilized society, but in reality, the murder of seemingly innocent Santiago occurs. Marquez criticizes the fraudulent society and the tainted actions performed by several characters in the novella. In contrast, the character Xius further highlights the corruption in Colombian society with a very systematic and logical name meaning. Marquez introduces Xius when Angela Vicario desires the “farmhouse belonging to the widower Xius” (Marquez 35). Xius attempts to resist the large sums of money offered to buy his farm house, but eventually gives into the Colombian corruption of materialist desire. The name “Xius” symbolizes numerology, a Hebrew naming system that pairs a letter to a number. This way of naming proves to have logic, reason, and rational. Xius’s name meaning significantly contrasts Santiago’s name based upon faith and belief. Likewise, Xius actions very much contrast Santiago’s immoral actions. Marquez utilizes this juxtaposition of the two characters to reiterate to the reader the moral corruption present in Colombian society, by utilizing Xius’s reason and logic to exhibit how he represents a moral figure in the novella whereas the other characters in the novella perform iniquitous actions. Marquez’s voice becomes very evident as he questions the dominant religion of Catholicism in regard to the actions of characters in the novella, specifically Santiago, in juxtaposition to Xius. Santiago proves himself as a man who cares greatly about social standing and looks to due to his high social standing illustrating a very artificial, materialist character. In contrast, Xius values relationships and emotion shown through his longing for his late wife and the importance his house to him. Marquez writes on the actions and priorities of Xius and Santiago in regard to name significance one can see the corruption in Santiago the character and in religion in which his name symbolizes in contrast to Xius’s moral compass and logic in which his name represents. Marquez integrates his satirical style of writing by going even further to expose how Santiago presents a façade of innocence, but with further analysis in his life, he shows evil actions. Similar to how Colombian society puts on a façade of morality, but with more research shows overwhelming corruption.
Moreover, Marquez bolsters the juxtaposition of Santiago Nasar and Xius with their social class distinctions. Marquez illustrates social class distinctions with the upper class of Santiago Nasar and the conceited characteristics he displays. Santiago’s mother even states “My son never went out the back door when he was dressed up” (Marquez 12). Animals and servants commonly use the “back door” in Columbian culture. This elucidates the artificial actions of the upper class shown in Columbian culture. Santiago’s refusal to the back door illustrates how a person of the upper class has an image to uphold and using the back door would be frowned upon showing his attitude of feeling above the rest of society. With such a stress on social standing in society, Colombian society becomes increasingly shallow and vain. Marquez’s goes even further to explain how Santiago would have gotten a warning of his death if he were to look down and push his pride aside stating the “message was on the floor” (Marquez 14). Marquez’s voice criticizes the artificial look and moral façade create by these characters of high social standing. In contrast, Marquez uses the character Xius to juxtapose his high class and immoral actions. Marquez creates the character Xius of middle or low social class. When Xius explains about the important aspects of life, he states, “the objects in the house had been bought by his wife over a whole lifetime of sacrifice and that for him they were still a part of her” (Marquez 36). With a low or middle social standing in society, Xius finds satisfaction in authentic relationships with others in contrast to Santiago who focuses on materialist items. This juxtaposition of the two characters’ highlights Marquez’s voice. Marquez wants to illustrate the corruption in Colombian society to the reader, due to the culture’s materialist tendencies. By presenting Xius as a figure of morality, Marquez makes it evident that one should focus on real relationships and emotion rather than tangible items
Additionally, the relationships formed with women by both Santiago Nasar and Xius helps to support the juxtaposition intended by Marquez.

Marquez reveals Santiago’s perverted actions through Santiago’s maid’s daughter, Divana Flor. Marquez writes, “Nasar grabbed her by the wrist… ‘The time has come for you to be tamed’” (Marquez 9). Marquez’s diction in the word “tamed” exhibits the male Colombian view on women and the treatment women endure. Denotatively, the word tamed means to make less powerful and easier to control and connotatively used to control an animal. This expresses a dehumanizing tone and disrespectful mood. Marquez wants to illustrate that Colombian culture as portrayed by Santiago shows the unequal treatment and disproportional respect demonstrated by men. Marquez’s voice in this novella accentuates how he criticizes the unequal and abusive treatment of Colombian men toward women. Furthermore, Marquez gives uncomfortable imagery for the reader to see. When the narrator takes verbal account from Diviana Flor about Santiago, she recounts, “He grabbed me by the whole pussy” (Marquez 13). This visual imagery written by Marquez gives a descriptive and uncomfortable imagery of Santiago sexual assaulting minor, Divana Flor during her childhood. By looking into the real character of Santiago the audience understands the disgusting nature of Santiago and his poor moral character that the rest of society could not see. Marquez wants to highlight the façade given off by people of the upper class. Marquez criticizes how looks mean so much to Colombian people, and how no one cares about moral aptitude. In contrast, Marquez’s character Xius has moral actions in juxtaposition to Santiago. Xius formed a long and faithful relationship with his late wife. While Bayardo attempts to buy his house with large sums of money Xius explains “you young people don’t understand the motives of the heart” (Marquez 36). This character development of Xius reveals how he uses his

heart in decisions instead of following materialistic ideas, as shown in the large sentimental value the house has to him. Xius tries to fight the normal actions of society and illustrates faith toward one women even after her death. This vastly juxtaposes the actions of Santiago who sexually assaults an adolescent girl. Marquez’s voice denounces the popular action of Colombian society as represented by Santiago and highlights the good morals of Xius. The moral and just actions of Xius are even mocked by Colombian society when “Colonel Lazaro made fun of him” (Marquez 87). Due to his just action and humane feeling toward another person, Xius is made fun of by Colombian society. Marquez highlights how Colombian culture has become very materialist with lack of legitimate relationships and desensitized to the feelings of others.
In Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the use of juxtaposition of the characters Santiago Nasar and Xius reveal the corruption within Columbian culture. Marquez’s utilizes these characters and their actions to highlight to the reader the immoral actions with regard to the weak following of the Catholic religion, importance of social class, and absence of genuine relationships in his work. Although one may feel that Marquez wrote the novella as a simple satire, with further analysis his criticism of the faulty Columbian society becomes obvious.