Honor in No One Writes to the Colonel and Chronicle of a...

Honor in No One Writes to the Colonel and Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Garcia-Marquez Every culture in the world has its own unique set of values that they adhere to in life. The most important value to people is their honor. Honor is a very important factor in a person life that they will stop at nothing to make sure it is not lost. This endless pursuit of keeping honor can causes both positive and negative effects to a society. The reason honor is a main driving force in a persons life is for the simple fact that it determines how the society views that persons integrity, honesty and truthfulness to himself and family. In the two novellas No One Writes to the Colonel and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Garcia-Marquez†¦show more content†¦The Colonel and his wife consequently starve in order to maintain the honor given by the rooster. They conceal this humiliation of poverty by giving a false illusion of who they are to their neighbors. The Colonel believes that starvation is necessary as long as they are honorable to the liberal party and their son. The wife of the Colonel states I [place] stones on to boil so the neighbors wouldnt know that we often go with out food for days(159). The Colonels wife feels humiliated that they have to live in poverty to maintain honor. In a moment of doubt the Colonels wife states to the Colonel you cant eat dignity(160). Then the author uses a brief interruption in the setting to show incorrectness in the wifes comment. Garcia uses the interruption of lighting to show that what the wife said was wrong and that lying and maintaining their honor is the most important thing to do. This same idea that maintaining honor can cause a person to live a life of lies is seen in the novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold. The whole town covers up and lies about being involved and having any information about Santiago Nasars death. They do this because they want to honor the Vicario family by making the murder look justifiable and a strict matter of family honor. The narrator states that, affairs of honor are sacred monopolies, giving access only to those who are part of itShow MoreRelatedMagical Realism In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold1442 Words   |  6 PagesPaul Moxey English February 28, 2010 Essay Question: Discuss the uses of Magical Realism and its significance in the novel Chronicles of a Death Foretold. Magical realism is clearly present throughout Gabriel-Garcia Marquez s novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Magical realism is defined as the combination of realism, along with magical and mythical elements such as dreams that come true, superstitions, humor, exaggerations, and the coincidence of bizarre events. A main characteristic was theRead More Use of Magical Realism in Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essays1423 Words   |  6 PagesUse of Magical Realism in Gabriel-Garcia Marquezs Chronicle of a Death Foretold   Magical realism is clearly present throughout Gabriel-Garcia Marquezs novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold.   Magical realism is the juxtaposition of realism with fantastic, mythic, and magical elements. A secondary trait was the characteristic attitude of narrators toward the subject matter: they frequently appeared to accept events contrary to the usual operating laws of the universe as natural, even unremarkable