Family Honor In The Chronicle Of a Death Foretold

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Honor can be perceived in different ways – to some it may be the integrity of their beliefs, while to others it may be a source of dignity and social distinction. In the context of Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Like Water for Chocolate, which are both set in Latin American cultures, the adherence to family honor and values are viewed as one of the highest moral obligations. Events and characters in both novels revolve around the notion of fulfilling the expectations brought on by the honor of family traditions. This idea of honor and its excessive bearing on morality is a questionable concept criticized by both authors throughout the novels as they expose its hypocrisy and detrimental effects on society. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the dogmatic nature of family honor and its adverse effects are immediately established when the Vicario brothers murder Santiago Nasar in an attempt to regain their family’s lost honor. Although they “killed him openly” [Marquez, pg. 49], the brothers insisted that they were innocent, claiming “Before God and before men… It was a matter of honor” [Marquez, pg. 49]. Not only does this portray the violent potential of honor, it also signifies the ignorance behind the motives of honor. The notion that the brothers made no attempt to conceal the murder and instead, committing it “openly”, signifies that they genuinely believed their act was justified. Marquez uses repetition in “Before God and before men” to emphasize the hypocrisy of honor depicted by the brothers pleading innocence for murder in the presence of “God” and “men”. This image is particularly ironic as murder is an atrocity forbidden by religion; the contradiction between this and the brothers’ belief that they are innocent “before God” indicates the double standard of honor. All charges against the brothers are eventually acquitted on the basis that the

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