Chronicle of a

Death Foretold -
Symbols and
Symbolism
Group 5 - Christine, David, Albert, Ruth,
hannes and Adom
Chapter 1
 “He'd dreamed he was going through a grove
of timber trees where a gentle drizzle was

The Bird falling, and for an instant he was happy in his

dream, but when he awoke he felt completely

Feces spattered with bird shit.”

The image of a bird ‘shitting’ on Santiago Nasar

hints at the misfortune he will soon experience.
In many cultures, bird droppings are
considered bad luck, and in this case, it can be
interpreted as an ominous sign of the
misfortune that is about to befall him.
 “He'd dreamed he was going through a grove
of timber trees where a gentle drizzle was
falling, and for an instant he was happy in his
dream, but when he awoke he felt completely
The spattered with bird shit.”

Dreams Santiago Nasar’s dream about trees and the

rain, which occurs at the beginning of the
novel, carries significant symbolic weight.
Trees often symbolize life and growth, while the
rain can represent good luck, being a contrast
to the experience he was going to have that
day.
 “Santiago Nasar put on a shirt and pants of
white linen, both items unstarched, just like
Santiago Nasar’s the ones he'd put on the day before for the
wedding. It was his attire for special
Shirt and Pants occasions.”
of White Linen By dressing in white linen, Santiago
unconsciously presents himself as a symbol of
innocence, reflecting the fact that he is
unaware of the plot against his life and his
impending death.
Chapter 2
 “Santiago Nasar is a falconer, and his fate reflects a
falcon’s pursuit of prey. “

People who own falcons train them to hunt and then

enjoy the spectacle of the birds tearing up their prey.
Falconry When the falcon is released, its owner watches as it
soars upward searching for a bird it can catch in its
talons. At the end of chapter 2, Angela seems to pick
Santiago's name out of thin air when telling her
brothers who her perpetrator is, the same way a
falcon catches a bird in flight. It is his random,
strange, and meaningless fate to be murdered just as
it is the fate of the falcon's prey to be the one bird the
predator grabs.
 In the novel, Chronicle of a Death
Foretold, the wedding sheets play a
Wedding Sheets critical symbolic role, particularly in the
context of the society’s rigid
expectations concerning female purity
and family honour.
Chapter 3
 "They’d gone to sharpen their knives at the meat market, and
as soon as they were sharpened they made them wrap them in
newspaper."

A prominent aspect of this chapter was the story of how the

Vicario brother came into killing Santiago Nasar. As part of their
preparation for the murder, they entered a butcher's shop,

The Butchers aiming to collect and sharpen their knives for the kill. The
butcher's knives, although used gruesomely in the butchering

Knives of animals, aren't seen as a harmful weapon against humans but

are usually classified as one due to their use against animals.
The Vicario brothers choosing to use a butcher knife
symbolizes the extent of their hatred and deprivation. They
wanted to carve him up like an animal and leave him to waste.
They spent time sharpening their knives; they wanted Santiago
to feel every single sliver of pain. They were ready the butchers
that make Santiago Nazar feel like the animal they thought he
was. And both of them were ready to put down that animal.
 “The groom gave back his bride in her wedding dress, which
hadn't even been rumpled, to her parents' house, a fact that
seemed to fit perfectly into the disorder of the festival, and the
only thing that caught the attention of everyone was the
shocking news that she wasn't a virgin.”

The Wedding The dress symbolizes purity, honor, and innocence. Earlier,
Angela expressed that she would rather her husband not show up
Dress and leave her in her wedding dress. In my perspective, Angela
didn't want to tarnish the meaning and sentiment that came
along with a wedding dress. But it was in that very wedding dress
that she was sent back to her family after it was revealed that her
innocence was taken away. This contrast symbolizes the fragility
of innocence and purity. In Angela's point of view, losing her
virginity wasn't a break in her innocence; at least that was what
she was told, but after she and her symbol of her purification and
innocence were sent back, she understood its fragility.
Chapter 4
 “In addition, the dogs, aroused by the smell of death,
increased the uneasiness…“What they want is to eat his
guts.””

In chapter four the dogs stand as symbols of desperation,

The Dogs hostility, and honor. Their behaviour towards santiago's

corpse ties heavily to the relationship he held with the
vicario brother. Their actions parallel the brother’s commit
to the vicario’s brothers commit to utilizing violence as a
means of restoring honor within their family.
 “My brother Luis Enrique agreed, because one night
they’d locked him up after a fight among musicians, and
the mayor allowed him the charity of having one of the
mulatto girls stay with him.”

The Mulatto The mulatto girls serve as a reflection of the societal

backdrop present in the timeline of the story. Their

Girls treatment exhibit the societal tendency to exploit and

objectify women. Throughout the novel, their presence is
paired with sexual connotations; with the town viewing
them as tools for self-gratification and passages of escape
from the circumstances that surround them. Ultimately,
their mistreatment embodies the oppression faced by the
women of their time.
Chapter 5
 The “rainy” weather in chapter 5
reflects the gloomy atmosphere of
the day of Santiago Nasar’s death,
Rain and is symbolic of the general
atmosphere in the town on that
fateful day.
 Santiago Nasar’s clothing
(particularly his white shirt) in
chapter 5 ironically symbolises
Clothing both wholesomeness and
guiltlessness, starkly contrasting
the fate that awaited him.
Motifs
 The concept of honor is a major force that
dictates the actions of the Vicario brothers
and the townspeople. Honor-driven actions
are evident throughout the novel, as seen in
Honor wedding of Angela Vicario and Bayardo San
Román as well as the brothers’ sense of duty
in avenging their sister’s lost honor.
 From the beginning of the novel it is clear
that Santiago Nasar’s death is inevitable. The
events of the day leading up to his murder
unfold as if they are predestined, with

Fate numerous signs, warnings, and omens about

Santiago’s impending death. Despite this, no
one is able or willing to change the course of
events, reinforcing the sense that Santiago's
fate is sealed from the start.
 Blood is a recurring image in the novel, from
the descriptions of Santiago’s murder to the
references to Angela Vicario’s lost virginity.

Blood/Violenc
The brutal, detailed descriptions of
Santiago’s wounds and the bloodstains left
after his murder create a vivid picture of
e violence.
 The arrival of the bishop is an important
event in the town, and much of the early
action centers around people preparing

The Bishop
for his visit. Religious motifs are also
woven throughout the story, with the
church and Catholicism influencing the
& Religious characters' lives and their perceptions of
morality.

Imagery
 The characters in the novel are bound by traditional
societal norms that dictate strict gender roles.
Women are expected to be pure and submissive, as
seen in the immense pressure placed on Angela
Social Vicario to marry Bayardo San Román and maintain
her virginity. When she fails to meet this expectation,

Expectations/
her brothers, Pedro and Pablo Vicario , are forced by
societal norms to restore the family’s honor through
violent means. Men are expected to be protectors of

Gender Roles family honor, often through acts of aggression or

sacrifice. These rigid roles drive the plot and
influence every character’s actions—or inaction.
 The characters in the novel are bound by traditional
societal norms that dictate strict gender roles.
Women are expected to be pure and submissive, as
seen in the immense pressure placed on Angela
Social Vicario to marry Bayardo San Román and maintain
her virginity. When she fails to meet this expectation,

Expectations/
her brothers, Pedro and Pablo Vicario , are forced by
societal norms to restore the family’s honor through
violent means. Men are expected to be protectors of

Gender Roles family honor, often through acts of aggression or

sacrifice. These rigid roles drive the plot and
influence every character’s actions—or inaction.