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Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of the story “Chronicles of a death foretold” by Grabriel Marquez explains the events that led to the death of Santiago Nasar. In particular, the excerpt that stands out is “Don’t be a savage”, he told her. “Make believe it was a human being.” (6) These words were said by Santiago when he observed the brutal manner in which Victoria Gomez was disemboweling the rabbits. Coming from him, those words were a sharp contrast to his behavior, as he engaged in behavior that was considered brutal. First, he used to hunt down defenseless animals for sport, and it seems hypocritical to be concerned about how the dead animals were being prepared. Secondly, he was ruthless in his treatment of other people. For instance, he always touched Victoria’s daughter inappropriately without caring that she might be affected by his behavior towards her. Additionally, he deflowered Angela Vicario, which led to her humiliation when she was shunned by her husband after discovering that she was not a virgin. This shows that he had double standards, as he did not mind hurting other people, but he expected everyone else to be more considerate.

Santiago’s words can be interpreted to describe his death. He recoiled at the way in which the rabbits were being handled, not knowing that his death was awaiting him. His words seem strangely prophetic, as he would be brutally murdered the same day. He admonishes the maid and implores her to regard the rabbits as human beings, meaning that he feels that they should be handled in a more humane manner. In a similar turn of events, he would be killed in the same manner as the rabbits, as the brothers to the shunned bride were waiting to kill him as revenge for the humiliation he caused their sister. As such, his words seem to foretell his approaching death.