The word "innocence" has three main meanings: "the state, quality, or fact of being innocent of a crime or offense"; "lack of guile or corruption; purity"; or a phrase that is "used euphemistically to refer to a person's virginity." In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the interpretation of this word covers the scope of these definitions and more. Throughout the novel, innocence is constantly used in various contexts and with various definitions in order to convey the hypocrisy of language and the ruthless judgment of an individual by society.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez highlights the hypocrisy that penetrates society and language. Like a mask that they take on and off, people often abide by double standards.
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One definition in the text is in the sense of somebody being innocent for, or not having committed, a crime. Santiago Nasar is the protagonist, and this idea of innocence centers around his actions.
Another use of the term is seen when speaking about virginity--in the novel, females in the town are considered to have their innocence when they have their virginity. When they lose their virginity, especially before marriage, they are losing their “innocence” and becoming corrupted. “Innocence” in this sense is linked with Angela Vicario and women in general in the novel. In this use of the word, it is typically referring to their virginity and linking it with purity. This is often implied, as Angela goes to insane ends to try and feign her virginity so Bayardo does not return her, which he does anyway when he realizes her attempts at this trickery (Garcia Marquez 46). She has sex before marriage, and because of this fact, she has corrupted herself and become impure. However, this also means whoever took her virginity must suffer the consequences of robbing a girl of her innocence when he knew the cost. This man is also described as having committed a crime, as Angela refers to Santiago as her “perpetrator” (Garcia Marquez 100).
The third main way in which innocence is used is in the sense of a character not being involved in a crime. By staying out a situation, they, in their minds, are “innocent.”
The very fact that these different meanings of the same word are equally as prevalent throughout the novel demonstrates a crucial fact: “innocence” is entirely subjective. Why is this important? Let us look at the fate of our main character. Although never outright confirmed, it is strongly implied that our protagonist is innocent of the crime of which he is accused. In fact, the narrator believes Santiago “died without understanding his death” (Garcia Marquez 101).
A key literary technique that Garcia Marquez uses to strengthen this twisted idea of innocence is his constant usage of foreshadowing. After all, the book opens with the phrase, “on the day they were going to kill him...” (Garcia Marquez 3). This foreshadowing gives the novel a feeling of being predestined--which makes sense, as the title even says that the death is foretold. From the very first line, the reader immediately is set with the idea that Santiago Nasar must die. This foreshadowing follows a repetitive pattern throughout the book, and the majority of the book is spoken about in retrospect of an event that has already happened or is destined to happen.
Like the townspeople, this technique of repetitive foreshadowing leaves readers convinced that certain events, such as the death of Santiago Nasar, are inevitable. Most of us likely consider ourselves as believers in the idea that even though nothing is ever set in stone and people can actively change the future; however, it is also likely that all those who read this novel do not abide by this rule. The townspeople are convinced that Santiago has to die even though they had several opportunities to prevent his murder, and Garcia Marquez’s writing techniques lead the reader to fall into this trap as well.
One of Garcia Marquez’s main goals is to deliver several messages through his treatment of the concept of innocence in the book. His main message? Innocence is in the eye of the beholder. In other words, each person knows their own innocence (or lack thereof) for sure, but everyone else acts as an omniscient judge of that fact based on individual definitions of “innocence”. He also conveys a powerful concept: the truly innocent are not free from the judgment of the world or safe from its harm. Although the novel alludes to the fact that Santiago likely was innocent, given his confusion at hearing the news of his planned murder, society is the ultimate judge of his fate. As Nahir Miguel tells Santiago, “only you can know if they’re right or not” (Garcia Marquez 114). Even if you know the truth of your innocence, the world we live in is, above all, the one that makes that decision. However, if you think it about, almost our entire lives and fates are controlled by societal standards and we constantly fear their judgment. Even minor decisions are typically, though often unconsciously, based on what is socially acceptable; what you choose to wear, what you choose to say, and even what you eat are oftentimes decided while keeping in mind how others will accept you.
Innocence, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. How we perceive and judge others' actions is entirely subjective, an idea that is communicated constantly throughout Chronicle.
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There is a focus on innocence because its meaning is unclear even in the real world. Let’s take a moment to look back on a previous statement in order to evaluate this idea. While the narrator strongly hints at the fact that Santiago was innocent of taking Angela’s virginity, at several moments throughout the book, some of Santiago’s questionable habits are highlighted, such as his sexual assault of Divina Flor (Garcia Marquez 13), which also goes hand-in-hand with him cheating on his fiancee as it is later revealed he was engaged to Flora Miguel. In a similar way, while the townspeople were innocent of committing the murder of Santiago, they were guilty in the sense that they actively avoided intervention, thus leading to his death. When asked about Santiago, the townspeople would display “feigned innocence” and simply answer, “I just saw him with you” (Garcia Marquez 104). These instances are Garcia Marquez’s ways of saying that perhaps no one is truly innocent: while someone may be innocent by one definition, he or she is almost always guilty by another. The author is thus successful in causing the reader to question the characters’ morals, and, perhaps, their own.
Garcia Marquez’s ingenious use of the idea of innocence throughout the novel sends one overall message: everybody’s a hypocrite.
Word Count: 1061
Text type: Internet blog post
Features used: Pictures, bolding, italicizing main points, short paragraphs
(Used Prompt #2)
Works Cited
Eye. Digital image. Globe Views. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2015. <http://globe-views.com/dreams/eye.html>.
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Trans. Gregory Rabassa. New York: Vintage International, 2003. Print.
Merrill, Kelly. Hypocrite. Digital image. MormonBasics. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2015. <http://mormonbasics.com/ntl20-woe-unto-you-hypocrites/#sthash.rK5Q1QTs.8KLJAkeU.dpbs>.
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Trans. Gregory Rabassa. New York: Vintage International, 2003. Print.
Merrill, Kelly. Hypocrite. Digital image. MormonBasics. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2015. <http://mormonbasics.com/ntl20-woe-unto-you-hypocrites/#sthash.rK5Q1QTs.8KLJAkeU.dpbs>.
