In Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold he shows the importance of honor in the family. It’s clear that honor is an important part in the novels society because it’s based on how a family is raised and how they portray there values. Guys are raised to be men and girls to be married. Although some readers may think that this short novel is about the murder of Santiago Nasar, with further evidence it’s clear that it’s more about a family losing their honor.
In a society where honor is taken very seriously there are facts that show that Angela Vicario is not as astounding as she is thought to be. Even though in her society “No one would have thought, nor did anyone say, that Angela Vicario wasn’t a virgin.” (Marquez 37) Angela conceals her virginity to everyone who thought she was pure for the same reason of not wanting others in the society knowing that she has lost her honor as a girl and her families honor as well. Not knowing that she wasn’t a virgin her family still tried to protect the purity they think she still has. “…Pura Vicario wouldn’t let her go out alone with Bayardo San Roman to see the house where they were going to live, but she and the blind father accompanied her to watch over her honor.” (37) This shows that purity in the society is sacred to a family’s honor therefore that is why it is being protected with much devotion. “…the fact that Angela Vicario dared put on the veil and the orange blossoms without being a virgin would be interpreted afterwards as a profanation of the symbols of purity.”(41) This shows that Angela didn’t think of further consequences in how her society would interpret her actions later on when her truth is revealed. But within herself she portrayed to be pure and incorrupt because she didn’t try to cover it up when it comes to Bayardo and her encounter. Even though she had a chance to cover and play off her virginity she didn’t. ‘I didn’t do any of that they told me’
Cited: Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. New York: Random House, INC., 1982. Print.