Why Is Santiago Important In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold

Earlier this year I had to decide whether or not to tell my best friend some bad news that involved her. In the end, I decided to tell my friend the truth to help prevent her from making preventable mistakes. Santiago, unfortunately, is put into unlucky events which lead to his downfall. In the novella, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the choice of whether or not to tell people certain news can have a domino effect that can affect someone’s life.
Characters that helped to save Santiago’s life made a conscious choice to protect him.“He didn’t think he could do anything for Santiago Nasar except save his soul” (Garcia Marquez 108). The narrator stating “save his soul” proves that Christo Bedoya tried his best to save his friend Santiago. But because

“‘It’ll be two against one,’ he told him. Santiago Nasar left. The people had stationed themselves on the square the way they did on parade days. They all saw him come out, and they all understood that now he knew they were going to kill him, and that he was so confused he couldn’t find his way home” (Garcia Marquez 115). Nahir Miguel trying to warn Santiago shows his willingness to protect him. Santiago not accepting Nahir Miguel’s help shows his personal choice of facing the Viacrio brothers alone. “They all understood that now he knew they were going to kill him” demonstrates the town watching from afar these events unfolding. The town was too invested in what was going to happen next. Even though Nahir Miguel tried to help Santiago, no one else helped in saving Santiago which led to him walking right into the Vicario brothers. “Then Clotilde Armenta grabbed Pedro Vicario by the shirt and shouted to Santiago Nasar to run because they were going to kill him. It was such an urgent shout that it drowned out all the others” (Garcia Marquez 115-116). The

“They had been told it by a woman who had passed by after five o’clock to beg a bit of milk, and who in addition had revealed the motives and the place where they were waiting. ‘I didn’t warn him because I thought it was drunkards’ talk’” (Garcia Marquez 12). Her true motive was that she hoped he died so she didn’t say anything. “revealed the motives and the place where they were waiting” shows that even the random woman knew about the murder but didn’t do anything. It proves that their society chose to not get involved with Santiago’s murder. “She only took the time necessary to say the name. She looked for it in the shadows, she found it at first sight among many, many easily confused names from this world and the other, and she nailed it to the wall with her well-aimed dart, like a butterfly with no will whose sentence has already been written. ‘Santiago Nasar,’ she said” (Garcia Marquez 47). The narrator stating “like a butterfly with no will whose sentence has already been written” shows that Angela had the choice of picking anyone’s name to say. Someone else’s life could’ve been targeted instead. Angela’s choice led to her two brothers wanting to save their family's