THEMES
●Introduction
“ChronicleofaDeathForetold”(COADF)isanovellawrittenbyGabrielGarciaMarquezin 1981.Apseudo-journalisticreconstruction,itdiscussestheeventssurroundingthemurderofSantiago Nasarandtheimpactithadonthesmalltown27yearslater.Believedtohavetakenawaythevirginityof AngelaVicariopriortoherweddingtoBayardoSanRoman,Nasariskilledinthenameofhonourbythe Vicario brothers.Thus,themostprevalentthemesofthenovelincludeviolence,religionandMachismo,allof whichareheavilyinfluencedbythehistoricalandculturalbackgroundoftheColumbiansocietyin1981, as well as Marquez’s own childhood.
“1984”,writtenbyGeorgeOrwellin1949,isadystopiannovelthatexploresatotalitarianregime ofextremepowerandcontrolby“BigBrother,''basedinAirstripOne(London).Thenoveldepictsthe rebellionofeverydaymanWinstonagainstthetotalitarianregimeofOceania,concludingwithhis captureand“re-education”.WritteninatimejustafterthecollapseindictatorialregimesinEuropeand the rise of authoritarianism in Russia, thesettingplaysacrucialroleinthebook,withtextualreferencestoreal-lifeeventsthattook placeduringtheperiod.Orwellusesthenoveltodiscusssocietalthemespresentinthebooksuchasthe totalitarian regimes, manipulation of truths and conflicts.
●Theme 1: Gender inequality
COADF 1.Cult of machismo and the oppression of women within the Colombian society 2.
○Bayardo San Roman is described to have “given back his bride” ■dehumanisationofwomen,wheretheyareseenasobjectswhocanbe‘returned’ if they were not in a satisfactory condition for men ■ironicandisjuxtaposedbyhisappearanceasheisverywell-maintained, well-dressed and “looked like a fairy”, which are feminine traits
○“boys were raised” while the “daughters were reared” in the Vicario household ■shewasnotpure,anddidnotupholdtheexpectationsofMarianismo,whichwas to remain pure and virtuous for their husbands ■Juxtaposition between “raised” and “reared” ■“Reared”-zoomorphism/anthropomorphismtodehumanisewomensuggesting that their status was no higher than animals
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○“asanewlywedshecoulddisplayopenunderthesuninthecourtyardofherhousethe linen sheet with the stain of honor.” ■Here,therewasadoublestandardset,wherethereisnosuchexpectationsfor men, and it was common knowledge that they visited brothels ■Highlights the gender inequality, unfairness of the cult of Machismo ■Metaphor-“stainofhonor”thecustomofhangingthebloodyweddingsheets outside in the sun, for all to see,
○‘short jacket and very tight trousers’
■Bayardopaysextremeattentiontohisappearance:adetaileddepictionofhis
outfit - reduces his size and consequently effeminates him ■Bayardo’scharacterizationismoreeffeminatethanvirileinthenovel,creatingan ironiccircumstancewherehedoesnotfillthequotaofmachismo,forever remaining an outsider in the village’s society → hence gets killed ■stark contrast between Bayardo and the village people ■Schism between Bayardo and the village only grows larger
○‘Calfskin’ and ‘Kid gloves ■Allusion-toyouthandnaivety,paintingapictureofhimasyoungandpossibly inexperienced;allofthisfurtherreducinghissupposedlymanlyfiguretothatofa more effeminate one
○"novice bullfighter" ■description of Bayardo as innocent and inexperienced - diction ■juxtaposes with what an actual bullfighter should be, manly and experienced ■Thepresentationofhimaseffeminatepresentsanaturalcontrastswithothermen in the novel such as Santiago Nasar ■implies his lack of virility metaphorically
●Theme 2: Violence
COADF 1.Thethemeofviolenceisportrayedpersistetlythroughoutthenovel,sincetheplotrevolves around Santiago’s murder.
○“Butshecouldn'tavoidawaveoffrightassherememberedSantiagoNasar'shorror whenshepulledouttheinsidesofarabbitbytherootsandthrewthesteaminggutstothe dogs” ■Onthemorningofhismurder,Santiagoentershiskitchentofindthecook, disemboweling rabbits ■The image, grimly foreshadows the violence and death that will befall Santiago
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○“Halfofthecraniumhadbeendestroyedbythetrepanation,andthelady-killerfacethat deathhadpreservedendeduphavinglostitsidentity.Furthermore,thepriesthadpulled outthesliced-upintestinesbytheroots,butintheendhedidn'tknowwhattodowith them, and he gave them an angry blessing and threw them into the garbage pail.” ■DescriptionofSantiago’sbodyafterFatherAmadorhascompletedhisclumsy autopsy ■Gruesomedetailofthetransformativequalityofviolence-howitreduces Santiagotoamerething,orcollectionofthings,andentirelyeraseshisidentity as a human being ■Juxtaposition-“angryblessing”beingthepriestheissupposedtobetakingcare ofthecitizenswellbeing,butheisinfactfrustratedandnotsureofwhattodo, someone who is supposed to have a sense of morality does not have ■Irony-priestandthebrutalviolenceperformedbyhim,“pulledout”connotesa lack of care
○“ButArgénidaLanao,theoldestdaughter,saidthatSantiagoNasarwalkedwithhis usual good bearing” ■ArgénidaLanao’scontradictorymemoryofSantiago’spassinghighlightshow fictionalized this act has become the town’s collective memory ■Reflectsthegenre,journalism-manydifferentfactscomingtogethertoforman incomplete story
1984 1.Violence conducted by the oppressive government is portrayed vividly in the novel.
2.ThemostprevalentexampleisthetortureofWinstonandJuliabytheInnerPartywiththeaimto brainwash them.
3.Violence is used by the party to control the people and maintain order in the society of 1984. The Thought Police often use violence to instill fear in the minds of individuals, preventing them from stepping out of line. Similar to how the secret police of the world war became partial legends with stories of people disappearing.
4.Violence is not only physical, but could be psychological, as a strategy by the oppressive government
○“Sometimesitwasfists,sometimesitwastruncheons,sometimesitwassteelrods, sometimes it was boots.” ■Theuseoflexicalfieldusingnounsthatareassociatedwiththemilitaryorwar compares Winston’s torture to that of a Prisoner of War.■Thesemilitaryassociationsthatarelinkedtobrutality,listedcontinuously, suggests the array of violent methods that were used to hurt Winston.■Parallelism-emphasisontheviolenceandcreatesaflowinthesentence,ironic because such brutality should be not be easy ■Imageryofviolence-violencethePartyinflictsonitscitizensandhowthis influencesthemtobedefensiveandviolenttoothers→violentimagery→
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