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Almond Trees In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold

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Typically, audiences read mystery novels to find out who committed the crime or why the crime was committed however, in Chronicle of a Death Foretold the audience is aware of both motive and the killers. In fact, the reader soon discovers that most of the community knows the details surrounding the crime even before it takes place. The novel follows the narrator as he interrogates a Colombian village trying to make meaning behind the lack of intervention surrounding the death of Santiago Nasar, a death which could have been easily prevented. The final conclusion appears in the form of deep cultural concerns, which Gabriel García Márquez employs as a social commentary to portray the problems within his own culture. Problems such as the presence …show more content…

In literature, almond trees are often used as religious symbols. They translate to light, but often correlate in the bible with the consequences that follow sinning. Throughout the novel, García Márquez employs almond trees as symbols used to foreshadow Santiago Nasar’s death. For example, when reflecting on the days leading up to his murder, Placida Linero states, “The week before, he’d dreamed that he was alone in a tinfoil airplane and flying through the almond trees without bumping into anything” (García Márquez 3). The fact that Santiago is flying in his dream may suggest the moving on from one spiritual level to the next, thus foreshadowing his death. As almond trees often represent consequences entwined with sinning, the fact that Santiago Nasar dreamed of almond trees is significant as it suggests that he will soon have to face the repercussions of his actions. This brings attention to Santiago’s crime and suggests that he is guilty of taking Angela Vicario’s virginity. By including the detail of Santiago flying through the trees “without bumping into anything,” García Márquez suggests that Santiago feels no shame for taking Angela’s virginity and her honor. This presents the harmful nature of gender roles within this community, as they allowed for Santiago to take Angela’s virginity without any moral repercussions. Therefore, through the use of almond trees the author …show more content…

These passages are significant because they represent the means women must achieve to meet their community’s standards. The use of artificial flowers represents women being forced to fake their virginity as to maintain their honor. This is especially seen towards the end of the novel, as Angela Vicario is depicted as, “still doing machine embroidery with her friends just as before she had made cloth tulips and paper birds” (García Márquez 93). Even as a rejected wife, Angela continues to make cloth tulips, therefore demonstrating how desperate the women of this community are to maintain their honor. As flowers symbolize purity, the fact that the flowers in the novel are artificial is important as it represents a false representation of purity, thus further developing the idea of a gilded society. Although the flowers are beautiful and vibrant, they are artificial, portraying the corrupt internal nature of this Colombian village. Artificial flowers are implemented as a disguise used to display a false truth. This gives the reader insight into Colombian culture, suggesting that flowers are used to hide impurities. This translates over to the theme of the novel by developing the idea of a community that is visually beautiful yet morally corrupt. García Márquez uses flowers to employ a social commentary by depicting the

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