Alicia Montoya
English II Period: 5

Honor
The concept and belief of honor in the Columbian culture in Chronicle of a Death Foretold is one of the deciding aspects of the character's actions, motives, and beliefs. Nobody in the novel ever questions any action that is taken to preserve someone's honor, since it is commonly believed to be a fundamental moral trait that is vital to keep intact. A person without honor is an outcast in the community. Unlike in today’s society the idea of honor and self-respect does not play such a drastic role in our everyday lives as it did back then.

Honor meant so much to the people on the story that it is responsible for a death. The Vicario brothers kill Santiago Nasar in order to restore honor to their family name, after they find out that their sister committed the sin of premarital sex. She claimed that Santiago was the one who took her virginity. The Vicario brothers kill Santiago in order to restore the honor of their sister. The idea of killing to restore the honor to the family is seen as a reasonable cause to kill.

Honor in today’s society is not taken as seriously. The whole reason for the death of Santiago was because of Angela’s promiscuity. Many girls today do not take their virginity seriously. The media has a big influence on our actions, not many morals are portrayed through the media and therefore many people will not hold to them. Sex is what sells a lot of products and brands and we see that as a good thing, so when people lose their virginities it does not seem to be a big deal.

The theme of honor in the book seems to only apply to the women in the story. When Angela loses her virginity and sacrifices her family’s reputation it seems to be a big deal. Obviously a big enough deal to kill over. Throughout the story we see the men can act any way they please and they are not looked down upon or judged. Santiago himself was not the most liked around town, he was known as a player. He would try to pick up and sleep with the cooks daughter, when we later find out he himself is married. But no one said anything nor was he judged or looked down on for this. We later find out that one of the Vicario brothers has an STD. He was out sleeping around but it does not affect his reputation or his familys honor as much as Angela did.

In a sense the same double standard applies in today’s society. A guy can sleep around with a few girls and it can seem like no big deal. In many ways guys are more “popular” or “cool” if they sleep around. If a Girl sleeps with more than one guy she automatically