Honor vs. religion

        Equally important, Marquez introduces the societal values and the flaws in tradition through the castigation of honor. Throughout his novella, Marquez castigates honor codes and in effect, rebukes the townsmen by labeling them hypocrites. First, Marquez affirms, “the lawyer stood by the thesis of homicide in legitimate defense of honor, which was upheld by the court in good faith” (49). “Legitimate” denotes according to law and by stating “legitimate defense of honor” (49), Marquez exposes the value of honor in the society as honor is able to justify murder. Marquez reveals that honor plays the role of God in the lives of the townspeople. Besides, a male is not considered to be a true man unless he protects the honor of his family. Prudencia Cotes clarifies to the narrator that Pablo Vicario had informed her of his plan “and [she] didn’t only agree, [she] never would have married him if he hadn’t done what a man should do” (72). Marquez unmasks honor as being the snake the digs into the townspeople’s minds and not only guides them but forces the townspeople to worship them. Marquez reveals the triumph of the snake over religion as Prudencia Cotes would marry Pablo Vicario only if he would murder Santiago Nasar in the name of honor. This also illustrates the fact that Santiago Nasar was the sacrificial goat of the marriage of Pablo and Prudencia.

        Throughout the novella, Marquez reveals the complexity of the situation created due to the conflict between religion and honor and concludes by the victory of honor, the devil, over religion, the God. The Vicario brothers are compelled to murder Santiago Nasar to protect the honor of the Vicarios. As soon as the homicide had been committed, the Vicario brothers surrendered to the church “and laid knives on Father Amador’s desk. Both were exhausted from the barbarous work of death… but the priest recalled the surrender as an act of great dignity” (49). Marquez confirms that the town had grown insensible as even the priest of the town lacks the knowledge of true religion due to the fact that the “Ten Commandments” of Catholicism clearly underline that “Thou shalt not kill” nut the priest protects the Vicario brothers. In addition, the whole town seems to have lost the true sense of religion as the Vicario family as well the whole court uphold the honor as “legitimate” (49) and righteous and in doing so, the severe sin of Santiago Nasar’s murder is deemphasized and devalued. The murder of Santiago Nasar  is a sin committed by the whole town and in doing so, the whole town sin their soul to perdition. Furthermore, the brothers confess, ““We killed him openly…Before God and before men… It was a matter of honor” (49). Marquez reveals that the Vicario brothers are oblivious of the severity of the crime they have committed as they claim to have committed the homicide “before God”(49) by which they expect God to have forgiven them. By claiming “before God and men” (49), the Vicario brothers equalize the value of God and men in their lives and in effect, illustrate the drought in their lives that has occurred due to absence of religion.

        Not only does religion unite people, but it prevents people from turning the world into a bloodthirsty havoc. Gabriel Garcia Marquez exemplifies the townspeople in Chronicle of a Death Foretold as hypocrites with feigned religion. Honor carries much more importance in their lives as no one in the town even tries to prevent the homicide. The dominance of honor and the absence of religion eventually leads to the death of Santiago Nasar foreboding the ruin of the town. Marquez rebukes the whole town for the brutal murder and informs the readers that darkness and evil cannot be concealed by the white veil of religion.