Some could argue that the Bridegroom and Leonardo are the victims of fate in the play. However, many could argue that it is the Bride that suffers the greatest loss. The Mother also speaks about how she thinks the ‘girl is good’ (6). ‘I know she’s got good manners…good worker…bake her own bread…sew her own clothes…’ (6). Back when the play was set, these were the things that made a ‘good girl’, not personal qualities. These are quite superficial. It shows how on the outside something can seem perfect, but in reality, it is broken. This reflects what the Bride and the Bridegroom have. To everyone, they seem happy and perfect, but in reality the Bride does not want to be with the Bridegroom. ‘She lives out there alone… Used to being alone.’ (10) In reality, the Bride is not alone as she has not one, but two men after her. However, she does end up alone at the end of the novel when both Leonardo and the Bridegroom die. This is why the Bride is a victim of fate to a great extent as she suffers the greatest loss. She has to live with the guilt and she is the one who has to live alone. At the end of the play the Beggarwoman says, ‘That’s how it was. It had to be.’ (77) This shows how their deaths were inevitable and nothing could have changed it. The story was already set for them, like it is in Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the idea of fate is more prominent than in Blood Wedding. The title alone makes it clear to the reader from the start what is going to happen. Also, from the beginning of chapter one, the reader knows that Santiago is going to die, ‘On the day they were going to kill him, Santiago…’ (1). This portrays the idea of his fate being set as the reader is given the outcome of the novel from the start. This cannot be changed. One of the omens that are portrayed in the novel is the letter that Santiago never reads. If he had read the letter on his way out, he might never have been killed. However, he misses it on his way out of the door, which also makes things very frustrating for the reader. Although we know that Santiago will die in the end, we are still hoping for the best, as he is the novel’s protagonist. The way the book is structured also supports the idea of a set fate. The book starts with the outcome then tells the story from the beginning. This shows how Santiago is trapped in a cycle; he is a victim of fate because his death is completely inevitable.
At the beginning of the novel, the narrator reveals that Placida is able to interpret dreams quite well. ‘She had a well-earned reputation as an accurate interpreter of other people’s dreams…but she hadn’t noticed any augury in those two dreams of her son’s…’ (2). She, however, did not notice anything odd about Santiago’s dream. Placida loves her son but is not protective enough over him. She did not notice anything strange about his dream, though if she had, she would have probably been able to save his life. At the end of the novel, she ends up accidentally locking the door and Santiago can’t get back into the house. This portrays how, no matter how you love someone and want to keep him or her safe, fate is much stronger. You cannot escape from your fate, as it is set.
In Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Blood Wedding, both the mothers play major parts in determining further events. The idea of inevitability links these two pieces of writing. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold it is portrayed in the way the novel is structured but in Blood Wedding it is mostly portrayed through the characters.
In Blood Wedding the Beggarwoman is a symbol in herself. She represents death and every time she appears something very grim happens. ‘But even lovelier were he sleeping.’ (67) Sleep, in this case, represents death. This foreshadows the Bridegroom’s death. She also points out how their deaths were inevitable and that nothing could have stopped them; it was their destiny to die. The Bride’s fate is to be alone. She is alone because of her own actions: she cheated on the Bridegroom with Leonardo. It is because of her that they die and because they die, she is alone. It is a vicious cycle that cannot be broken, just like in Chronicle. In Chronicle, the story is set. There is no way of breaking the cycle. On page 50 of the novel, the narrator states that ‘There had never been a death more foretold.’ (50) This shows that this is not the first time that a death or another tragedy has been ‘foretold’. This supports the idea of everything in one’s already being set.
In Blood Wedding, Leonardo’s horse and the horse in the lullaby are a symbols of what is to come, ‘The horse she is thirsty…In blood they can drown’ (13). The horse in the lullaby is a symbol for the Leonardo’s horse. Leonardo’s horse is a means of transportation for him to get to the Bride. This relationship that he is able to have with the Bride, is ultimately the reason for his and the Bridegroom’s downfall. The tragedy is elevated in Blood Wedding as, no matter what she decides to do, the Bride will be unhappy. If she decides to stay with the Bridegroom, she will be in a despondent marriage. However, if she decides to be with Leonardo, she will let down her family and various other companions which shows how trapped she is and how tragic her life is. This is why she suffers the most.
The characters of Santiago Nassar and the Bride in the publications Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Blood Wedding respectively, are victims of fate to a great extent. This is portrayed through character relations, omens and symbols. The only difference is, however, that Santiago dies at the end. He does not feel loss; he just feels physical (and emotional) pain. The Bride, however, feels loss because two men have died as a of her decisions, one of which she was in love with. There are many aspects that both link Chronicle and Blood Wedding and distinguish them. Both their messages are the same though: your fate is set and cannot be changed.
