The Criticism of Roman Catholicism in "Chronicle of a Death Foretold".

by lyguer (student)

International Baccalaureate World Literature

Period 1A

September 28, 2012

Criticism of Roman Catholicism in the Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Throughout the course of life, people immerse themselves in faiths that set a lifestyle. Such a religion is present in the Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez in the form of Roman Catholicism. This chronicle is an account of the series of events that lead up to the murder of Santiago Nasar. Marquez successfully interweaves negative Catholic elements with the plot of the novel. He extensively criticizes Roman Catholicism by exposing the pious believers’ hypocrisy within the religion, their lack of adherence to core religious values, and the critical Catholic figures’ incompetency.

Marquez highlights the people of the community as hypocrites due to their uncommitted lifestyles. Instead of condemning the Vicario brothers for their murder of Santiago Nasar, the priest “recall[s] the surrender as an act of dignity” after the twin had been captured by the police (49). Vicario brothers-followers-act against the Church when they murder Nasar although the Ten Commandments state that ‘thou shalt not kill.’ Ironically, Catholic values are used to rationalize the crime that was committed against the words of key Catholic code of action. A true believer should leave all judgments and punishments to the divine adjudication of God. Despite the priest being someone who conveys the words of God, he justifies a crime explicitly prohibited in the bible. Through this, the readers are able to perceive that God is actually condoning actions that contradict biblical statements. Therefore, the value of Catholic religion’s divinity is diminished. In another instance, Father Amador reflects on the reason behind his failure to warn Santiago Nasar as he, “didn’t know what to do…[His] first thought was that it wasn’t any business of [his] but something for the civil authorities...” (80). When the priest realizes that his followers are about to commit a severe crime that violates the ideals of Catholicism, he should intervene and chastise the followers instead of passively standing by. On the other hand, Father Amador simply puts such a responsibility off on to the laps of the civil authorities. Marquez is able to accentuate the failure of Church to uphold their high moral standards that are inscribed in the Bible. The authorities of the Church are unable to guide the local community into a mindset with high morality; instead the representatives themselves act in ways opposite to the words inscribed. Although the judicial system should be put to have the final say on disputes, the church should also have an obligation to curb its followers to act with integrity to the words in the Bible. The hypocrisy of the priest undermines the validity and credibility of the ideals in the Bible and in other sacred texts. Thus, others are able to grasp that Catholicism is a religion more of words than real exemplary actions.

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The absence of religious values is another important point brought up by Marquez to criticize the Roman Catholic Church. Nasar’s town as a whole had dressed in its best clothes with jubilations for the arrival of the bishop, and yet Plácida Linero mentions that, “...the bishop didn’t get off his boat...the boat didn’t stop...the bishop began to make the sign of the cross in the air opposite the crowd on the pier, and he kept on doing it mechanically afterwards…until the boat was lost from view...” (16). Although the people had anticipated the bishop’s visit, he does not even take a step on the town soil, instead he simply flashes the cross sign from his boat as if showing that God is blessing them. Furthermore, by not coming down to an equal level with the worshippers, but rather staying on an elevated platform, the bishop emphasizes his patronizing attitude. The bishop creates a physical distance that further deepens the barrier between the Church and the people. Such an attitude affects the level of devotion people have on endorsing the divine doctrines in a negative manner. Moreover, Marquez describes the whole town as a jolly town full of alcohol, whorehouses, and gambling as it is stated that after the main events of the wedding between Bayardo San Roman and Angela Vicario, “Santiago Nasar and I, with my brother Luis Enrique and Cristo Bedoya, went to Maria Alejandrina Cervantes's house of mercies. Among so many others, the Vicario brothers were there and they were drinking with us and singing with Santiago Nasar...” (45). The true meaning of religion has been depleted as people lack the morale to comply with the principles in the Bible. The ten commandments of Catholics prohibit all three actions aforementioned as it alludes, “thou shalt not covet.” It can be seen that people have lost their integrity and faith in religion as they are chasing immediate physical pleasure than a spiritual purity. The lack of faith is also shown as Luis Enrique’s sister, a nun, “wasn’t going to wait for the bishop because she had an eighty proof hangover...” (70). Despite being a nun who should devote herself to the virtues of Catholicism, Enrique’s sister pursues physical utility of alcohol instead of pleasing God through abstention. The bible discourages followers from immoral actions as, “neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 6:10). Overindulgence of alcohol is strictly prohibited, as those who binge drink will not inherit the kingdom of God. Having a nun overindulge highlights the lack of commitment even religious figures are showing to Catholicism in Nasar’s community. These two examples show the indiscipline within both ordinary worshippers and key religious figures. Marquez is able to verify the absence of religious sentiments through these two prime examples. The absence of religious values in Nasar’s village exemplifies the neglect of core Catholic doctrine in the real world. With meaning beyond simple symbolism in the novel, Marquez is able to allow the readers to concur with his criticisms.

Key Catholic figures are displayed as incompetent and incapable as they fail to meet up to their obligations. For example, Marquez describes Angela as, “the beautiful girl who’d gotten married the day before, had been returned to the house of her parents, because her husband had discovered that she wasn’t a virgin” (21). The Catholic Church prohibits premarital sex as the Bible mentions that, “Take heed to keep thyself...from all fornication, and beside thy wife never endure to know a crime” (Tob 4:13). The Church was incapable of preventing Angela Vicario, a Catholic, from losing her virginity before marriage. As a result of Angela’s recount that Nasar had taken her virginity, the Vicario brothers are set to murder him. If only the Church had exerted enough control on Angela as the Bible states, she would not have lost her virginity and Nasar would not have been murdered. Therefore, it is the church’s incompetency that led to the failure of Angela’s marriage and the death of Santiago Nasar. In another instance, the irresponsibility of Father Amador is highlighted as Plácida Linero describes him as “the son of the worst kind of mother” after he had performed the disastrous autopsy (107). People could not identify Nasar’s form after Father Amador has failed and butchered him up while attempting to perform the medical process. He should instead have waited for the doctor to arrive. Nasar could have been allowed to peacefully sleep in his eternal rest, but the priest destroys it. The incompetency of the Church causes negative impact to Nasar’s community. If only the Catholic figures had lived up to the common standard outlined in the Bible, such tragedies would not have occurred to the community as a whole and to Nasar.

In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Marquez indeed condemns Roman Catholicism by noting the hypocrisy, absence, and incompetency of the Church in Nasar’s town. He successfully portrays the Church as a corrupted organization that inherently cripples the ability of the townspeople to perform their tasks in conventional manners. It is now clear that readers must question the plausibility and credibility of belief systems, such as Roman Catholicism, before delving into it.

(Word Count: 1344)

IB English Literature Y1