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Writer's pictureBen Taylor

Fate and Circumstance in Chronicle of a Death Foretold

The following is an excerpt from our Chronicle of A Death Foretold Study Companion, available on the resources page of our website.


Amongst a community of people all aware of what was to come, Marquez points out the ab- surdity of how Santiago Nasar came to be killed. As such, the role of fate and circumstance are brought into light as the novel questions the control that one can have over their life and the role of destiny in how one’s life may play out.


This concept is best seen through the experience of Angela when we consider how little control she has over influencing the path that her life takes. The narrator’s mother appreciates the cour- age shown by Angela in knowing her fate, her “marked cards”, yet allowing things to play out until the “final consequences”. Marquez’s reference to “cards” dealt to people in life brings with it a sense of fortune in the control that one may be able to exert over their destiny. Whilst Angela’s actions can be seen as courageous, one can also question what other choices she had other than to marry and await an inevitable discovery by her husband. That she refuses to undertake the process advised to her surrounding the staining of sheets and other forms of deception speaks to her resolve to let her life play out in a way that embraces the circumstances thrust upon her. Ironically, in the moments where she is about to be judged, controlled and abandoned, Angela finds comfort and strength in accepting her fate.



“So she let herself get undressed openly in the lighted bedroom, safe now from all the acquired fears that had ruined her life. ‘It was very easy,’ she told me, ‘because I’d made up my mind to die.”


In the face of great control and power, Angela concedes that she may pay for her earlier indiscre- tions with her life. Through this, Marquez illustrates the immense power of social expectations and how they can lead to one being accepting of their death as it stands as a more attractive option than to be shamed and lose face in front of others. It is only years later that Angela feels that she is the “mistress of her fate” - a feeling that comes after a lifetime of following the path that has been laid out for her by others.


Ben Taylor - The English Lab



We have lots more to say about this text! If you’d like for Ben to speak to your students or to your teaching team, please contact hello@englishlab.com.au


Please also look around our website for further resources and services that can help your Year Twelve teachers and students get the best out of themselves. Our study guide (of which this post is an excerpt from) is available by clicking on the ‘Resources’ tab at the top of this page.

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