The Role of Memory in the book “Chronicles of Death Foretold” Essay Example

to take place all along, or that you are sure that it was going to take place for a number of motives that may have actually been ostensible after it materialized. Rationally, this relates to the death of Santiago since the entire public had such assured reminiscences of the fate of Santiago but perchance their own reminiscences were seriously altered the moment they learned of the death of Santiago. In this circumstance, loads of the anonymousness as to why nobody tried or managed to save Santiago is described.

In the story, Marquez accounts a few escapades of the people who endeavored to caution Santiago, as, for instance, Cristo, the Colonel, and Yamil. It is astounding, nevertheless, that in a town that had many people, there existed only a few that had the knowledge of the death of Santiago and were enthusiastic to help. While this outcome may just be a hint of the partialities against Santiago, I trust it depicts a diverse story concerning how little information people certainly did recognize, and the manner in which they narrate the story 27 years later is significantly altered from evidence they gained in the days ensuing Santiago’s death. One small aspect that supports this emanates from the reminiscence of Santiago ingoing the house of his fiancée, an act Santiago made deprived of anyone noting.

I do not find it probable that Santiago could go unseen if everybody had such comprehensive information of his ill fate. In the above situation, everybody would be observing Santiago as if he were dead already, and just waiting for the event to transpire. If partiality alone was accountable for the death of Santiago, lack

of being hoarded, someone who seized that preconception would have seen him entering his fiancé’s house. Consequently, I perceive that they did not have much information regarding the death of Santiago, and consequently did not pay close attention to the actions of Santiago to see him enter the house since they had no motive to.

Another interesting feature that plays into the narrative as depicted from memory is that which was deliberated in the Serial podcast by Sarah Koenig. In chapter one of Serial, Sarah questions her nephew and other adolescences in an insignificant study on how memory functions, in this instance memory of a happening only a few weeks earlier. What she found was that people can only remember very vague details, or give broad answers to describe what they were doing. She also found that people who experienced a significant event on that day in the past are more likely to recollect it.

Relating these discoveries to “Chronicle of a Death Foretold,” it would be reasonable to assert that the individuals Marquez interviews fall into the second category of those who have experienced an inimitable event in the killing of Santiago. Therefore, this leads me to be certain, although the recollection of these individuals might be changed via hindsight bias, they have a good memory of the happening of that day 27 years ago than any other individuals would have of an accidental day 27 years in the past. Besides, another feature that might strengthen the memory of the persons, or conceivably alter it, is an account by Marquez to open the last segment. Whereby Marquez distinguished that “for years we couldn’t talk about anything

else” (Marquez 96). This is significant since the event was previously notable in everyone’s cognizance, consequently a continued argument of it should prove it clearer and stronger. Whereas this may well appear like a logical elucidation for the town’s unbelievable memory of the incident, I feel that it only complements to the doubtful role of the memory. Actually, gossip is a very sturdy tool in altering the true development of proceedings. As witnessed back in Highsmith’s “The Black House,” the more one talk of past proceedings, the more they are overstated and become somewhat of a fairytale. The large expanse of dialog regarding the death of Santiago could have led to his story being exaggerated and more of an effort of fiction than certainty, notwithstanding the real event being very factual.

Works Cited

1. Highsmith, Patricia. The Black House. New York: Mysterious, 1988. Print.
2. Marquez, Gabriel Garci?a. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. New York: Knopf, 1983. Print.
3. “Season One.” Serial. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.