SUMMARY OF CHRONICLE OF A DEATH ANNOUNCED BY CHAPTERS
In order to be able to summarize and correctly explain the entire Chronicle of a Death Foretold book, it will be a good idea to summarize the book by each of its chapters. In this article we will provide you the Chronicle of a death foretold chapter 4 summary.
CHAPTER 1
The story, characterized by its non-linearity and potential inaccuracy, begins on the day of Santiago Nasar’s death. That day, he wakes up at dawn to witness the arrival of the local bishop. The bishop travels by boat to bless the marriage of a rich man, Bayardo San Román , from another city, with Ángela Vicario, a young woman from the town, that took place the day before. Santiago remembers waking up dreaming of trees. Here, the narrator, to remember that he is only giving a kind of a posteriori summary of the events, specifies that people differ on the subject of the weather, some say that it was cloudy and others that it was sunny (the cook, however, is sure it wasn’t raining). Santiago, everyone agrees on this, they were in a good mood. Throughout the chapter, we learn that Santiago lives with his mother, Plácida Linero, his cook, Victoria Guzmán, and the cook’s daughter, Divina Flor. We also understand that Santiago is twenty-one years old and that he abandoned his studies to take over the family ranch when his father died. Santiago is a cheerful and discreet character, loved by the locals and who does not meddle in the affairs of others. However, like his father, he sexually abuses the young maids who work under him, without this being known in the village.
The whole house wakes up when the bishop’s boat approaches . Santiago, because he has put away his beautiful clothes from the day before, decides to go out through the front door, which is usually closed. A note, slipped under the door, warns Santiago, but this note will not be found until later, long after the young man’s death. As an omen, when Santiago leaves his house, the boat stops ringing and the roosters begin to crow. As everyone heads to the port, the two men who planned to kill Santiago, the twins Pedro and Pablo Vicario, wait at the bar, the only sign open this early in town. They also wear the clothes of the day before and have daggers wrapped in newspaper.
To the disappointment of the villagers who had prepared gifts for him, the bishop does not get off the ship and is content to bow, standing on the bridge, until the ship leaves. Santiago is invited to breakfast by Margot, the narrator‘s sister, who finds him attractive. He accepts, but wants to change first.
Many people in the port know that Santiago is threatened , but they do not warn him because they believe that he has already read the note under the door that informed him. Margot learns that Angela Vicario had been sent home to her parents the day before when her husband discovered that she was no longer a virgin . He suspects that Santiago is more or less involved in the matter . He warns his mother, but it is too late.
EPISODE 2
The narrator now adopts the point of view of Bayardo San Román , who arrives in town in August, six months before his wedding. He is in his thirties, but he looks younger because he is handsome and healthy. He admits, upon arrival, that he came to town to get married.
We learn much more about the couple’s past , how they met, how Bayardo fell in love with Angela, how he became close to the Vicario family and who the Vicario are … But Angela did not want to marry Bayardo. To enchant her, Bayardo offers to give her the house of her dreams, and Angela chooses the house of the widower Xius, which is not for sale . Bayardo ends up getting it by paying a high price.
Everyone is unaware that Angela is no longer a virgin. They are going to have a big wedding. After the party is over, the newlyweds retire to their rooms to spend their wedding night. It is then that Bayardo discovers that his young wife is no longer a virgin; He immediately sends her back to her parents and then leaves the village. Angela’s family is furious and humiliated. The mother beats her daughter long and hard, who ends up confessing that something was wrong with Santiago Nasar.
CHAPTER 3
Angela’s two brothers , Pedro and Pablo, decide to besmirch the family’s honor by killing the young lover . They go to the sty to get two big knives. It is believed that at first they are drunk, but Pablo ends up confessing that they plan to kill Santiago. The information does not generate any particular action; is perceived as a boast, or those who oppose do so without logic (such as retired colonel Lázaro Ponte who demands that the two brothers give him their knives, without considering that they can get more), or again, encourages some for reasons material or racist, since Santiago’s family is of Arab origin. The brothers go for a drink at the bar.
The police are notified and Colonel Lázaro Aponte comes to confiscate the knives. He tells the two brothers to go home. He would later admit to being one of those who thought they were lying.
The Vicario brothers do return home, but to seize two more knives . They sharpen them and, despite the arguments of those around them, they return to the bar with the knives wrapped in newspaper. The manager serves them rum, hoping to get them drunk and destroy any desire to act on them.
CHAPTER 4
The narrator now tells the story of the subsequent murder, the failed autopsy, the terrible burial, the guilt of the brothers and their imprisonment , the departure of the Vicario family, the fall of Bayardo San Román … He also tells how he found Ángela Vicario, several years later.She admits to having started a very formal correspondence with her husband, Bayardo San Román. Although her letters remain unanswered, the young woman continues to write and the tone of her letters evolves towards a more loving and passionate style, then finally invents diseases there to attract the attention of her spouse. Subsequently, Bayardo San Román, aged, without any more charm, returns to town with all the correspondence he received from his wife that he never opened. It is during this period that the narrator of the novel, who presents himself as Santiago Nasar’s best friend, sets out to tell the story. However, the spouses meet and end their life together.
CHAPTER 5
The narrator explains that for several years the inhabitants of the town, who felt a bit guilty, could not speak of anything other than the murder of Santiago.
We follow the official justice investigation for a few pages. The magistrate is not sure that Santiago really took Angela Vicario’s virginity (later he will tell the narrator that it was he who did it) and tries to find out more. The investigation continues.
The murder itself is recounted: Pedro, more determined than his brother, attacks Santiago Nasar. As we said, that day Santiago leaves his house through the front door when he usually always does through the back door. When the two brothers approach, the mother has just closed the door with the key, without knowing that her son is behind, and preventing him from taking refuge in her house without knowing it. Only at this moment did Santiago find out about the threat that weighs on him, before dying under the gaze of several witnesses who cannot – or do not want to – act.
