In the novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, a narrator recounts the events that lead to a murder and explores the mystery surrounding the victim's innocence or guilt. In the book, Bayardo San Roman, a rich foreigner, returns Angela Vicario to her parents a few hours after marrying her because she is not a virgin. After Angela names Santiago Nasar as her first lover, her identical twin brothers decide to kill Santiago. Through images of Santiago as innocent victim and executioner, images of Angela as pure and guilty, Victoria Guzman's role as protector and avenger, and the narrator's role as Santiago's friend, Garcia Márquez leaves Santiago's innocence or guilt unclear to convey the dual nature of individuals. This novella therefore makes it difficult to establish the truth in individual and collective memory to serve complete justice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The identity of Angela's perpetrator is difficult to establish due to the privacy of sexual relationships and the duality of human nature. Angela is a paradigm of the complex human nature surrounding the events leading up to the murder. When it is discovered that she is not a virgin and is returned, she is forced to reveal the name of her first lover, and “[finds]” Santiago's name “among the. . . many easily confused names” and nails the name “with his well-aimed dart” (47). Without giving Santiago any chance to defend himself, Angela's mentality in that moment seals his fate. On the one hand, he could have decided to tell his family the truth. Her consciousness is awakened by memories of Bayardo's love after being subjected to severe physical punishment by her mother. She regrets having disappointed Bayardo and “[becomes] a virgin again just for him” (93). The calming nature of kindness manifests its power when one is subjected to intense physical trauma. Her awakened “pure decency” (91) motivates her to take responsibility for her actions and confess the identity of her perpetrator. By confessing his sin, he can ease the burden of guilt and put the past behind him. On the other hand, she could have lied about the identity of her attacker. Angela may have acted selfishly by scapegoating Santiago to “[protect] someone who truly loves [her]” (90). Under the combined stress of shaming her family and being beaten, she loses willpower and chooses a scapegoat to put the disaster behind her and to prevent her lover from suffering as she did. Knowing that Santiago is rich and that “his brothers will never dare to oppose him” (90) gives her an excuse and she feels less guilty of her deception. It is inevitable that Santiago's innocence or guilt is destined to remain an unsolved mystery as it is affected by the mixed character of people. The conflicting character descriptions of Santiago further cloud the truth of his role in tarnishing Angela's honor. On the one hand, Santiago could have simply been the victim of Angela's whim. He is nailed by Angela "like a butterfly without will whose sentence is always written" (47). Santiago never gets the chance to defend himself like a weak, silent butterfly, and the twins never bother to check whether Angela's accusation is true. Before dying, Santiago has the "dismay of innocence" written on his face. When a person is about to die, their true feelings are often revealed as worldly desires and consequences no longer matter at that point. Deep down he knows he's innocent, so he's confused as to why.