In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Márquez uses diction to show how traditions have gradually lost their meaning in Colombian society, leading readers to question their own motives for following customs. Wrong motives could often damage human relationships, so people should not put tradition before the well-being of individuals. The characters in this book contrast each other to show the changes in the meanings of the traditions. The Vicario twins represent the change of honor and Pura Vicario and Colonel Lazaro Aponte represent the forgotten responsibilities of their parts in society. These show reader Márquez's criticism of the current immoral system of following traditions in the community. One way in which traditions have gradually lost their meaning is shown through the use of two characters' diction, as one represents the tradition when it was a way of life and the other represents the tradition that has become an excuse for wrongdoings . Pedro represents the tradition of when it was a lifestyle. When his sister Angela is returned, the tradition of maintaining honor pushes Pedro to kill Santiago. When the townspeople ask him why he is looking for Santiago, he replies “spontaneously[ly]” (54) that Santiago knows why. The use of the word “spontaneous” shows how accustomed he is to it. He lived his whole life respecting traditions, so these became a way of life for him. This is important because Pedro emphasizes that Santiago knows what he has done and must accept his fate just as he is accepting his fate to pursue Santiago. Because Pedro chooses to live by tradition, his fate is foretold. Pedro fulfills his duty to kill Santiago by killing him with words. Even though he acquires physical weapons, he tells everyone about his plan. It almost seems like he wants someone to stop him. Then when Colonel Lazaro Aponte takes the knives away from him, he believes his duty is over. This is significant because if Pedro had wanted to physically kill him, he would not have told anyone, because if the city had known, someone might have tried to stop him. But the fact that he did so shows how he was willing to kill him with just his words. He kills Santiago by repeating his response: “He knows why” (54). Pedro kills Santiago with words by spreading word of Santiago's sin. When everyone in town knows what Santiago has done, their opinion of him changes; people respect Santiago less than before. Pedro kills Santiago without harming the well-being of others and still gains honor for his sister. He anticipated the consequences of his actions. On the other hand, Pablo believes that the only way to fulfill his duties is to physically kill Santiago. Pablo decides to kill Santiago and uses tradition as an excuse to justify his immoral action. Pablo convinces his brother to kill him and sharpens the second pair of knives. Pablo claims that “in front of men” killing was a “matter of honor” (49). The fact that he states “before men” shows how he did it for himself. He's using the fact that murder is a matter of honor to argue this. This is significant because honor has lost its meaning. Instead of preserving honor by killing, motivate killing with honor. Ultimately, both brothers kill Santiago. However, one does it because it is his way of life while the other does it without any justification. This leads readers to wonder what we really do when we follow traditions, as some require us to hurt other people. And if we have the wrong motivations, we could kill someone, whether with words or actions