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Satire


             Satire can be defined in literature as a verse that employs wit in the form of irony, innuendo, or outright derision to expose human wickedness and folly. The author Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses satire throughout many of his novels and short stories. Two examples of his use of satire are in the novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold as well as the short story Monteil's Widow. These two works from Marquez are filled with satire. Marquez makes fun of the honor system, the legal system, and religion in these two literary works .
             The honor system is satired in Chronicle of a Death Foretold because of the fact that the Vicario brothers immediately believed Angela Vicario's outrageous accusation of Santiago Nasar and killed their best friend Santiago with no proof of his guilt. At every single chance they get, they tell people what they intend to do in hopes that someone will either talk them out of it or take action against them (call the sheriff). But no one does! You see, Santiago was a close friend of theirs, yet because of a family duty, they had to kill him, or at least try. All they would have needed was for someone to put their foot down, and they could have went home feeling that they had fulfilled their duty. If only someone had believed the twins! Gabriel Garcia Marquez satirizes the code of honor that existed in early twentieth century Columbia. Marquez portrays this honor code as unjust through the murder of Santiago Nasar. The honor code is seen as out dated in Chronicle of a Death Foretold because an innocent man, Santiago Nasar, is killed for it. In Montiel's Widow the honor system is mocked by the fact that Montiel's son when asked to return to the village said " he didn't dare return for fear he would be shot"(120). He was supposed to uphold his father's honor by continuing his business, but wouldn't return because he feared for his life.
             The legal system is also satirized in Chronicle of a Death Foretold because the brothers were set free, even though the judge hadn't found "a single clue, not even the most improbable, that Santiago Nasar had been the cause of the wrong" (116-117).


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