A Wound in the Body: The Bystander Effect in 'Chronicle of a Death Foretold' Hope Aann Moore 12th Grade

No one wants to take responsibility. This is the underlying premise of Gabriel García- Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold, a novella about twins Pedro and Pablo Vicario who murder Santiago Nasar. García-Márquez’s inspriation to write the novella was based on events surrounding a murder in Colombia. The circumstances of the murder fascinated García-Márquez, especially the role of the bystander effect on individuals in the community. The bystander effect is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when people are discouraged from acting, especially during a crisis or emergency, resulting in a collective reluctance to assist out of a belief that others will act instead. Along with the bystander effect, García-Márquez’s novella highlights machismo, an attitude emphasizing aggressive, masculine pride and male domination over women. The environment of machismo especially adds to the bystander effects’ impact. Additionally, García-Márquez employs biblical allusions, which are direct references to biblical stories or characters. Thus, García-Márquez uses biblical allusions to convey that machismo and the bystander effect are adverse to societal harmony, demonstrating that society is judgmental until it is responsible.

García-Márquez...