Death Foretold and The House of the Spirits Essay Example For Students

Death Foretold and The House of the Spirits Essay The Significance of Names in the Plots of Chronicle of a Death Foretold and The House of the Spirits In Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Marquez uses actual names that appear to be non-symbolic with a minor exception. The way that Marquez uses names adds more to the uniqueness of the truth and falsehood of the plot. Conversely, in The House of the Spirits by Isabella Allende, names are very significant and symbolic. The House of the Spirits contains names that clearly symbolize that persons role and possible fate in the novel. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the plot involves much confusion and lacks chronological order; the novel shows subliminal confusion both in the structure and the climax of the novel. Names in the novel add to the confusion by bringing reality amidst magical realism, fictions and fantasy. The word chronicle means to record in a timely order, however, the book is actually told through the eyes of many viewers of the Santiago Nasaar murder in a non-sequential order, for it contradicts the title and presents situational irony. We will write a custom essay on Death Foretold and The House of the Spirits specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In essence, this shows the reader that there will be irony in the novel and one of the ways this irony is portrayed is through the use of names. Chronicle of a Death Foretold does indeed encompass an actual event (Nasaars murder) that has occurred, so the plot can be seen as more of a realistic one based on that asset. However, this reality, which is in part projected by real names (Angela Vicario, Pedro Vicario, Bayardo San Roman, etc. ), adds confusion to the plot because it conflicts Hopper 2 with the magical realism that is promoted in the book. Magical realism is represented by multiple references to clairvoyance and even towards God in the novel. It is also represented by the timeline through which the story is told; the story dwells in and out of the past, future and told through many viewpoints, and through these, fantasy and fictions are presented. Names in Chronicle of a Death Foretold affect the plot by adding confusion to it. Though it seems that names have hardly any significance in the plot of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, there is an exception. To even further confuse the plot, a highly symbolic name is present in the book through the main character, Santiago Nasaar. The name Santiago is the Spanish translation for Saint, which in turn correlates to Jesus Christ in the novel respectively. Through Santiagos name, the reader is meant to perceive Santiago Nasaar as somewhat of a Jesus Christ figure. This comparison is plausible and very intriguing in that Santiagos death is foretold, just as Jesus Christs death is foretold in the Bible. Most importantly, Santiago is an innocent victim killed not because he had sex with a young girl, but because he was a foreigner and because of this, an easy target of hatred. In relation to Santiago Nasaar, Jesus Christ is also seen as an innocent figure in the Bible, for he is condemned to crucifixion for blasphemy but was really only teaching the Word of God, he is also seen as a sinless human in Christianity which further promotes his innocence. Furthermore, the townspeople prompt and carry on Santiago Nasaars death, mainly because someone has to be the scapegoat and take the blame due to Angela Vicarios loss of virginity. Even this action in the book correlates to the last hours of Jesus Christs life, for in the last of hours of Jesus Christ, his death was greatly supported by the townspeople. Hopper 3 So as Nasaar is presented as a Christ-Figure, it opposes the fact that all other names presented in the book are surprisingly non-representational. It also concludes that the book is made to confuse the reader by making a rather confusing plot via extreme variance and lack of chronological order. .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 , .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .postImageUrl , .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 , .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2:hover , .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2:visited , .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2:active { border:0!important; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2:active , .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2 .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udad6b528dd783dbe93a43792c80186c2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Romeo and Juliet Character EssayIn House of the Spirits, names are very representational of characters and characters traits throughout the novel, and also have a profound effect on the book. One of the main characters in the novel, Clara, whose diaries make the novel fifty years after her death, has a very symbolic name. In one instance, Claire is a nickname for Clara, this nickname and the very name itself resembles the word clairvoyant, meaning one who can see into the future and one who perceives things beyond the natural range of the senses. This foreshadows the fact that she will have psychic capabilities and affects the plot in that she communicates with spirits and even builds rooms for them, hence the title The House of the Spirits. If the similarity between Claras name and her capabilities isnt coincidental enough, the name Clara is late Latin in origin and derives from the feminine adjective clarus, meaning famous in Latin. Thus the title of her name is synonymous with her role in The House of the Spirits in that she is perhaps the most famous character in the novel. Nearly every event in the story revolves around her writings, which are then read by Alba to form the major portion of the novel. She is also famous in the novel because her gift to communicate with the dead. By this ability, she often attracts multitudes of people. Claras name in House of The Spirits is one that is highly symbolic and affects the plot by portraying her role in the novel. More examples include the names of characters such as Alba, and Rosa, which are also highly symbolic of their roles in the story. The name Alba is derived from the Latin word meaning dawn and can also mean sunrise. This name suits her role in the