To what extent is the fate of the protagonist in Woman at point Zero Essay

To what extent is the fate of the protagonist in Woman at point Zero (Nawal El Saadawi) and Chronicles of a death foretold dictated by the moral values of the culture in which they live - Essay Example These values determine the characters actions and thereby shape their fates. In Woman at Point Zero, the protagonist is manipulated and dishonored by a number of people in her life. She has no power over the events that happen to her. She gradually learns the value of power and money which enables one to gain control over others and that becomes the utmost aim in her life. Similarly honor as a moral value affects the lives of all the major characters in Chronicle of a Death Foretold as they exist in relation to a single major event. Santiago pays the price for supposedly dishonoring Angela. Angela pays the price for not being a virgin. The Vicario brothers have to commit a crime to defend the honor of their sister. Roman has to discard his wife because honor means everything to him. All the characters display a variety of emotions. They show both negative and positive streaks in their personalities. Although much of the narrative is focused on him, Santiago Nasar is an ambiguous character throughout the novel. The narrator says that â€Å"he was a child of a marriage of convenience† and that he is open hearted. His appreciation of valor, prudence, firearms and falconry comes from his father, who is no longer alive. The narrator also says that Santiago would have seduced Divina Flor, just as his father seduced her mother, Victoria Guzman. As the narrator says Angela Vicario can be said to be the main character of the story. She is center of the mystery that the narrator is trying to unravel, since she is the only one who knows who truly took her virginity, and she remains mysterious at the end of the story because she never reveals whether or not Santiago was guilty. As a young girl, she was the most beautiful of her four sisters. However, the narrator says she had a "helpless air and a poverty of spirit that augured an uncertain future for her." The narrator says that her "penury of spirit had been aggravated by the years."