In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Marquez uses diction to show how traditions gradually lost their meaning in the Colombian society, leading readers to question their meaning. own motivations for following customs. Bad motivations can often harm human relationships, which is why people should not prioritize tradition over the well-being of individuals. The characters in this book contrast with each other to show the changes in the meaning of traditions. The Vicario twins represent the change of honor and Pura Vicario and Colonel Lazaro Aponte represent the forgotten responsibilities of their roles in society. These show reader Marquez's criticism of the current immoral system of following traditions in the community. One way in which traditions gradually lost their meaning is illustrated by the use of two character diction, one representing the tradition when it was a way of life and the other representing the tradition which became an excuse for wrongdoing. Pedro represents tradition back when it was a way of life. When his sister Angela returns, the tradition of maintaining honor determines Pedro to kill Santiago. When the locals ask him why he is looking for Santiago, he responds “spontaneously” (54) that Santiago knows why. The use of the word “spontaneous” shows how accustomed he is to it. He lived his life with traditions, so they became a way of life for him. This is important because Pedro points out that Santiago knows what he did and must accept his fate just as he accepts his fate for going after Santiago. Because Pedro chooses to live according to traditions, his destiny is foretold. Pedro fulfills this duty of killing Santiago by killing him with words. Even if he acquires physical weapons, he tells everyone about his plan. It almost seems like he wants someone to stop him. When Colonel Lazaro Aponte takes away his knives, he believes his duty is over. This is important because if Pedro wanted to kill him physically, he wouldn't have told anyone, because if the town had known, someone could have tried to stop him. But the fact that he did it shows how ready he was to kill him with his words alone. He kills Santiago by repeating his response: “He knows why” (54). Pedro kills Santiago with words by making Santiago's sin known. When everyone in town knows what Santiago has done, their view 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 feels that the only way for him 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 that they must kill him and sharpens the second pair of knives. Pablo states that “in front of men,” killing was a “question of honor” (49). The fact that he says “before men” shows how he did it for himself. He uses the fact that murder is a matter of honor to justify his decision. This is important because honor has lost its meaning. Instead of preserving honor by killing, he reasons killing through honor. Finally, the two brothers kill Santiago. However, one does it because it is their way of life while the other does it without any justification. This makes readers wonder what we are actually doing when we follow traditions, since some require us to hurt others. And if our motivations are wrong, we