How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The encephalic mass weighed sixty grams more than that of a normal Englishman, and Father Amador noted in the report that Santiago Nasar had a superior intelligence and a brilliant future. (4.6)
How ironic. This quote is basically saying that Santiago had a larger than average brain, so the Father said that he had a brilliant future ahead of him. Isn't that strange thing to say about a guy who's dead?
Quote #5
Nevertheless, in the final note he pointed out a hypertrophy of the liver that he attributed to a poorly cured case of hepatitis. "That is to say," he told me, "he had only a few years of life left to him in any case." (4.6)
Even more irony. It turns out that Santiago probably would have died anyway from his bad liver. So was it really fated for him to die? Or is he just the unluckiest guy in the world?
Quote #6
They took it for granted that the other actors in the tragedy had been fulfilling with dignity, and even with a certain grandeur, their part of the destiny that life had assigned them. (4.14)
This isn't the only time that accepting one's fate is associated with dignity. Where do you think this idea comes from? Is it related to the image of a man who calmly walks out to meet a firing squad instead of crying like a baby? Or, in other words, if you're going to die you might as well be classy about it?