Question

Discussion Questions from "Death beyond Constant Love" What news did Senator Onésimo Sánchez receive near the beginning of the story? How did this existential revelation affect his attitudes and decisions throughout the story? Be specific How does Gabriel Garcia Marquez incorporate magical realism into "Death beyond Constant Love"? Cite a specific example from the text. Describe the façade the senator uses for the backdrop of the speeches? What does this backdrop represent in the story? According to the text, how is the senator viewed after his death? Why?

Answer 1

1. The Senator gets the shocking news that he has only a few months to live, that is six months and eleven days. This gives him a sense of duty and the need to be purposeful in the days left to live, even though the news shocked him. He decided to continue his political activities and did not choose to live his last days in grief or despair. He travels and delivers political speeches. He even gave people promises that he knew he could not live till they are kept.

2. The story develops through unreal events which cannot happen by law of nature. There instances of non living things taking life and incidents of unreal passage of time. There was an instance where the Senator made a butterfly with paper and the butterfly flew away. At another instance, the Senator felt very old as he stepped out of the car, as if many years have passed.