Balthazar's Marvelous Afternoon

García Márquez names Balthazar for one of the biblical New Testament’s trio of wise kings, who are guided by a star to deliver gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold to Christ at the site of his birth. However, García Márquez complicates the story’s religious pattern in that Balthazar does not intend to simply bring a gift to a child; initially, he intends to receive recompense for his labor. In another modern change, the recipients of Balthazar’s gift are not holy or even pleasant—José Montiel is penny-pinching and harsh, and his son Pepe appears to be both abused and spoiled. These twists set the trajectory for Balthazar’s character arc, setting the stage for the major gesture of Balthazar’s story, a dramatic turn of fortune followed quickly by the reversal of that fortune and a fall. 

Throughout the story, Balthazar is a morally incorruptible figure, set apart from the villainous Montiel by his generosity and even temperament. The omniscient narrator praises Balthazar for his forthrightness and notes that he wears white for the procession to the home of the Montiels. Ursula also likens Balthazar to a monk when she advises him, “You have to shave [.