One Hundred Years of Solitude
Okay, so who's confused? How do you feel about the language? Can you identify all the Aurelianos? What do you think of Marquez's use of magical realism, fantastic elements blended into a realistic narrative?
Hint: a very good student last year (cough...Cora Lin) came up with the genius idea of photocopying the family tree and using it for a bookmark...I'm just saying...
posted by Ms. Clapp @ 9:52 AM
88 comments
88 Comments:
AT first when i started reading "one hundred years of solitude" it did seem a little confusing but once i went back to the first two chapters i started to understand what was going on in the novel. At first i was confused on who each character was because they all pretty much have the same names. The language in the novel seems very easy to read but some words had me going to dictionary.com to look up their meanings. I think that Marquez's use of magical realism is very interesting becuase Marquez seems to capture real life and makes it fictional by exagerating it to make it seem unbelievable. Marquez's use of fiction with the blend of realism makes the book more enjoyable to read.
-farrah :)
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So far I am really enjoying this book. It is less confusing than I imagined, although sometimes I have to go back and reread a few pages. I really like the way that Marquez uses fantasy and magical realism in this story. Although Macondo is a made up village I feel that there are many events that take place there that are realtable to our society today.
There was one quotation that I found very interesting,"Melquidades procalimed."In a short time, man will be able to see what is happening in any place in the world without leaving his home."(2)This quotation is interesting because in our society today I feel that we have so much technology that we soon may not have to leave the house for any reason at all. We have computers,cell phones, television, etc. We are consumed by these things in our everyday lives. It is nice that Marquez,although writing about a fictional place can still show that people are all the same and can realte it to our society. The people of Macondo start out as a peaceful community, but they always seem so amazed when the gypsies come with new inventions. The people of Macondo seem to want more and more as the story progresses, just like people in our society.
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An example to go with my previous comment about how Marquez brings to us magical realism to Macondo is by using the gypsies. The gypsies come into Macondo by showing the people magic and new inventions. The new inventions attrack Jose Arcadio Buendia to want to learn more about the inventions purposes and how each one works. The gypsies bring the Buendia family to be fond of science which keeps Jose Arcadio Buendia in his lab isolated from the rest of the world. This shows us how the gypsies connects science with magic which makes us become more intrested in the novel because of the magical realism.
Okay, what do you guys think about Amaranta's obsession with not letting Rebeca marry Pietro Crespi? I mean why cant she just cut her losses and be happy for her sister. Can anyone explain how Remedios dies because it totally confused me how she died "by her own poisened blood, with a pair of twins crossed in her stomach."(86) Was she pregnant with twins?
After Remedios death we start to see Aureliano change. He goes back to how he felt when he wasn't with Remedios. We see that he wants to become a Liberal and changes his name to Colonel Aureliano Buendia. Whats your opinion on Aureliano's choice? Do you think if he goes to war it will change Macondo into a bad town or will it make Macondo a stronger town?
-Farrah :)
Well, to answer your question Farrah, Remedios was pregnant. I beleive that somehting went wrong with the pregnancy and she ended up dying. She was very young, so that might have had something to do with it as well. I also do see the change in Aureliano's behavior. Marquez writes, "The death of Remedios had not produced the despair that he had feared. It was, rather, a dull feeling of rage that gradually dissolved in a solitary and passive frustration similar to the one he felt during the time he was resigned ti living without a woman."(94) This quotation reveals that after her death Aureliano lost a part of him and in a way became depressed. I somehow feel that Remedios represented the innocence of Macondo becasue she was young, yet she matured as an adult after marrying Aureliano. I believe that after she dies Aureliano doesn't know what to do with himself and when the war starts he chooses it to help him deal with his loss. This is just my opinion but, war and fighting gives people a sense of power. This sense of power might have appealed to Aureliano and made him think that it would heal his "broken heart" and solitude.
only read the next passage if you have read up tp 109. I didn;t want to give anything away.
Also, you mentioned Amranta's obsession with Pietro Crespi. I think it is awful that Amaranta wants to keep Rebeca away from him. But, the weird thing is that once Rebeca marries Jose Arcadio Amaranta starts a relationship with Pietro. One day Crespi tells her they'll get married next month and she says, "Don't be simple, Crespi. She smiled. I wouldn't marry you even if I were dead."(109) I thought this was crazy and made me feel that Amaranta is mentally ill. She doesn't seem to know what she wants. I felt sorry for him because he lost both Rebeca and Amaranta. Why do you believe that Anmaranta acts this way?
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So far I've read up to 358 pages of the book. It is very confusing about all the names however I understand why Marquez would use such similar names. I believe that his purpose of passing down the same name down the generations is to symbolize how there are certain things about human nature that doesn't change. For example Aureliano Segunda, in the 3rd generation, who is married to Fernanda, is very much like the orgnial Jose Arcadio Buendia, and also Colonel Aureliano Segunda. They are all impulsive in a search of something, in this case money as he searches for the gold that Ursula has hidden.
Also to answer angela's question, Amaranta doesn't know what she wants. And if you continue to read, when she refuses to marry Piepto, he kills himself. So she burns herself badly and wears a black bandage over her hand. She falls truly in love with Colonel Gerineldo Marquez. However she's too afraid to accept his proposal of marriage because she feels guilty. "Shut up in her bedroom, biting back her secreet tears, Amaranta put her fingers in her ears so as not to hear the oice of the suitor as he gave Ursula the latest war news,and in spite of the fact that she was dying to see him, she had the strength not to go out and meet him" (151). Much later on in the story, Amaranta dies a virgin. The black bandage is symbolic of her promise to be a virgin for life. She tells to Fernadnda, "Amaranta Buendia is leaving this world as she came into it." (302) and she dies as "the aged birgin, ugly and dsicolored, with the black bandage on her hand and wrapped in the magnificent shroud." (303)
Why do you think Amaranta decides to deny herself the chance of true love other than guilt?
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Hahaha thanks Angela. I totally agree with you. I think Amaranta acts this way because she must be mentally ill. Its so strange how she obsesses with Rebeca getting married with Pietro Crespi but once she gets Pietro Crespi to like her she just wants to throw it away by saying that she wouldn't marry him. I think that Amaranta is a selfish human being who wants everything for herself but once she gets it and is satisfied with the results, she then doesn't want it anymore. It could also be that Amaranta wanted to crush Pietro's heart because of choosing Rebeca over her and crushing her heart. So it also seems that Amaranta wants to get revenage back at Pietro and make him feel the way she felt. Instead she lead the man that loved her to kill himself. Once Pietro killed himself, Amaranta shows her guilt for breaking Pietros heart because she was the cause for Pietro to kill himself. "...when Amaranta went into the kitchen and put her hand into the coals of the stove until it hurt her so much that she felt no more pain but instead smelled the pestilence of her own singed flesh. It was a stupid cure for her remorse."(110) It shows us how Amaranta feels guilty for the wrongdoings that she had done to Pietro Crespi. So to answer your question Angela she must have wanted revenge on him but once she got her revenge she seemed to feel guilty for doing it to him.
To answer Amanda's question i think Amaranta denies herself of true love because she might be afraid of growing up and actually experiencing everything that so many people experience as they get older. It seems that Amaranta doesn't want change in her life and could be afriad of having any man come near her body. She might fear the consequences of giving herself to another man. She also might have made a promise to stay a virgin forever and might want to keep her promise.
What do you think about Aracadio lusting over Pilar Ternera?(Remember she is the one who gave birth to him) Why do you think Arcadio's behavor is so cruel, when he was raised in a household with people who loved him and treated him so nicely?
-farrah :)
OMG! I remember these books. =] You guys are going to love them!
I miss your class Ms. Clapp.
I disagree with Farrah in some ways. I believe that Amaranta denies herself true love is because she is afraid. However I believe it is because she's afraid to get close, to get hurt. Or maybe she is afraid of commitment.
Soon war breaks out in the story and changes everything in Macondo. Since Maconda has been founded, the town has never faced violence and death, which up until then, has never experienced. That is when Aureliano Buendia gains fame as Colonel Aureliano Buendia. It changes Macondo from a magical place in which previously, no one has even died of a natural death, and was magical because it has been untouched by the rest of the world until the civil war. Maconda changes from a secluded town, almost like it's own seperate world, to be connected by the outside world by Colonel. Along with the changes of being connected to the world, Macondo's government also changes. With the war it changes people too. In the final conversation with General Jose Raquel Moncada and Colonel Aureliano Buendia, it is symbolic that war can tear everything apart, including friendships.
"'Remember old friend,' [Colonel Aureliano Buendia] told him, 'I'm not shooting you. It's the revolution that's shooting you.' G
General Moncada did not even get up from the cot when he saw him come in.
'Go to hell, friend.' he answerd.
Until that moment, ever since his return, Colonel Aureliano Buendia had not given himself the opportunity to see him with his heart. He was started to see how much he had aged, how his hands shook, and the rather punctilious conformity with which he awaited death, and then he felt a great disgust with himself, which he mingled with the beginnings of pity." (173)
I find that the Colonel Aureliano Buendia the saddest character in the novel. He finds it hard to experience emotions and later on spends the rest of his entire life making little golden fishes. He ignores being honored for his great heroism of the war and spends his life in solitude.
Oh! Instead of marrying Piepto, Rebeca marries Jose Arcadio (the one who ran away with the gypsies) who later dies. Do you think Rebeca killed him? Is it symbolic on how his blood trailed back to his mother, Ursula, who was the only one who noticed it? "A trickle of blood came out under the door, crossed the living room, went out into the street, continued on in a straight line across the uneven terraces, went down the steps and climbed over curbs, passed along the Street of the Turks, turned a corner to Buendia house, went in under the closed door, crossed through the parlor, hugging the walls so as not to stain the rugs, went on to the other living room, made a wide curve to avid the dining-room table, went along the porch with the begonias, and passed without being seen under Amaranta's chair as she gave an arithmetic lesson to Aureliano Jose, and went through the pantry and came out in the kitchen, where Ursula was getting ready to crack thirty-sex eggs to make bread." (144) Why do you think Rebeca spends the rest of her life trapped in her house in solitude save for her servant?
Sorry Farrah that I can't seem to answer your question about Arcadio with his lust of his mother. But I do find that it's strange that he has turned into a dictator who is obsessed with order. He went form schoolmaster to dictator. Why do you think had possessed him to turn into such a monster?
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I wanted to add on to how Amanda said (in her first blog) that all the Buendias are impulsive and searching for something. I believe that this is very true. In the beginning Jose Arcadio Buendia was always in his labaratory and didn't seem to care about anything else. Later on he ends up having some sort of a breakdown. Marquez writes,"Ursula united his wrists and ankles, lacerated by the pressure of the rope, and left him tied only by the waist. Later on they built him a shelter of palm branches to protect him from the sun and the rain."(78) I found this quotation depressing and it made me feel badly for Jose. He was always trying to invent and discover new things and eventually he breaks down and has no contact with anyone. I am starting to see a pattern occurring in the Buendia family. They are always searching for something or someone and they somehow always end up hurt or left in solitude. Why do you think Jose Arcadio Buendia broke down?
Also, adding on to what Amanda said about Amaranta denying herself of true love. I looked up “amar” in my Spanish dictionary and it means "love". I found this very ironic because although her name symbolizes love she is a person who has never truly accepted it. Just thought I'd share that fun little fact!
Also, another question. What was the main reason that the war started? I have a good idea but just wanted to clarify.
To clarify about the civil war, it started because Liberals were fighting against Conservatives. I'm a little lost myself about exactly why it started, but that's the basics. They both have different points of view I guess. However later on, many soldiers who are fighting only do so for pride. "'You're lucky because you know why,' [Colonel Aureliano Buendia] answered. 'As far as I'm concerned, I've come to realize only just now that I'm fighting because of pride.'" (148)
I agree with Angela about how ironic it is about Amaranta. What do you all think about Fernanda?
I'm very excited, I only have 29 more pages to read of this novel until the ending! There's a ton of foreshadowing of the ending and I just really want to see what really happens.
Wow, I can't believe all the comments already. Ok anyway....
Personally, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is an amazingly written piece of literature. Marquez's use of magical realism actually draws me to the story, and I feel as though it's easy to relate to some of the events that take place within the text. So far I've only read 111 pages into it and I broke up the book into parts where my first entry should be at 150 or somewhere around there, but I felt as though there is so much to discuss.
To continue with Amanda and Angela's thoughts on the impulsiveness of the Buendia family I'm a little torn. I completely agree with you guys on the fact that they are searching for something more with all of the experiments and what not, however I feel as though they bury themselves with work in attempts to console their feelings as well. I believe that Jose Arcadio Buendia wants to expand this knowledge and better himself, and maybe even get a little fame out of it (sending his solar warfare plans into the government)which reminded me of the American Dream in some ways. An example of how their work is used to console their feelings is after Remedios dies and Aureliano goes back to the labratory and keeps to himself. Marquez mentions that he only leaves to visit Rebeca and Jose Arcadio and his father-in-law, and when he is asked about the marriage proposal between Amaranta and Pietro Crespi he doesn't seem to intrigued.
Now on the topic of Remedios' death, I felt as though Marquez killed her off (haha sounds like a soap opera) so quickly. And, I felt as though he could've explained Aureliano's thoughts and feelings a little more about her death. And, I also thought that Remedios symbolized innocence of Macondo becuase after her death everything began to change such as the minipulation of the election, and the war.
Rebeca and Jose Arcadio, well... I really was caught by surpise. I wasn't expecting that at all. And, what I didn't expect even more than the marriage was Ursula's reaction.
Why did she react that way?!
Don Apolinar Mocoste is one of those characters I really cannot stand. His actions and words just tick me off. Especially when he was trying to wed Aureliano to one of his other daughters. It just seemed as if he didn't really care about the death of Remedios.
Amaranta, is one of the characters that puzzle me. She fought with Rebeca for him for what seemed months even years, and then when she can finally have him and he proposes her response of, "Of course, Crespi, but when we know each other better. It's never good to be hasty in things" seems like she doesn't care. As if her battle was won when Rebeca married Jose Arcadio and Crespi wasn't at all the real prize.
This book is so good,
Nicole S.
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Finally finished reading the whole novel! Anyways I agree with Nicole that several events of the town seems to represent the American Dream. I do not agree that the Buendia men are burying themselves in their work to console their emotions. I believe that they might be burying themselves in work to find a purpose. They have this drive and they seem that without having something to do, they feel idle. For example the Colonel Aureliano spends the rest of his life making little golden fishes, in which eventually he remelts to make the next batch. Then there's also Aureliano Segundo who with his mistress, spends the rest of his remaining days (when it seems that his luck has run out) making raffles for his wife, Fernanda.
As of Don Apolinar Mocoste, maybe he is trying to console Aureliano by trying to find him another person to marry to get over Remodio's death. Or perhaps if he can get Aureliano to marry one of his living daughters, he can gain power with the Buendia family, who is seen as the town's anarchy in a way. But I do find that Apolinar Mocoste a horrible being and I was glad when he met his end.
When you all get to the ending, let's discuss it. Because I'm dying to talk about it!
Wowww! i've been on vacation in florida for 10 days and theres alot of comments! i dont know where to begin. well okay lets start with amanda disagreeing with me about Amaranta denying herself true love.
Well Amanda pretty much what you just said is exactally what I said just worded differently. so i really dont see any disagreement in that.
"At thay moment in Macondo Ursula took the cover off the pot of milk on the stove, wondering why it was taking so long to boil, and found it full of worms. "They've killed Arurliano," she exclaimed."(178)
I also thought it was really strange how the worms popped out and Ursula knew that her son was dead. but we later find out that he is still alive.
i really am still kind of confused on how the war started if anyone can clarify it for me a little more because i mean i know that it has to do with something with pride? Im not really sure im still confused about that.
Also who heres suprised that Ursula is still alive i mean geeze were like in the fourth generation and she still there. Its pretty funny if you ask me.
I also was just wondering on page(180) "On New Year's Day, driven mad by rebuffs from remedios the beauty, the young commander of the guard was found dead under her window."
Was the solider driven mad by Remedios the most beautiful girl in Macondo rejecting him, that he went and killed himself? Just need some clarification please. :)
so far im loving this book and almost done with it cant wait to see what happens nexttt!!
Hi everyone!!
Ok, so what I got out of the book about the war was this, correct me if I'm wrong =P. Ok, so Don Apolinar Moscote moved into the town with his family wanting to establish a government that Jose Arcadio Buendia and the other founders of Macondo didn't agree with. There were some arguements over colors of houses and guards being placed within the village that led to an uprising and the war began because the liberals and the conservatives wanted different types of government and wanted to see different things happen within the village.
Remedios is a character who I find quite interesting and somewhat ironic. I find as though all these men fall in love with her without her wanting love while her Aunts, Amaranta and Rebeca, fought for love and neiter came out successful. Remedios has men falling at her feet and pays no attention to them at all.
My heart goes out for Ursula. This poor woman has lived through what seems like everything. She looses her husband even before he dies because he goes somewhat crazy, her sons, grandsons, and even great grandsons live crazy and reckless lives, and yet she still has some hope left in her.
I also found some symbols within the novel. The first symbol I noticed was the Buendia house. The house symbolizes the economic state of the village. At first when the village was established the house wasn't much, it had a enough rooms for the members of the family and didn't have much to offer. As the novel continues the house becomes a mansion. It doubles in size and aqquires expensive and imported items such as the pianola. At the same time of the houses upgrade the village prospers.
The second symbol I found was the daguerreotype of the first late Remedios. At first it is supposed to represent innocence because she died so young. However, as the years go on and the newer generations don't know who Remedios is and the picture looses its meaning and now symbolizes tradition.
-Nicole S.
Reading all the comments that have been posted I notice that there are many about the female characters in One Hundred Years of Solitude and I would like to talk about them too. I feel that the women from Macondo have very different in personalities, but the ultimate goal of most is to get married, keep their husbands happy and have children. I feel this applies to Úrsula in the beginning of the book because she always ends up doing what José Arcadio Buendía persuades her to do, as we can see when Melquíades first arrives to Macondo. “José Arcadio Buendía paid court to Úrsula for several weeks so that she would let him dig up her colonial coins and increase them by as many times as it was possible to subdivide mercury. Úrsula gave in as always, to her husband’s unyielding obstinacy.” (7) But as the story continues, Úrsula breaks that woman character, first by becoming the head of the home once José Arcadio Buendía is tied up to the chestnut tree. But the moment when her power stands out the most is when Arcadio is the new ruler of Macondo, and she doesn’t close her mouth for a second. She tells him everything she thinks and even tells him “I dare you to, bastard!” (115) when he is ready to shoot her. After, when she liberates the prisoners she becomes the new ruler of Macondo, which to me is her complete transformation. Also, Úrsula is probably the strongest woman emotionally because of all her misfortunes. Most women in Macondo are ambitious, but not compared to Úrsula.
Okay so I can not even try to explain all the characters who are related and are not related and who are married to each other and what not. It is very confusing but at the same time I love how all the characters come back into play after I read about them like 50 pages ago.
My confusion is about who marries who and then they have like all these children and I'm completely confused on who takes this child and what one takes the other and so on and so forth. Another thing that I'm not that sure about it what time frame that it is set it. It seems to me like it should be sometime when the mayas were around, but they take about having a living room and dinning room and so on. So can anyone tell me what time period this is set in?
What I love about this book is at the beginning I really dreaded reading it because I was told that it was a very dense book. It is very dense let me tell you! On the other hand (way to use a cliche), I love it because it is very easy to understand ( besides not mixing up the buendia family) and because wars and family fights and differences really does happen in everyday modern life.
The one reason I do not like it that much is because of all the people dying. I have tried to recollect the people who have died in the book and all I can remember is Arcadio and Jose Acardio Buendia and Remidios. I'm not saying that I wasn't paying attention, but it just becomes difficult to remember who has died and who hasn't.
Well can't wait to finish reading the next part of the book.
-- Lauren : ]
HEYY EVERYONEE IM FINALLY FINISHED WITH THE BOOK AND OH MAN WAS THE ENDING GOOD! I CAN'T WAIT TILL EVERYONES FINISH SO I CAN DISCUSS ALL OF THE THINGS I HAVE ON MY MIND ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
AND I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION LAUREN. WELL IN ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE I BELIEVE THEY NEVER MENTION THE TIME PERIOD.( AND SOMEONE PLEASE CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG) WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE LIVING ROOM AND DINNING ROOMS IT BECAUSE MARQUEZ IS USING MAGICAL REALISM IN HIS NOVEL. HE BLENDS ALL OF THE THINGS THAT GO ON IN OUR SOCIETIES INTO THE NOVEL BUT ADDING A HINT OF MAGIC TO IT TO MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING AND FASINATING FOR THE READERS TO READ THE NOVEL.
WELL I HOPE EVERYONEE HASS A GREATT 4TH OF JULYYY !!
-FARRAH ;)
I think that Marquez gives a subtle hints of the time period. Like for one, the state of the houses in the beginning of Mocondo's development. Then towards the expansion of the Buendia's house, with the pianola. Then there comes the gypsy, railroad, the civil war, and even the banana company. Which seems to me that when it all started, it was around the time when maybe when kings and queen still existed? The development of the railroad and the rise of the banana companies and the people who live in a wired area of Mocando, obviously means that America has been become a well developed country. Such as the friends that Fernanda's daughter makes. So that gives a rather small impression of the time period Lauren.
I’ve only just finished up till the end of chp 6 and so far, nothing has confused me. The language was unbelievably easily to comprehend; maybe it was due to the fact that it wasn’t written in a complex language, just the fact that it was different from contemporary novels today. The fact that the story itself is interesting probably added to my fascination of wanting to read the book, thus making me pay closer attention to what I read. The Aurelianos, well, so far there are only two identified ones and 17 unknown and probably irrelevant ones fathered by Aureliano Buendia.
As for the way Marquez incorporates magic into reality, it really is intriguing. In so many ways, I find these supposedly unreal magical items to be so much like many of the technology we have today in our society. With all the inventions Melquaides bring into Macondo, and how people are fascinated by it, especially Jose Arcadio Buendia, one sees civilization rapidly advancing. These people have a thirst to want more, constantly wondering what would happen if this or that happens that may eventually lead to evolution in how everyone lives. In many ways, the people in Macondo were afraid of loosing what they had achieved and what they worked so hard to discover, that’s why when the insomnia plague hit the village, “the most fearsome part of the sickness of insomnia was not the impossibility of sleep…but its inexorable evolution toward a more crucial manifestation: a loss of memory (45). This also relates to our society today where everyone is terrified loosing one’s own past and present, all the memories that make who we are; to loose this is almost equivalent to becoming nothing.
Its funny how the story advances so quick, from an almost unknown civilization with no landmark on a map to somehow incorporating European styles of living into their lives with having contact with people from Italy, having sailors with tattoos appear and suddenly raging a war between Liberals and Conservatives. This really is a rapid movement in what seems like only a few years. The people and relationships of what they share are also interesting, but also sad and considered so wrong in today’s society.
This book also talks about death a lot. Death of Prudencio Aguilar and how deep down Jose Arcadio Buendia never forgave himself, which partly drove him to insanity. The death of Melquaides and his constant reincarnations, mingling the dead and alive together throughout the story. Death of Remedios due to real-life accidents like miscarriage and the people’s unknown medical knowledge. Death of Pietro Crespi due to own’s strong emotions of love and the puzzling way it plays tricks on us. The death of Arcadio from execution due to his wrongdoings and human malevolence and result of war. All these deaths could have been avoided, if only people thought of their decisions more clearly before taking action, because in the end, everyone showed regrets.
First third of One Hundred Years of Solitude is done! This book is absolutely amazing and I do have a lot to say.
First off, Nicole, you took the thought out of my head when you mentioned little Remedios being the innocence of the Buendia family. Honestly, because she is introduced to the Buendias as a girl who has not reached puberty she embodies innocence. To follow the slight religious thread that I perceived in the book, someone is free from Original Sin until, usually, the Age of Reason (age 7). From how she is described and how other characters react towards her, I believe it is safe to believe that Remedios is around this age. In any case, even if she is older, she is still free from sin because she has not suffered Eve's consequence of giving the Fruit of Knowledge to Adam; she hasn't had her period. That innocence is significant to the Buendias because, in a time of emotional turmoil due to Rebeca and Amaranta's love triangle, Remedios brings peace and happiness to the family. What happens when she dies? Aurelino becomes even more withdrawn, marriage plans are upset, characters are thrown back into bad habits or craziness, and the war begins. All innocence is lost in the midst of scandal, death, and insanity. What's more, Marquez dedscribes it all beautifully and fluidly, making the horrible events macabre but not uncomfortable. I take that as real skill in writing--the ability to present the hard hitting facts in a manner that isn't tasteless.
I have to admit, the death that took me most by surprise and actually really disturbed me was that of Pietro Crespi. I was shocked when Amaranta, after all her fighting and threats, didn't accept his offer of marriage. She toyed with him and led him to his death. I don't really understand her. I'l like to think she was testing him and he failed horribly but it seems almost as if she lives for the chase of love and when it's within her grasp she shies away. She can handle the love of children but of physical love she seems afraid. I saw it as her "test" because she later puts Aurelino's comrade who already proposed once in the same position--the only difference he doesn't kill himself.
Another character that grabbed my attention but baffled me somewhat was Pilar. She's the village whore, without a doubt, but the effect she has on the Buendia men, even her son is alarming. I believe Marquez uses her as the ever present temptation, somewhat like the snake in Eden. The only question in my mind is what temptation she is supposed to symbolize? The temptation of sin? It seems as if some of the encounters the characters have with her result in some kind of negativity whether it be Jose Arcadio running away with the gypsies, Aurelino learning the "mechanics of love," or Arcadio nearly sleeping with his mother.
I was also somewhat surprised by Marquez's inclusion of fantasy in a book that started out looking as if it would be strict reality. I think he uses it, however, to, like Farrah said, create an exaggeration of the real, to heighten the senses and sensitivity of the village of Macondo, and further seclude the Buendia family. Another religious thread, (Am I the only one that's seeing all the really religious connotations?) the growth of mankind, according to the Bible, started with two people. There had to be a lot of incestual stuff going on for there to be millions of people in the world (if you believe the story) but God glorified the irst humans. Does this serve as a good omen to the Buendias, after all the strife and struggle we've seen the characters go through thus far? Like Adam being the first man, Jose Arcadio Buendia was the first man to found Maconda, a village that soon became the whole world to him and his followers, completely secluded and cut off from the rest of civilization. There's a lot of different ways to interpret it.
I found it interesting too that when technology and prosperity, what Jose Arcadio Sr. yearned for in his alchemy days, comes to Maconda, it also brings war. Interesting how a blessing carries a curse.
-Michelle.
The way this book is going, it won't be long before my second post comes=]
Hey everyone! Hope everyone has been having a great summer. Anyways thanks farrah for the answer.
So I've come to realize that basically everyone in this book goes through some kind of solitude during some period in their life and it sucks. :] I really see the irony of how Ursula goes through her solitude at her old age, but she is still jovial in which she presents herself. The solitude within this book can become very depressing but because of the magical realism it intrigues most readers and especially me.
Also I am not so keen on everyone having sex with everyone and there is like a million and one Auerlinos and that people just die on the spot. I think that solitude within the Buendia family has alot to do with their natural deaths. There was another part the interested me when the French came because it reminded me of the gypsies. They brought all these new inventions over and these new methods of doing things and it was very much like what the gypsies had done before.
I also was interested when the train was brought to Macando by Auerlino Triste and how they finally recieved the invention of the lightbulb. It seems like in the 292 pages that I've read in this book that I have gone through 50-70 years of this family's life because Ursula and Jose Acardio are having grand children, great grand children and great great grand children. I like it though because it seems as if I've experienced the most crucial events throughout their life.
Well hopefully finish the book this weekend so that I can start another fantastic book either the Kite Runner or What Smart Students Know. Ttyl
--Lauren : ]
hello everyone!!
Michelle I just want to say that your explanation on the book was perfectly described to understand the novel even deeper in the meaning of all the characters and what goes on in Macondo.
Your welcome lauren! And I couldn't agree with you more. All of these characters go through solitude at one point in their lives which really is the weakness of their downfall. Their solitude changes them completely into another person that leads them to seclude themselves from the world, do unthinkable actions, or lead them striaght to their death.
Well I hope everyone enjoys this novel and I can't wait to discuss the ending with everyonee !! byees
-Farrah ;)
I agree with jingle-bellz and lauren. Everyone in the Bueandia does go through their own separate solitudes. Such as the General who spends the last of his days making golden fishes, to the two who spends almost all their time in Melquidades room, studying the scrolls, to Usrula in her blindness and her temporary state of being in a somewhat standstill. Also to Amaranta who spends her entire life avoiding love.
Another thing I agree with jingle-bellz is that Marquez incorporates all the uses of magic to symbolize those of reality. It makes everything symbolic such as the first time the Buendia's touch ice.
By the way Farrah, you and I have both finished the book. So if you want to talk about the ending, I'd be happy to comply. I'm dying to talk about it too.
Yes, I would be more than happy to talk about the ending with you Amanda. [ AND WARNING TO THOSE WHO DIDN'T FINISH THE NOVEL, AND DON'T WANT ME TO RUIN IT FOR THEM, PLEASE DON'T READ THIS UNTIL YOU'VE READ THE NOVEL. ]
When I started to read the last chapter, I wouldn't have even guested what was going to happen next. I mean this book totally caught me by suprise with so many of the events that happen. Its like, nicole said, the novel is like a soap oprah.
Ursulas fear of incest, comes to play again at the end of the novel. When Amaranta Ursula and Aurliano concieve a baby togehter. They find that once the baby is born it is born with a pigs tail on its behind. Once that is revealed to us, we start to see things fall apart for the remaining characters in One hundred years of solitude.
What caught me by suprise is once Aureliano figures out Melquiades ancient prophicies, it litterally predicted every thing that was going to happen to the entire Buendia family. Once Aureliano had read it and figured it out the entire town of Macondo is destroyed and just completely taken away from memory. "Then he skipped again to anticipate the predictions and ascertain the date and circumstances of his death. Before reaching the final line, however, he had already understood that he would never leave the room, for it was forseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment when Aureliano Bailonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was un repeatable since time immemorial and forever more, becuase races condemened to on hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth."(416-417)
Amanda can you please explain to me what the last sentence meant? [ "because races condemed to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth."(417) ]
-Farrah ;)
This book is so good...
So here's another comment!
First off, because I saw a lot of posts concerning Remedios The Beauty, I thought I'd put in my own observations.
In my previous post, I explained why I thought that Remedios the first represented innocence. Ready for my next stroke of brilliance? Remedios the Beauty is the woman that the first Remedios was denied the chance of becoming. The Beauty seems almost satiated when it comes to love, like she needs no more so accepts no more. She is the innocence that the Buendias lost with the death of little Remedios and, almost like she can't deal with the oppressiveness of Fernanda, she succumbs to one of the greatest miracles: Ascension. The family purity reached its all time high with her and I think starts a decline again with her "living death."
The family's innocence once again comes up with the crosses of ash that won't come off of the Aurelianos (apologize for previous misspelling). Christ dies on a cross and the Aurelianos die because of a cross. Christ's death on the cross was supposed to kill sin...so could that mean that the Aurelianos were symbolic of sin itself, as Pilar had been?
Furthermore, Ursula was so preoccupied with her children being born with pig tails that she doesn't realize that in a way, they were. The "curse" she was afraid of shows itself in the horrible fates that her children face (war, murder, solitude) and the way they impact other people's lives(mostly negative when it comes to the effect the women have on other men and how the men leave the women with children and headaches.)
Another thing I think is deffinitely worthy of comment but I don't think I've seen yet is the curious incident after Jose Arcadio Buendia's death. As the book explains, after his death everyone "saw a light rain of tiny yellow flowers falling." Yellow, in my mind, has always been symbolic of happiness and peace. I believe that Jose was giving his family a sign that he had finally found peace after all his years of madness. It was a final symbol his family would understand and his peace was so genuine that the flowers choked the streets.
Until next time,
Shelly
Finally I finished the book* It was awesome. It was terrible that no one was really around anymore and it became a desolate wasteland. I can't wait to talk about it with everyone and see if they liked it.
When I finished reading it I finally realized that the Macondo was a big place of solitude even though no reader would realize this till the end. Because it was a place of solitude I think that is why most of the Buendia's experienced it throughout their lifetimes. No much to say about this last part of the book, but it was really good and I enjoyed it which I didn't think I was going to.
-- Lauren K
[CAUTION: DON'T READ THIS COMMENT IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED READING THE BOOK]
I was shocked at the ending too Farrah!! There were a lot of events that shocked me about the ending. But to answer your question about the meaning of the last statement of the overall novel, here it is in my opinion anyways. The entire history of the town is circled around the Buendia family. As we've discussed recently, each member of the family enters their own separate solitudes. Symbolically, whatever happens to the family happens to the town. Such as when insomnia hit the family, it hit the town. So as the family members fall pray to solitude, I guess the town did as well, thus leading it to its own downfall. Picture this: the United States entered solitude, completely shut off from the rest of the world. It wouldn't survive because it needs the places around them to make them living. So I guess time wise, the novel spans to a hundred years, in which the town expands but then suddenly contracts. The only two contacts it generally had with the world, when they became part of the world, was during the civil war and when the banana company hit the town. However when it disappeared, the town shut down on itself.
I found it completely sad when the son of Farmanta finally comes back from his studies. However he is killed by the four children he generously took it, all for the gold that Usrula had hidden. Don't you find it strange that he was the one who found it when Usrula had claimed that only the person who really owned it could have it? I find it so sad!
As for the ending, Aureliano sees his son [the one with the pig tail] is getting eaten by ants. He then goes back to Melquidades' room to read the parchments. As he reads them, his house is lifted into a twister and the house is tearing apart as he reads.
I guess that the moral of the story is that when life pushes you down, get right back up or else you won't survive. I mean those in the Buendia family, once faced with such difficult hardships, takes themselves away from the rest of the world. And notice how Aureliano suddenly ends up back where he started? He never left that room until he met his aunt, who he lusted and longed for. After she dies, he shuts himself back up into that room. That one thing that changed his life completely was removed and he shut himself out. That's my view of it anyways, what do you think Farrah?
[I HOPE NONE OF YOU READ THIS COMMENT IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE STORY!]
Since this is my first post on this book, I'm not going to read the most recent posts because I'm afraid they'll spoil the end!
I, as a huge Marquez fan (thanks to reading Love in the Time of Cholera in Ms. Clapp's class sophomore year), am already biased. His writing is some of the most beautiful I can ever remember reading. The characters, who all have very similar names, haven't been as confusing to me as i've gotten further in the book because we come to learn their personalities and there are sublte hints as to who is who when Marquez describes their actions.
The one thing I noticed with Marquez in this book is his foreshadowing. Unlike most authors, it is very blunt. We don't have to dig down to understand it; he flat out tells us what is going to happen. Occasionally, when he mentions Aureliano, he says things like "even as he faced the firing squad" when talking about his actions. We as readers don't know why he's facing a firing squad or what is happening because we haven't been told about it yet. However, he mentions this a few times, and I think he does this because he wants the reader to really focus on the development of the character. If he tells you his fate, you are more likely to focus on the events that lead up to his demise and put together the reasons why it happened and what made him into the person he became. It all ties actions into their consequences, and I think that is a huge part of what Marquez wants his readers to do with this novel. He wants us to be able to not just hear the story, but also figure out why the events transpired the way they did.
[WARNING DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU FINISHED THE BOOOK!!]
Wow that really is a good perspective of it Amanda. Thank you. I deffinetly agree with you.
For now I don't know what else to say because you pretty much put the entire thing together and I couldn't agree with you more about the entire thing. I too also find it sad that Jose Arcadio is murdered by the four boys, for the gold that he had found and immediatly used, when the gold was only for the person who had lost it and would come back for it in the future.
It also seems so strang how he read the parchments and didn't understand them or even have a hint of what they talked about until the end when his only love Amaranta Ursula dies, and his son Aureliano is eatten by ants, (Which i find crazy that he didn't even mourn or pick up his son to find if he was alive or not.) that he finally figures out that Melquides had told the Buendias entire future before it had happen. Sometimes i come to wonder maybe he knew his entire destiny and just played it out to see what happened or he is just plain out dum to not realize it in the begining when he read the parchments over and over to study what they meant. But what do i know, thats just some things that i started to think about after i finished the story.
Thanks alot Amanda that really did help and i agree with you completely. Everything you pretty much said sounds good to me.
Well hopefully more of you finish the story and be able to talk about what happened in the novell.
bye bye and hope you guys are enjoying your summer !
-farrah ;)
DO NOT READ UNTIL FINISHED WITH BOOK. thanks =]
So, the book was amazing and the ending, while not unexpected, left me breathless. I love how all the themes and minor details from early on in the book came back at the end to tie up all the loose ends.
First, I'd like to address the comment about how Aureliano didn't mourn for his son. Honestly, I can see why he didn't mourn and I think it happens all the time in real life with fathers unable to love children that brought about the death of their lovers. Keep in mind that it was the love of his life, his aunt, that finally drew Aureliano out of his life long solitude. That was taken away with the birth of the child.
Also, keep in mind Aureliano's mantra that "everything is known." I think it's possible that, even though he wouldn't remember Ursula's worries, he'd know about the fear that a child would be born a monstrosity and he saw it as the downfall that Ursula somewhat predicted.
Amanda, I agree completely with your idea that the moral of the story is to get back up no matter how many times your thrown down. Each of the characters, except Ursula and both of the Remedios-es, are given a certain "problem" to overcome. When one of them stumbles, they become weaker instead of fighting the thing that made them falter. Eventually, they get so broken down that they stay down and they enter into the solitude that brings their downfall. Just to bring in one of my favorite outside sources, the movie Donnie Darko illustrates something that I saw in the novel: "Every living thing dies alone." Now, while in the movie it's supposed to be something symbolic to the main character's inner struggle, it becomes absolute truth in the book. Each character, after falling and refusing to get back up, dies without the true love of another.
Another thing I found really interesting was the wording of the final sentence of Melquiades' parchments. He condemned the Buendias to one hundred years of solitude and then says that they cannot come back for a second chance at life. He fortells the obliteration of their entire world. Their memory is gone. They never existed. It leaves me wondering if they could ever have broken out of the solitude or whether they were truly condemned to the fate--to nonexistance.
For now I don't have much more to say, I'm still looking or a deeper meaning in a lot of things. Hope I helped =]
-shell
Well, well, well…I have read about a third of the book and so far here’s my take on things.
Right from the beginning of the book, we are seeing what would seem the end of Aureliano (though he does not die on the occasion of the firing squad). Nonetheless, the author puts us in a tragic mindset preemptively so we expect that by the end all will be lost for this Buendia (or all the generations of Buendias).
I find the magical realism quite fascinating as a lot of the narrative is quite fantastic and yet is written in a subtle form with natural prose. Therefore, since this book is written in a third person narration, it cannot be assumed that a character has misconstrued these narratives and thus we must take them for facts. This makes the entire book feel like one big (sad) fairy tale.
Jose Arcadio Buendia (JAB) is the founder of Macondo. I think JAB is too consumed in whatsoever he puts his mind to. Be it alchemy, exploration or educating his children, JAB lets himself get consumed by his manias and, I believe, with each one he commits himself to, he loses a bit more of his sanity-consequently resulting in his insanity and the need to bind him to the chestnut tree.
However, there is some method to JAB’s madness as he discovers that the world is round (although this had already been discovered elsewhere). JAB is also quite enterprising in his planning for the village infrastructure.
As I read now, JAB has just passed away and a multitude of flowers fall from the sky in commemoration of his death. (maybe because he was the founder of Macondo-“the king” as Visitacion’s brother, Cataure, put it)
We have our first encounter with magical realism as Prudencio returns to haunt JAB and Ursula. It is rather ironic that by the end of his life, JAB is taken care of by Prudencio, the man he killed, and is eventually even welcomed into death by him.
José Arcadio, JAB’s fist born son, is much like his father but lacks his imagination. Jose Arcadio’s body matures faster than his mind-I think this is the reason why when he cradles feelings for Pilar, he expresses them in a yearning for her to be his mother and take care of him.
The first reference to ‘solitude’ in the book is when JA and Pilar sleep together in silence and fear in her bedroom. Also, when Pilar tells Jose Arcadio that he is going to be a father, he becomes anxious for solitude. It is in this anxiety that he meets the gypsy girl with whom he elopes.
Upon his return, Jose Arcadio is a giant, as poor as he left and a prostitute. By the time he kills himself (or does he? It was a mysterious death clouded by ‘magical realism’) the only praiseworthy act he has committed is stopping the execution of Aureliano.
Aureliano appears to be the nobler of the brothers and, by far, the more gifted with his remarkable foresight and clairvoyance. As he is going to be executed, Arcadio looks back at his life in nostalgic hindsight-this is the same tone in which the book is written-while Aureliano lives his entire life in foresight. This makes me believe that Aureliano is the odd character out of the family, the one around whom the vital parts of the story are going to revolve, and may live to be the last Buendia.
The rest of the characters so far are living lives of: loving one another (like Rebeca and Amaranta at the beginning of their relationship), hating one another (ditto), making compromises (again, Rebeca and Amaranta when Remedios announces her pregnancy) etcetera-all, I believe, in their downward spiral towards extinction.
Okay,so yah- I'm SO confused all the time, just thought I'd put that out there. The author's style of writing is very hard to get inton and the way he arranges his sentences is still difficult at times. He brings a whole new light into the text when he describes things though. It's completly amazing the images he creates for the reader and the world he is able to create. One of the main reasons I was so confused is that i kept attempting to relate the time period they were in to a historical one that i could do research on, but no time/year was ever actually given. And being that this is a secluded village in the middle of some Carribean island, the landmarks such as the train, the gypsies, the magnifying glass-don't really help. So that was frustrating. The world he creates is fictional and at times it is very clear which makes the story easier to get through, yet at the same time Marquez manages to ground the characters in the everchanging reality of our world, and the fact that this world is both realistic and yet magical keeps the reader going "WHAT!"
When i explained the book and what was going on to my dad, he kept asking "my god. why are you reading this book?" And Marquez kept me asking the same thing. At the beginning at least,soon it was like a soap opera I had to keep reading and finding out what would happen next.
But that was off track. The point of this comment is lang. Okay. One of my favorite examples of Marquez's unique style is
"...in which Jose Arcadio appeared with his bristly and greying hair, his cardboard collar attached to his shirt by a copper button, and an expressin of startled solemnity, whom Ursula described, dying with laughter, as a 'frightened general'." (53)
Okay it's not, it was a random quote, but it's still stylistically wonderful. Marquez's use of adjectives "starled solemnity" help to create an image of not only Jose Aracadio Buendia but of Ursula and of the time J.A.B is living in. Also J.A.B's appearance in the photo is minutely described, it is just so well written and detailedl-which is one of the reasons i was able to get into the book. There isn't really any selection of detail, he just puts in everything and this helps to create a very interesting picture.
Also, another thing that confuses me is who the main character of the book is. many books deal with multilple main characters, but usually there is still on that the book really revolves around. This book really sticks me in that area, at first i obviously thougt it was J.A.B, but now where I am in the book, it may be Aureliano, he helps to characterize almost everyother character in the book and has lived through most of the history of the family. However, it could also be Ursula. It was Ursula who gives the reader most of the family perspective and history. The character of the family is deeply embedded in her and she seems to represent the everchanging family and is still around as the family has its periodic ups and downs, and has always been the one holding the family together by string.
Man, i just started reading through some of the coments to try and make sure i didn't repeat anyone but i gave up( have FUN Ms. Clapp)and at the moment I;m extremly mad at michelle for making a super awesome post about the religious thread, I can't believe i didn't pick up on any of that. Awesome. Okay anyway. I don't know if someone already handled this, but bare with me if they did.
Fighting for pride as rei stated
'You're lucky because you know why,' [Colonel Aureliano Buendia] answered. 'As far as I'm concerned, I've come to realize only just now that I'm fighting because of pride.'" (148)
(thanks for the quote rei) didn't come till later. At the point when Colonel Aureliano left Macondo he saw the war as fighting against a governmetn that lies to its people. He saw what Don Apolinar Moscote had done with the election ballots, so for Aureliano the war was fighting for a set of morals, for a government that was truly for its people and that did not lie and cheat. Aureliano says to Moscote on page 101 (in my book)
" I I were a Liberal...I'd go to war because of those ballots" So Aureliano and his men went to war and started numerous uprisings and battles. By the end of the war we see that it has become Aureliano who is keeping the war together. And in the end he gives up on the war because he realizes that no country or govermetn will ever be run without fraud, and lying and that this war has become a war of blame and pride, and that was not what he was fighting for.
Aureliano is possibly my favoirte character in the book becuase of his set of morals. He seems so concrete in his ways, and even within his ow nfamily he becomes a symbol and a hero. Throughout thier country people look to the Colonel not as a person but a symbol of fighting for what is right. Sadly thought marquez uses Aureliano to teach the reader an ageless lesson-nothing is as it seems, and what we want to see is rarely what is actually out there.The end fate of Aureliano is very depressing, throughthis character the reader experienced such adventure and glory, we became proud of him and his work and in the end he becomes as worthless as J.A.B did in his final years. Endlessly circulating through his bucket of 25 goldfish.
[WARNING: DO NOT READ UNLESS FINISHED WITH STORY!]
Shelly, I find that strange too. Melquiades' parchments. I mean it's like he cursed them or something. He wishes for them to experience a one shot at life in which he KNOWS that they will fail. He curses them to fail and to disappear from the world forever. I wonder if Melquiades didn't have such a big influence on the Buendias, would it make the story any different. Do you think so? For some reaosn, I don't think so. I find that the weaknesses of the Buendia families of getting weaker when faced with something challenging, is a natural human flaw that fails everyone who has it.
As for Farrah, I think that maybe Aureliano didn't understand the parchments because Melquiades made it that way. He stated that no one will be able to understand what is written on those parchments until the time is right. I'm guessing that the time was right when the whole town was disappearing.
Thank you Shelly for making that point about how fathers find it hard to love their child when it caused the death of their lovers. I never thought about it and when I do, i realize that it holds a lot of truth to it. I mean in a way, Aureliano is looking at his lover's killer.
I hope everyone finishes the story soon!
Hey everyone! I finally finished a third of the book, and unfortunately, unlike most of you, I am not as enthusiastic about it, which explains why it took so long for me to complete this portion of the novel. (In fact, I stopped and read other books in between.)
I’m not sure why the book has yet to draw me in. I am able to keep the characters straight (so far), and I’ll admit, Marquez has a fluid and lucid style (of which I like). Plus, like Gen commented, Marquez demonstrates an amazing ability to create brilliant scenes through very descriptive prose. For example, he gives an extremely detailed account of Rebeca’s odd actions through phrases like “a tear of nostalgia would salt her palate when she saw strips of damp earth and piles of mud that the earthworms had pushed up in the garden” (69) and “…cake of whitewash that she picked off the walls” (46)—all of which she ate—painting a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, engaging several senses in the process. (I am still puzzled as to why she eats these materials and repeatedly reverts back to doing this when she’s anxious or unhappy. Does anybody know what this represents?)
At the same time however, perhaps I would be more interested in the novel if the characters were more emotionally involved. Because the novel is written in the third person, in a detached tone with little dialogue, we seem to only be given the facts of the story (Marquez is blunt as Meghan said.) So far, Rebeca’s feelings have not been revealed about her parents (the bag of bones) or those of losing her husband Jose Arcadio (however we can guess through her actions). Similarly, the Buendia family’s intimate feelings about Jose Arcadio Buendia’s insanity and Jose Arcadio’s return and Aureliano’s (and the Moscote family’s) feelings on losing Remedios, fail to be explicitly expressed in a way to make one truly connected to the characters. I’m curious as to why Marquez does this.
Another frustrating aspect of the novel for me is that the time period is not stated as Gen pointed out. All I can speculate is that the book is set in primitive times near the Caribbean (perhaps in Columbia where the back cover says Marquez was born). Marquez may do this in order to relate to his use of magical realism. By using a realistic narrative, he is able to attract readers by relating to the lives of everyday people. By not stating a time period, he is possibly able to reach readers of any era, including today, regardless of when it took place. Relatable events to modern times include having children out of wedlock (i.e. Arcadio and Aureliano Jose), attempting to mend broken families, grieving over the loss of a loved one (i.e. Remedios, Melquiades, or Jose Arcadio), and agonizing over what one did wrong as a parent as Ursula does (and there are still many more). Blending fantastic elements (like the dead Prudencio Aguilar haunting/befriending Jose Arcadio Buendia) further sparks the reader’s interest. Although I am not a fan of this, it does add another layer to the story.
To comment on earlier posts, I somewhat disagree with what others said about Amaranta denying herself love. I was disgusted at how she threatened to sabotage Rebeca’s wedding to Pietro (and even kill Rebeca), since they treated each other like sisters. However, I think this changed when Remedios died. Amaranta seems to gain a different perspective on life, especially since she believes that she is partly responsible for Remedios’s death. For this reason, she may have refused Pietro and Gerineldo not only because she was scared of getting hurt but also because she sees what marriage does to the people around her. Remedios got married and died (leaving Aureliano alone) and her own father, Jose Arcadio Buendia, turned delirious (forcing Ursula to raise/unite the family herself). She may resist the temptation to marry in order to not be hurt and to punish herself for robbing Remedios and Aureliano of their love.
Ok…I think that’s all I have to say for now. (Sorry about the length of this post to whomever reads this next.) I should get back to reading. Hopefully I find the next third more enjoyable.
Over the chapters that I have been reading, a lot of the emphasis has been placed on the unemotional trials and tribulations of Colonel Aureliano Buendia (CAB). He is portrayed as a strong hearted soldier and yet, in reality, he does not have a heart at all. This is actually literally proven when he has his physician mark for him the spot where his heart is and then shoots himself in that exact spot. CAB says himself that he made sure he did not hit any “vital organs”. This lack of a heart is symbolism of a lack of emotion or sentiment.
The first time I noticed this lack of sentiment was when Remedios (his wife) died and he did not feel any sadness but instead was possessed by uncontrollable rage. He also felt the same rage when his sons were. One by one killed and did not feel any remorse for them.
Another symptom of this lack of emotion is the way that he sleeps with women who he does not even care for. One example is the woman who he remembers having slept with on one October eleventh and felt sure was dead the following morning, but felt no remorse for.
At a certain point, when Ursula tells CAB that his father’s ghost says he thinks he is going to die, he respond that “…a person doesn’t die when he should but when he can.” I think this has a bearing on the way that CAB finally dies, not from the numerous ambushes and attempts on his life, but by finally conjuring a single morsel of nostalgia (in this case sentiment) as he remembers how his father took him to see ice. CAB dies now because he can, because he finally had a heart that could actually give out and let him pass on.
Another character playing a central role is Ursula, the mother of the house. Even though she has lost her sight, her other senses have been heightened, especially her sense of perception. Though she is blind, Ursula can see, clearer than ever, the true nature of all the inhabitants of the house; Fernanda, who is inconsiderate and only thinks of her sheets when Remedios (the beauty) floats into the ether, Aureliano Segundo, who just days after the simultaneous assassinations of the Aureliano sons (his cousins), resumes his champagne parties in full force, Colonel Aureliano Buendia, who really only fought in the war because of his unbridled pride, etc.
I'm still at the beginning of the book, so I'm going to backtrack quite a bit. So far, I'm enjoying this book, and I don't really find it confusing or hard to read. (photocopying the family tree and using it as a bookmark really helped!)
What I've been focusing on is trying to decipher some of the symbols. One major symbol (way back in the beginning of the book) that sticks out to me is the birds and their song. There is a passage on page 10 that talks about how JAB (I'm using Adrian's abbrev.) traps birds all throughout Macondo. The singing of the birds forces Ursula to "plug her ears with beeswax," so she doesn't have to listen to it anymore. Then it says that the only way Melquiades was able to locate Macondo was through this "song of the birds." This is a definite reference to the sirens of the Odyssey, which are referenced to again on the next page, when JAB's quest through the swamp is described to have contained "soft-skinned cetaceans that had the head and torso of a woman, causing the ruination of sailors with the charm of their extraordinary breasts." I find this use of the birds very interesting (and somewhat confusing, because I'm not quite sure what it exactly means).
The birds that are mentioned first (on page 10) seem to serve as Macondo's sole connection to civilization. The birds caused, basically, all the events of the book to occur, because if it weren't for the birds, Melquiades and his gypsies would've never found Macondo, thus Macondo wouldn't have advanced technologically (or magically) as it did. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on your view of Macondo's evolution into a real society, with it's government, war, and technology (a loss of primitive innocence).
Ironically, when the sirens are mentioned the 2nd time, on page 11, they serve to hinder JAB's ability to find what he is looking for. They help to prevent him from crossing the swamp into the unknown land, where it is assumed that he could contact the rest of civilization.
Birds are mentioned once again, when JAB installs musical clocks into every home (page 43), in place of the song of the birds. These clocks remind me of cuckoo clocks. They are set to go off at a certain time every day. I'm not sure what purpose these clocks serve. But the word cuckoo does connotate craziness. Any ideas?
Well, I finished the book today and I have to say that I loved it! Marquez didn't let me down; let's just say I had really high expectations for this book and they were completely surpassed.
I read some of the more recent posts and I wanted to comment on something that Adrian used in his comment. The quotation “…a person doesn’t die when he should but when he can" had a huge impact on me. This quote resonates throughout the book, as well as personally with me because of a loss last winter, which I will admit made me very emotional while reading. As we begin to witness the characters age and eventually die, we see the circumstances that surround their deaths.
For example, Armaranta cannot die until she finishes sewing her shroud (which I believe has more meaning than I initially gave it credit for), and it seems that Ursula waits until she feels that she is not needed anymore. She was always the working force behind the Buendia household, and ironically, she outlives almost all of her line.
Adrian mentioned CAB's death, about feeling nostalgic and returning back to his childhood, but also Remedios the Beauty's "assention to heaven" I guess you could call it, was almost like she was done her work on Earth, so she was able to be granted safe passage onward to her next journey, fate, duty, etc.
In the end, this gave me the message that Marquez wanted his readers to see that we are the products of what we make ourselves, and that we can control our own actions, no matter what they are, even death.
I'm enjoying the book so far, but I find it hard to keep track of who's who, especially when the grandsons and the great-grandsons start showing up. Why do they keep naming their children the same names? Is there some kind of magic or luck behind the names Aureliano, Jose Arcadio? It is hard to tell where and when the story takes place. I first thought it was set in Mexico during the 1700s or early 1800s, but then I started thinking that the story took place in Spain. But I now believe that the story takes place in Mexico because they mention the Carribean Sea a few times. I'm pretty sure the war that Colonel Areliano Buendia or CAB (as some others refer to him) fought in the Mexican Revolution. So this conclusion gives me a better idea of where these characters come from.
I found the author's style of writing to be very descriptive. For example, he writes, "She wore a diagonally striped dress that had been dyed black, worn by use, and a pair of scaly patent leather boots. Her hair was held behind her ears with bows of black ribbon," (41). Marquez uses many adjectives to describe a character and he spent about have a page describing Rebecca.
I also noticed that the village of Macondo is similar to the village of Umuofia from "Things Fall Apart." JAB is similar to Okonkwo. Okonkwo didn't like the stories told by the women and he preferred his own. JAB is the same. When Father Nicanor was trying to convert people by levitating, JAB was annoyed by it. He thought it was fake. JAB "demanded the daguerrotype of God as the only proof" (83) of Christianity. JAB is indifferent to God and phenomenons as was Okonkwo who hated Christianity. JAB wants scientific proof. Afterall, he is a scientist.
Going back to Alisha's comment, I very much agree with her that Amaranta refuses to marry Pietro Crespi, because whenever someone in her life got married, something negative would occur to them (as Alicia mentioned, Remedios died & JAB goes insane- also, Jose Arcadio & Rebeca are disowned). I also agree that Amaranta was punishing herself, because of Remedios' death. Amaranta did love Crespi, and missed him after his death, for she "kept on smelling Pietro Crespi's lavendar breath at dusk" (120) after he killed himself. She also felt guilty about what he did to himself, and tried to punish herself when she burned her own hands, which was "a stupid cure for her remorse" and did not help "the sores on her heart." (121) Evidently, she puts herself through a lot of pain, when she really loved Pietro.
Sadly, it is quite ironic that the suffering she tries to avoid by not marrying Pietro comes back to her anyway. It reminds me of the ancient Greek idea that whatever your destiny is will occur, no matter how hard you try to avoid it.
I would also like to address Alicia's comment on Rebeca's impulsive earth/wall-eating, thumb sucking, and chair rocking. All of these things are crutches that she relies on when she's anxious/unhappy. I believe they're symbolic of the innocence she has yet to lose. Obviously, thumb-sucking is a childish behavior. And not only is eating foreign substances sometimes a part of childhood, but more importantly, it is her "ancestral appetite." (68) She has yet to lose the mysterious past that haunts her (which is also symbolized by the moving bag of her parent's bones). At this point, she is yet to grow into a real woman, and is yet to accept her new life as a Buendia.
However, Rebeca does eventually lose her innocence to Jose Arcadio. When Arcadio goes to visit the couple, Rebeca's "hunger for earth, the cloc-cloc of her parents' bones, the impatience of her blood as it faced Pietro Crespi's passivity were relegated to the attic of her memory." (124) Rebeca is finally able to mature, be happy, and accept her new life with her husband, Jose Arcadio- even if that means never seeing Ursula and the other Buendias ever again.
Everytime Rebecca ate dirt and the wall, it reminded me of a person who is bulimic. When she felt sad, especially when they kept postponing her marriage to Pietro Crespi. It was like she was eating excessively and sucking her thumb in order to drive away all her pain and sorrow, just like a bulimic person.
Anyways, when I first read the part where a bullet goes right through the body of CAB, I was wondering "how did he survive that?!" Then I realized that the author is using magical realism. By using this, I think it makes the story more unique. The story is like a fairy tale at times, but it also addresses some of the hardships that we go through day to day. And such hardships include deaths and war. The magical realism makes the story really enjoyable.
In addition, those gold fishes that CAB always make has to symbolize something. I think they symbolize his hard work and dedication to the Liberal Party. They are gold and gold seems to represent power. He was a powerful colonel who never showed mercy towards the Conservatives. But I also think CAB continued to make the gold fishes because they reminded him of Remedios, whom was the first woman he fell in love with. I think by making the gold fishes he can relive the time when he first gave her a gold fish when she wandered into the workshop. Another way he tried to remember Remedios was by writing poetry. Even though he kept telling Ursula to burn them, he couldn't let them go. They were memories of his first love. CAB wasn't able to let go of Remedios. I think this is what kept him alive for so long-his will to live on for himself and Remedios.
The meat of this my final comment on the book comes from the final chapter and all the elements I have found lying therein.
The final chapter really shows us how things come to an end for Macondo and the generations of Buendias-both of which have lasted 100 years.
The Buendia house(hold) and Macondo have always been one since the beginning when Jose Arcadio Buendia discovered Macondo and there has always been a connection between the two since. I believe this connection emanates from Jose Arcadio Buendia and the way, in which he built it, in which I believe he put the Buendias into the foundation of the infrastructure.
One good example of this connection is the rains. Rain is a sign of what? a new season? changing tides? rebirth? beginning and flourishing of growth? Not in Macondo. Anywhere else these would have been rains of prosperity, but because this is Macondo, home of the Buendias, the family that for 100 years has come and passed with a Buendia per omnia secula seculorum, the rains are an end to the town’s (Buendia’s) misery as it rots away the house, just like its inhabitants (dead or alive) that are rotting away. And as the Buendias approach their demise, so does the town, as there are few people left in the town to even do business.
It was Pilar Ternera’s death that really signified the coming to pass of the generation for me because through it all, she was a contemporary to the family, aging with every generation and witnessing every Buendia’s tribulations. Thus her death signified an end to prolificness in the family.
The family is also interconnected with its house, which over the years has been mutated to conform to the mood of the family-like when Ursula refurbishes the house to accommodate new grandchildren or when Fernanda shut up the doors of the house during siesta time because the family members had shut themselves out to the world.
And so with the decay of the family (maybe moral decay as Aureliano sleeps with his aunt) numerous ants also subject the house to similar treatment making it decay.
And so with all these ties between people and things, I believe the town was “…wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men…” because of the Buendia race that was condemned to one hundred years of solitude.
Some very good comments here - one thing you might spend sometime thinking about are some of the allusions of the texts. Go read up on some classical mythology...I've seen you pull out references that suggest the Sirens and Penelope's shroud (both referenced in The Odyssey) and there's lots of other tidbits like this throughout the books. When you think about the cyclical nature of the book, what do you think he's suggesting by bringing in classical references?
There's plenty of info on classical mythology on the web...even wikipedia is a good start. A good working knowledge of the Greek and Roman gods and some of the stories is a very useful thing for a reader!
Keep up the good thinking!
I completely agree with William about seeing Rebeca eating the dirt and thinking of an eating disorder. I saw it symbolizing her inability to let go of her past, as is the case with the majority of characters in this book. She came to the Buendia family in that state, and when she is in a stressful situation, she reverts back to what she knows, what she grew up with, and what was instilled in her to begin with.
During my freshman year when we covered The Odyssey, we didn't read the entire thing, so I missed a lot of the allusions in the book surrounding these connections (namely the shroud one). However, looking back to the comments everyone made about the bird's song, it reminded me of the lure of the siren's song. The shroud, however, reminded me of the idea of fate and how individuals have a hand in their own fates...this reminds me more of Oedipus and his attempt at changing his fate (he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, and as Ms. Clapp informed us sophomore year, he ended up doing it anyway). Overall, I think that a message Marquez is sending is that we all have a hand in our own fates, and that if we take it as our own responsibility, we can control our own outcomes.
To add to this mythology discussion, I felt that Melquiades was like a Teiresias, in a way. Although he wasn't completely blind, but partially, he was able to predict the future of the Buendia family. All someone had to do was decipher his writings and Aureliano Babilonia did it at the end. Teiresias had predicted a similar fate for Creon in Sophocles's Antigone. He knew Creon's family was going to fall apart when he sentenced Antigone to death, but Creon didn't listen to him. In this case, the Buendias just didn't decipher Melquiades's codes fast enough. It had taken quite a few years until it was done. Even then, the translating forced those who did it to stay indoors and focus on a task that took a lot of time.
In addition, Ursula was the life of the family. After she died, the house fell into chaos. No one would keep the yard clean nor stop the ants from coming in. Only her great grand-daughter would tidy up the house and it was odd because her name was Amaranta Ursula. It was like a reincarnation to try and keep the family tree growing. But the family was cursed and it was destined to fall apart. I agree with Meaghan about how our fate is in our own hands. This holds true, the Buendias didn't have control of their fate because they were already condemned to 100 years of solitude.
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To continue further with the mythological discussion is that in this story Melquidades doesn't want the Buendia family to decipher the parchments until the times comes. He states to them that those parchments will only be able to be read correctly when the time is right.
I'm not quite sure about the shroud because I didn't read the Odyssey fully. However I do see William's point about Antigone. In a way, Melquidade's parchments were complete warnings to the family of what was to come. But like I said before, no one could read those parchments until AFTER it all happened. So it's exactly like they could change their fates.
Oh and another thing I noticed is how CAB is like Zeus! I remembered in many Greek and Roman stories about the gods is that Zeus had many children with many different women. CAB reminds me quite a lot of Zeus who has many sons with different women in his life [none of which he could remember by the way].
Remedios the Beautiful is just like the love god in Roman and Greek mythology. So quite a lot of the characters in the story bear similar characteristics to the gods in mythology.
Ok, wow that took me a while to finish the book. I was on a short hiatus because I started reading other books and what not.
The ending of the book surprised me. I felt as though the middle of the book was a real bummer, it wasn’t interesting and I caught myself falling asleep after reading only two pages. So when I got to the last few pages I was quite surprised to find myself wanting there to be more pages.
So anyway, I read through everyone’s comments and I must say that everyone’s interpretations of the book differ from each others, however still have some similarities.
I read Farrah’s post about Aureliano and how he doesn’t grieve for his late son and I had an explanation similar to Michelle’s. Not only did his son’s birth kill the woman he loved, but he went into a type of shock and left the house after Amaranta Ursula’s death so he wasn’t acquainted with his son. Aureliano had loved Amaranta Ursula, but had not learned to love his son, which I realized is something the Buendia’s are reluctant to do. It takes them a while to love someone.
Just as William, I made a connection between Melquiades and Teiresias. The only thing William said that I disagreed with was that the Buendia’s didn’t decipher the parchments quick enough. Melquiades stated that they would be deciphered when the time was right, and if they were deciphered anytime sooner I have a feeling they would then try to change their destinies. I believe that if someone knew of what was going to happen and changed it then there would be even more Buendia’s who would live in solitude. I really don’t know what else to say on this matter because William pretty much summed it up.
I also agree with William that as Ursula started to age and then when she died the house started to crumble around her. She had always made it her duty to make sure the house was fit to live in and had enough room for everyone, but once she died no one took care of the house, and it wasn’t until Amaranta Ursula moved in and started to fix up the house. However, this didn’t last long because she got tied up in her affair with Aureliano.
Now, I have a few questions that I need cleared up if you guys wouldn’t mind helping me. The first one is about Fernanda’s doctors, who were they? A figment of her imagination? And, the second question is about Jose Arcadio Segundo and the experience he lived through that people said never happened. Now, I was wondering why the people of Macondo would say no such thing ever happened when clearly someone had lived through it?
Umm, I think that’s it for now.
-Nicole S.
Okay, 54 comments...I'm not going to read through them all, so if i repeat someone, you'll have to forgive me. I wanna talk about the end of the book. More importantly, how Marquez chooses to wrap up the book. This was an extensive and far-reaching novel and yet within the last line he was able to wrap it up all so nicely.
"...and that everything written on them was unrepeatable...forever more, becaseu races condemed to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second oppprotunity on earth."
So beautifully written. His unique style, his ability to blend reality with the fantatic-it's all here wrapped up in a phrase. Brillant. In the end the title refered not to a single character, as i had thought it would in the beginning, but to the entire town. The remaining family members, the last family memebers of the Buendias, were so lost and so differnt from the original members, and had ceased to portray that undeniable nobleness of the orinal memebers also, that here it seemed so fitting to just have this be the finish. I the end the family, like the village had destroyed itself by hate, greed, lust, and by holding onto the past instead of planning for the future. Marquez's purpose in writing this novel is finally clear. "did not have a second opprotunity" I think that is the final message here. With every character a single decision they had made led to the rest of thier lives. with J.A.B it was to leave and establish Macondo. With colonel Arcadio it was to go to war. With Ursula it was to marry. And with Armanata it was to try and control fate. In the end, none of these characters had second chances, and these choices ended up destroying them. Marquez's beautifully crafted book leaves a definte imprint on the reader.
I've finally finished the novel, and I enjoyed it, but I have many questions that I've yet to answer for myself.
I agree with Nicole that I'm still a little fuzzy about the meaning behind Fernanda's problem and her doctors. I don't believe the doctors were a figment of her imagination. She did have a real health issue and she depended on them for help, but her embarrassment with the issue hindered her from communicating with them, and resulted in them leaving her to deal with it herself.
As for no one believing in Jose Arcadio Segundo's experience, I believe it had to do with a sort of brainwashing. Through this occurrence, Marquez sends a message about how easy it is for the media and the government to cover up the truth from the public- as shown on page 333, "The search for and extermination of the hoodlums, murderers, arsonists, and rebels of Decree No. 4 was still going on, but the military denied it even to the relatives of the victims who crowded the commandants' offices in search of news. 'You must have been dreaming,' the officers insisted. 'Nothing has happened in Macondo, nothing has ever happened, and nothing ever will happen. This is a happy town.' In that way they were finally able to wipe out the union leaders." It's a disturbing idea, but not far from what some people believe happens today.
In considering the cyclical nature of the book- how the Buendia family "was a machine with unavoidable repetitions, a turning wheel that would have gone on spilling into eternity were it not for the progressive and irremediable wearing of the axle," (423) I think Marquez's use of classical references emphasizes the timelessness of the problems that the Buendias go through. Marquez never sets the story in a specific time period, because, ultimately, it doesn't make much of a difference. To some extent, the events of the novel may have a bit of a familiarity to us, because the messages they carry are universal, and can apply to anyone, whether in ancient or modern times.
At one point, I wondered if Marquez was saying that everyone eventually becomes solitary in the end. On page 278, when Meme is still young, she is compared to Amaranta, when she was still joyous and passionate for Pietro Crespi. However, she eventually begins to show a "sign of that calamitous inheritance" of solidarity. It seems that all the Buendias start out innocent in their youth, but when they get older, they lose that innocence and become solitary. I thought maybe Marquez was giving a negative message about growing up. However, now I agree with Gen that he's giving the reader a sort of warning to be wise, because you don't get a second chance at your life, and you could end up like a Buendia- solitary, alone, unfulfilled.
I also want to address the allusion to Penelope's shroud. From what I remember from the story, everybody believes that Odysseus is dead and will not be returning, so Penelope, Odysseus's wife, must choose one of the many suitors for her husband. The suitors camp outside of her house, and she is forced to choose one when she is done sewing her shroud. Every night, in hopes that Odysseus will return, she undoes whatever sewing she did during the day.
As we all know, Amaranta first begins sewing a shroud for Rebeca, who she is adamant will die before herself. Then she finally must accept that Rebeca will not die before her, and that she will once she's done sewing her own shroud. Eventually she has to give up undoing the shroud each night, because her death is inevitable. I don't understand the purpose of relating the two situations. Paradoxically, Odysseus does eventually come back, so Penelope's shroud undoing did buy her more time; however, Amaranta's shroud undoing was sort of fruitless, since she must die anyway. What does Penelope's wait for Odysseus have to do with Amaranta's wait for her death?
Okay, one last thing! What is the meaning of the ice memory?? This comes back many times in the book, so it has some bigger meaning/purpose, but I can't seem to figure it out. Why is it that Colonel Aureliano Buendia can't feel anything to the point that Ursula tells him, "You have a heart of stone," (277) but when he dies, the one last memory he thinks about (JAB bringing him and Jose Arcadio to see ice), is the only one that is able to bring him nostalgia? Maybe because that was a time when he was still in a true state of innocence, and Macondo had yet to succumb to all the changes and advancements?
Right now im still reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and i still havent really got into the book. I put it on hold and decided to read Things Fall Apart and How to Read Like a Professor.
But at this point the book is somewhat interesting. The only difficulty that I am having is remembering which characters are which because as Farrah mentioned the names are very similar. There is also alot of characters that exist in this "town".
The way that Marquez incorporated macic as well as realism makes it very interesting to me. There are times when Im reading and Im like YES! this seems so real and then the next line he will add something that makes me think that there is no way this story could possible be true. This is one of the turnoffs for me because i enjoy non-fictional stories or atleast fictional stories that follow something that is very likely to happen in real life.
This book and "Things Fall Apart" relate to eachother, atleast through my perspective. Since I was reading both of these books simotaneously it was difficult for me to remember which parts go together. At times i found myself combining the two stories events. But now that I have finished Things Fall Apart hopefully it will be easier to get track. =]
Macondo in some ways reminds me of a Utopia, where everything is perfect. The havent experienced death yet, they are so closely knitted as a community. It is this way in the begining and then as the gypsies come and introduce these people to the things that exist in other parts of the world that they dont know yet it seems like this Utopia is begining to fade away. But I will have to see if this is so when I finish the book.
After reading a little over 100 pages of this book, I am having the same difficulties that many others are having. I find it very difficult to keep straight all of the characters and jumps in the plotlines that include many flashbacks.
It is very clear that author Gabriel Garcia Marques creates the fictional town of Macondo for a greater purpose than just to tell a story. The events that take place, such as the Magistrate leading a group of soldiers into the town of pacifists, are reflective of general social and cultural trends in our society. This particular example illustrates the phenomenon that occurs when instruments of violence are introduced to a peaceful place and the members of the peaceful community start to succumb to their inherent evils and also begin to take violent actions.
I would like to end with a question of my own. Do you think that the overall story of One Hundred Years of Solitude is reflective of the life cycle in general?
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I for one was very confused when reading One Hundred Years of Solitude. Also, I found myself getting bored easily because the way in which the translator of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's work writes is pretty dull and straightforward most of the time. I thought it was really confusing how everyone shared the same names, and I just never knew who was who. It got worse toward the middle/end as everyone was having children by then. I was also confused as to who was related to who. I think I might go back and skim a bit to see if it clears up for me.
I did as Ms. Clapp requested and read up on ancient gods to try and see which characters seemed similar to an ancient diety.
The first that struck me is how much Ursula seems to resemble Athena. Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, crafts, defensive warfare, and is the patron of Athens. These traits were definately found in Ursula, though she's of course be the patron of Macondo. This would also apply to the goddess Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. Melquiades seems to resemble Hermes a bit, commercing, and being a messenger of spiritual sorts, and he traveled everywhere. So he would also resemble the Roman god Mercury, the messenger god. Colonel Aureliano Buendia resembles both Zeus and Ares. Ares was the god of war, vengeance and anger, and Zeus was a ruler or leader, who had many escapades with various women. He resembles the Roman god Mars as well, being the Roman god of war. It seems like most of the women in the story had the love and beauty traits of Aphrodite and Venus.
I also found a few more connections: Chronos, the god of Time resembled Melquaides as he seems eternal; Ursula resembles Hera, the goddess of family, marriage, and motherhood; Rebeca resembled the goddesses of Earth, Demeter and Gaia (the connection is in the fact that she consumes the Earth and seems to find a sort of comfort in it; and Amaranta resembles Fortuna, the goddess of fortune and fate. Amaranta always seems to have good fortune, especially among her desired men, but she throws them away from her. She also tries to control fate numerous times by trying to poison Rebeca and accidentally killing Remedios, and in the end she tries to keep herself alive until the day she dies, when she learns to just let it happen in its due time.
To answer George's question, I think that yes, Macondo does in fact seem to reflect the life cycle. It starts off innocent, full of pascifists and peaceful people, that has no signs of death or sickness in its infancy. Then, it starts to get corrupt little by little as time goes on and others come into the town, wanting to change it. This seems a reflection of adolescence. Then it is fully realized that everything in the world is not always peaceful, and it begins to accept it. It then dies out, all it's legacy dying with it.
I never thought of it that way before you brought up that question George, thank you.
As I read on, I notice that all the boys and girls of the Buendia family all suffer a similar fate. All the men end up dying and the women either widowed or cannot attain love in their life. Even though history keeps repeating itself in this family, I don’t understand why they stubbornly continue to name each new generation with the same cursed names over and over again. It’s a good thing at least Ursula is the most sane person in the family who is like the golden thread that holds everyone together, yet she still can’t control everything and its sad and confusing to “see” each of the Buendias fall to ruin.
One passage I picked up that I really agree with was how “…talk of war, fighting cocks, bad women, or wild undertaking, four calamities that,…had determined the downfall of the line” (194). It was true that with each passing generation of the men, at least one of these four factors play into their doom. I can’t help but think that this is a foreshadowing of what might eventually cause the Buendias to come to extinction.
Another constant idea that keeps reoccurring in this book is time; whether is how time passes and how it changed or how time can reverse and bring back the past, time is always playing with the Buendias. Only Jose Arcadio Buendia, due to insanity, and Ursula noticed that “time was not passing, as she had just admitted, but that it was turning in a circle” (341). This idea of how time flies or how one cannot count it, or how it revolves in a circle brings me again back my belief that history repeats itself in the Buendia household.
Ok, so I’m FINALLY DONE with this book. There is a many things I finally understand and yet now there are also a ton of things I don’t understand! Was this whole Buendia line planned out, all their destiny and lives, like Melquaides was the God? So for all the generations, no one could decipher the manuscripts of their own fate, thus when finally a Buendia is able to see his ancestors’ destiny, he was too late and also doomed himself? If this is all true, then I finally understand why each and every Buendia were so weird. Yet its so sad for their lives were predetermined and that “races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth” (422). It indeed was a circling cycle of life, which repeats and eventually come back to the very beginning and end once the secret is out.
I was so shocked at the ending at first, like I was unable to accept that the poor Buendias suffered such a fate. I mean, they started civilization and yet they ended it. Melquaides was Jose Arcadio Buendia’s friend, a gypsy that brought wonders to the family, yet he was the one who controlled their lives like puppets?
Even Ursula, who was the most powerful and strong person in the book who endured so much, ended her life as tiny and weak as “a cherry raisin lost inside of her own nightgown…” (348). Of all the characters, I thought at least she would have a peaceful death, but how ironic is it for someone so great to shrink to such a size both physically and mentally? In a way I am quite disappointed in this book, but yet there’s also this surge of some unexplainable admiration for this book; like I don’t like it, but yet I also at the same time love it. Maybe it was the secret and mystery behind the Buendias’ lives. Overall, this book was indeed interesting though.
I’ve finally finished the second third of the book, and unfortunately, I have yet to start enjoying it…unlike the rest of you all. (In fact, I completed 4 other books while struggling to finish this one, which explains why it’s taken me so long to post again.) Perhaps, I can’t finish it because, as I delve deeper into the novel, I’m beginning to confuse the characters and because I find it difficult (like Lauren said) to remember who has died and what each character is doing, since there are so many (several are introduced in the war scene). Or maybe it’s because it is based on a history I am unfamiliar with and because it sometimes confuses me when Marquez doesn’t write in chronological order (but I guess that’s the reality aspect since in real life people don’t always recall events in chronological order).
Now that I’ve read "How to Read Literature Like A Professor", I’ve been more inclined to search for connections between Marquez’s story and mythical and biblical stories. Although my search has not been all that successful, I’ve noticed small allusions to the bible, like how the characters live for hundreds of years (often only dieing of old age) Remedios the Beauty miraculously ascends to the heavens, and Aureliano Segundo is consumed by the sin of gluttony (he is described as growing extremely rich and obese and living a life in which he believes it’s acceptable to have a family and a concubine) which can surely only lead to his downfall. Now, I’m also able to see the connections Michelle discussed in an earlier post; her insightful analysis of biblical references (about Jose Arcadio Buendia, JAB, and Ursula representing Adam and Eve since they founded Macondo and started the long line of Buendias, and about Pilar symbolizing temptation/sin), which I agree with, was a great help.
In spite of all these seemingly biblical allusions, I am unsure of the people of Maconda's (or at least the Buendia's) stance on religion. When the town is first founded, there doesn’t seem to be an established religion and when religion is finally introduced, the family doesn’t seem to readily accept it. Plus, they do not seem to be Catholic (especially since they don’t seem to understand Fernanda’s Catholic ways, i.e. p. 297) and Colonel Aureliano Buendia (CAB) expresses disapproval about his great-great-nephew, Jose Arcadio, becoming a Pope. He says “ ‘That’s all we need… A Pope!’ ” (271).
Similarly, when researching classical mythology, I was able to find some useful information to apply to the book (it could be a stretch, but here goes…). I agree with Amanda that CAB resembles Zeus because they both have many children by different women, but I think CAB resembles Ares (Mars) and Pygmalion more. CAB has traits of Ares, the god of war, because both of them are violent in war and aren’t concerned with who wins or loses (CAB only fights for pride, wanting only himself to win, and Ares likes war’s bloody aspect). He has traits of Pygmalion because CAB makes “little gold fishes” in his lab, in solitude devoid of women, similar to how Pygmalion works in a workshop making sculptures, swearing off women. Plus, just like how Pygmalion falls in love with his sculpture that became Aphrodite (Venus), CAB is in a way in love with making the fishes because it’s the only thing he does in his solitude.
On the other hand, I am still unsure of what these “little gold fishes” symbolize. I somewhat agree with Will’s assessment of the fishes representing power because CAB uses them as proof of being a Liberal, but at the same time, he gives one to his future wife Remedios and one to each of his 17 sons, who are all killed. Then in his old age, all he does is repeatedly make the same 25 fish over and over again (going along with the book's cyclical theme) because, to his dismay, they have become “historical relics." What does all of this mean? At first, I thought the fishes represented CAB’s “softer” side, giving them to others as a way to express himself since they represent him (only he makes them). Then, after the war I thought they might represent an escape from his “solitude of power”, but could they mean more, especially since everybody who ends up with a fish seems to die (i.e. his wife, kids, and the disguised general) and since his “only dream was to die of fatigue in the oblivion of his little gold fishes” (231)?
To answer Ms. Clapp’s question on the relationship between the book’s cyclical nature and classical references, I think Marquez brings in these classical allusions to suggest that history in fact repeats itself and that there’s really only one story, as Foster advocates in "How to Read Literature Like a Professor". All stories, and essentially all family traits, genes, etc., will resurface as time progresses, just like how mythical and biblical elements appear in this novel.
I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK!!!
Okk so in one of my earlier posts i talked about how i felt that Macondo reminded me of some sort of "Utopical" world...so ya some book that i read if i can recall in 7th grade called The Giver was what came to my head as certain events happened in this book.
In the beginning of the book Macondo was a town that had not experienced death and everything seemed to go by as if everything was on schedule. In this community everyone knew one another and it just seemed to me that no one is this town really ever experienced anything out of the norm.
But as the book progresses and the mention of the gypsies that seem to make a rutined appearances throughout the year.When they do come they bring new things that Macondo has yet to experience. Just like The Giver who is able to give visions so that this kid is able to see the things in life from other places that are not present in their Utopia.
As the gypsies and other people come to Macondo and they are able to see different things that exist in the world things start to change. Things used to be good but as Ursula notices that things are changing she says how "the world slowly coming to an end."
As new ideas came following into Macondo the citizens were becoming very anxious to learn about the new things that they never had experienced when all that Macondo was a small town were change and things from the outside world were limited. Now by adding the railroad more things were being brought into the town. When new things began coming the curiousity of the people because they were finally being exposed to different things. Just as the Giver connected that kid to the outside world he began wanting to see more and more to forfill that curiousity that they never experienced before.
"The innocent yellow train that was to bring so many ambiguities and certainties, so many pleasant and unpleasant moments, so many changes,calamities, and feelings of nostalgia to Macondo.
Also, another part were it is very evident that they follow a strict daily routine were change is considered "dangerous" is when Fernanda one day changes her normal routine,she loses her ring. Ursula knew were she had left it because that day happened to be the only day that she went a little out of her way. Because Fernanda continued to retrace her everyday steps she was unable to find her ring because "the search for lost things is hindered by routine habits and that is why it is so difficult to find them.
So ya i guess overall the book was good...because in the beginning i really couldnt get into it. Still i am not attracted to the way that Marquez incorporates such fictional things while trying to make the book still seem somewhat realistic.I dont know things like that throw me off i am not interested in things like that.And i remember reading a post before about how someone thought that the relationship with the names of the characters and how they were similaqr for a reason i wanted to know if you still felt that way after finishing the book. Because i noticed what you said so i tried to follow it as i read to see if i was able to make any connections to the names of the characters and what Marquez might have been trying to make aware by chosing names that were soo closely related.
To comment on Marquez’s purpose of repeatedly designating the characters with the same name (from Thea’s above blog), now having completed the book (which I am ecstatic about because it was an extremely slow read for me), I feel that Marquez did it to reinforce the notion of the cyclical nature of the characters. At several points in the book, the current generation’s actions are compared to earlier generation’s (especially JAB and CAB’s actions with children who bear their names), suggesting that the Buendia line is repeating itself, making the same mistakes and always falling into solitude (although the book leads me believe that perhaps all humans fall into a place of solitude). (For example, it describes the connection of how JAB went through a period of delirium, as did Jose Arcadio Segundo and perhaps Jose Arcadio (Fernanda’s son), as well as the relationship between the Buendia men all attempting to discover the meaning in Melquiades’ parchments.) In fact, several times in the book it is mentioned that Ursula believes that events are repeating and that naming the children Aureliano or Jose Arcadio leads to inevitable mishaps and misfortune.
For this reason, I believe Ursula is one of the most fundamental characters of the novel. She is constantly faced with the difficult task of uniting the family (even through her husband’s delirium and death) and being the caretaker. Not only does she teach us to value family and strong matriarchs, but also about the novel’s themes of cycles and memory (like when she loses her memory and is unable to differentiate between past and present). I realized that her blindness only accentuated this. She remains strong, hides her “uselessness” (as she refers to it as), and in fact, is able to sharpen her other senses in order to ensure that the family continues to live on. At the same time, her condition also allows her to examine other characters from a different point of view, which also helps the reader gain more insight into the character (i.e. Ursula’s revelation that CAB “had never loved anyone” (267)).
That’s why I was somewhat surprised that Pilar Ternera’s death (as opposed to Ursula’s death) “was the end” (429). I have always been unclear as to what Pilar’s character represented because ultimately, she is a prostitute, but through it all, she survives and lives to be more than 145 years, longer than all the Buendias. She is not the backbone of the Buendia family, so why is it all over when she dies?
Other than this, unlike Amanda, Farrah, Jing, and a few others, I was not surprised by the book’s ending. Ursula’s warnings of a Buendia being born with a “pig’s tail” acted as foreshadowing along with the increasing possibility of incest (i.e. Ursula and JAB were cousins and Arcadio and Pilar were mother and son). Therefore it seems as if incest is inevitable, and it finally occurs with Aureliano Babilonia and Amaranta Ursula, although they are unsure of it, when their child emerges with a pig’s tail. (The idea of incest may also be an allusion to the bible and classical mythology since in both it is suspected that incest occurred).
Aside from the fact that the family tree ended with the two Aurelianos, I was able to guess that incest will occur and the end will come because of the destructive yet seemingly progressive elements introduced in the novel. Like Thea commented, Macondo does resemble a utopia in its beginning since nobody dies, the people of Macondo are loyal to JAB, and there are few problems. However, when the gypsies come, although they represent progress by bringing new (sometimes magical) technology, they allow Macondo to be chartable and open it to being discovered by others (perhaps the first step of Macondo’s downward spiral). When the railroad is brought to town, it brings advances the people of Macondo don’t understand along with foreigners who change the town in the course of a night, bringing with them prejudice by enclosing themselves in chicken wire (from the Macondo people) and bringing the banana company (which many later believe, along with the brutal massacre, is a myth because the foreigners brainwash the people).
Another destructive element, in my opinion, is the rain. Like Adrian, I noticed the ridiculously long rain (or deluge as it was called), that lasted for “four years, eleven months, and two days” (339), could be classified as a symbolic action. It reminded me of the biblical story of Noah. God made it rain for 40 days and 40 nights in order to flood the earth and destroy all those who sinned. Therefore, instead of this being a cleansing rain or one that brings a new beginning, it foreshadows the destruction and total eradication of the town.
To follow what Gen said in her comment about Marquez’s purpose being incorporated with the ending line (“races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth” (448)), I agree that this is a noteworthy phrase to end the novel. It tells me that perhaps, Marquez wrote the book to let the Buendia’s story be known and not forgotten, since they are unable to have a second opportunity on earth. In a way, by retelling their story, they have another opportunity. Since Marquez’s name becomes involved in the story, (Gabriel, who is one of the four arguers in the Catalonian’s shop and who is related to Gerineldo Marquez, which makes him, Gabriel Marquez, the author?) I cannot help but wonder how much truth (if any) their is in the book, despite the fact that this realistic story seems entirely fictional, since it gives them another opportunity. On the other hand, perhaps it just means that Marquez thought real life involved myths and fanatical/magical elements…
Chapter 10 in How to read Literature like a professor greatly helped me understand the five years of continuous rain that fell on Macondo. The rain in this case is both of the destructive and rejuvenative nature.
For the most part, the rain offers a new life for the town of Macondo. Before the rains, civil unrest in the town was rampant as many workers on the banana plantation became disillusioned by poor working conditions. Led by Jose Arcadio Segundo, thousands of workers unionize to organize a strike against the plantations owners. Unfortunately, the government sides with the owners and brutally massacres thousands of workers and the soldiers dump bodies in the ocean. The rain effectively gives the town a new life by "cleansing" the town of this disastrous event and the conditions that caused it. The rains also "wash" all of the memories of old and painful memories away. After the rains end, Ursula, the only remaining first generation Buendia, gets out of bed to revive Macondo and the town experiences a new stint of prosperity.
To a lesser extent, the rains had a destructive nature. During the 5 years, flooding destroyed all of the banana plantations which produced much profit before the massacre. It also destroyed all of Jose Arcadio Segundo's livestock, which produced great wealth for his family. Although the rain destroyed much of the town's physical infrastructure and the sanity of some of the town's inhabitants, including Ursula’s, it did allow for the rebirth to take place afterward (Ursula regains her sanity after the rains stop almost magically).
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After finishing this book (FINALLY), I realized that the town of Macondo and the events that take place there, exemplifies the circle of life that is explained in the biblical quotation from Ecclesiastes (“One Generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth forever…”). Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses the town to show readers that life and its experiences run its course in many different ways, but eventually end up right where they started.
In the beginning of the story, before Ursula finds the route through the swamp that connects Macondo to the rest of civilization, the town, small and in its nascent stages of development, is most evidently secluded. At the very end of the book, the town is also secluded from the rest of the world. This implies that despite all that has happened through the story including the industrialization of the town and various interactions between its inhabitants and others, history tends to repeat itself and the town ends up in the same state as when it began.
*It is worth noting that although, on the surface, the town is in the same state in the beginning and end of the story, the overall mood of the place is considerably different. During the founding of the town by Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula Iguaran’s family, the air is filled with hope and optimism. The small and secluded village at the time is self-sufficient and yet to be visited by death. Over a century later, the town is again secluded, but all of the hope is gone. The town has been stained by countless deaths and acts of violence and all of its innocence that it possessed is all but gone. To this extent, the town has taken the irreversible “fall into the abyss.”
The cyclic nature of life is seen not only in the town itself, but also in its inhabitants, most notably in the founding family: the Buendias. What is noticed immediately is the use of the same first names for members of the family in different generations. Colonel Aureliano Buendia, who leads many rebellions against the conservative government, actually names all 17 of his sons Aureliano. Throughout the generations of this family, members not only share the names of their ancestors but also their personalities. Against, solitude is a prevalent personality trait in the family. Jose Arcadio Buendia, Aureliano, and Jose Arcodio Segundo all have bouts of solitude in which they dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to the pursuit of scientific knowledge at the cost of living as a recluse. The story ends as Aureliano (II), the final surviving member of the Buendia bloodline, finally deciphers Melquiades prewritten prophecies, which he had been trying to do for many months in solitude, and realizes, ironically , that they completely and accurately detail the whole history of Macondo from its founding to the day Aureliano stands in the ancient laboratory reading the text.
Ok, so I’m about 160 pages into the book, around the middle or end, I hope at least, of the war.
I’m going to start off by answering the questions, too!!
So.. the names… There are quite a few instances when I have to read, look at the family tree yet again, and then reread before I understand exactly what is going on/who its actually happening to. When I first looked at the family tree, I thought I would be unbelievably confused and need to refer back to it nonstop, but so far I can match people with their names and era. But, once it makes it to the next generation, I’m not sure how well its going to go over. Some have the SAME EXACT name, without the slightest variation. Fun fun fun!
As for the language, I can say that it is very descriptive. The first chapter or so, was extremely difficult and slow reading for me (partially because I was trying to analyze every aspect and partially because I had to get used to the style again). With regards to the fantastic elements/magical realism, I’m still torn between whether I like it or not. I’m still confused about the purpose of it too. At first I thought it was an extreme form of exaggeration used to help the readers understand the feelings of the characters/ the length/intesity at which they believed it, and thus a form of description. However I also feel as if its fantastic elements reflect the primitive understanding of early civilizations. Like how many early civilizations credited lightning, and other natural diasters/wonders to higher powers like god or to the use of magic, I thought perhaps the fact that the characters believe in magical powers, in diseases of insomnia that can keep the entire town awake and in the power of levitation was Garcia’s way of showing how early civilization credited natural wonders and how a lack of understanding to magic.
With that answered, I like to pose a question of my own. Why does Amaranta act the way she does? If she loves Pietro and is willing to go to the lengths of poising Rebeca, who is like a sister to her, why doesn’t she marry him when he asks her to? Is it because she’s playing hard to get so that she can be the polar opposite of Rebeca? At first I thought it might be because she ended up not caring for him at all, but she ended up burning her hand out of grief for his death. I really don’t understand it. This act launches her into her own self-imposed solitude of living the rest of her life alone, without a husband. I would think it impossible, normally for someone to do that to themselves. She basically ruined any form of happiness for herself-but why!!!
Alrite, that’s all for now…
So long,
Winnie
So, in my efforts to keep track of all the characters who for some reason love the sound of their own names and bless others with them, I have copied the front page(ish) family tree onto a separate piece of paper. As many of you have commented, there are some difficulties in correctly identifying all characters and keeping up with their lives and such. I've found the family tree, actually, to be a great little helper in distinguishing them as, I have noticed in around the first 100 pages or so, character introductions fall into how they are assembled on the tree. In clearer words, so far I have had little trouble in identifying the characters with the help of the tree, however, this is probably only so due to the help of the family tree. Anyways...
So far I have observed the stated magical appeal of the novel is quite strong. The language used is extremely formal and cordial, inviting the reader into a realm of fantasy with its at times subtle references to fantastic elements of literature such as mermaids (10) and flying carpets (31), passionately wild romances and alchemic principles. The choice of diction is constant throughout the novel with the use of aristocratic words such as 'pernicious' and 'rancor', and this continuous use helps to add to the overall magic of the novel. This appeal, however, may be desecrated by the saturation of war into the next portion of my reading.
I feel the inclusion of magical elements is an effective strategy in the novel. The classical illusions which are so memorable and enforced within the minds of people are revived in this novel. Like a journey with the characters, the magical realism creates a more personal connection with the reader, inviting him into the novel as if a part of it. It is like the reader can experience these war times through this magical appeal, and take it in more effectively. Lacking the magic, the war side of the novel would be duller.
In addition, there is repetitious mentioning of the Colonel facing the firing squad, as if to remind us not to get too carried away by the fantasy of what once was.
One little thing I noticed whilst reading at one point was a gender role reversal which reminded me of the Odyssey amongst various other classical literature in which the women assume power.. The author writes: “Jose Arcadio Buendia had not thought that his wife’s will was so firm. He tried to seduce her with the charm of his fantasy” (13). An interesting line, I simply related it to the magical appeal of old magical tales. I found it quite clever thought.
Now entering the dreadful coming days of war after the first 100 pages, I hope the novel will not disappoint with a decrease of magical seduction.
Danielle E.
I’m currently at page 300, and I wanted to comment on the “solitude” of the Buendia family. It seems as if everyone from that line, after Ursula and Jose Acardio Buendia, have been either incapable of love or have had their hearts mangled and twisted to the point where they cannot love. The only ones with a remote chance of still being able to love and be real people are those that marry into the family. They all seem to be able to find their own sense of solitude, even Ursula in her final years. Seeing as how unrealistic it is for the entire family to be devoid of love, I just attribute it to yet another one of the “fantastical” elements of a hundred years of solitude. The title, which I didn’t understand at first is starting to make a lot more sense. Throughout the generation and generations, a hundred years even, a lack of love and a development of solitude has coursed throughout the entire Buendia family. At first I thought Meme would be different with her love with Mauricio but it seems she has lost her will now that he has been immobilized. It surprised me initially that this idea of “solitude” was viewed as something to be desired – Colonel Aureliano cherishes the solitude of his time in the workshop making fishes, while Amaranta enjoys the solitude of weaving her shroud. It has been explained that they can relax in their solitude, isolated from the rest of the world – but to me still, solitude carries a negative connotation.
I’m interested to see how the book will eventually end. I’m almost at the end of the future generation. Only one more kid left to be read about according to the family tree.
-Winnie
The novel seems from the first 100 pages to transcend from a magical tale with various magical appeals to a story of a war torn family cursed to misfortune. During my reading, I noticed the constant emphasis on memory and nostalgic episodes from the characters’ pasts. This constant reference, I feel personally touched me for the fact that throughout the novel, as the characters age so quickly, I have actually reconsidered how short life is for a human being. I guess so far one influence I have gained from this novel is a rekindled consideration for the delicacies of life and to not waste precious moments. Good I guess.
So I still see a strong emphasis on female power in this novel, which I still can’t help but link to my past reading of the Odyssey. One example of this was regarding Remedios the Beauty and the incident in which a foreign man, as if seduced by her siren charms fell from the ceiling of a bathroom whilst gazing upon her naked bathing body and met his death on the tile floor.
In addition to my observations I have noted the there are a few motifs that reappear throughout the novel, two being the blatant symbol of the goldfish as marketed as a trinket and the color yellow. From the beginning of its introduction, the symbol of the goldfish, which is sold as a little historical/ jewelry trinket by members of the Buendia and Acardio families, has sparked my interests. Being a recurring symbol, I soon chose not to ignore it and in analyzing the symbol of a goldfish I have found it to stand for a few things, including being a symbol for abundance and prosperity. This is quite ironic since all the Buendia and Acardios have misfortunes in their futures. So to have a business in which they sell little goldfish trinkets, is almost as if they are selling their good fortune. It at times makes me question if all the pain that these relatives endure is self-inflicted, which it in all fairness probably is.
Another recurring symbol is yellow, which is a color applied to various things such as flowers, trains, and butterflies in the novel. In analyzing this symbol, I feel it is safe to say that yellow is often a color associated with sunshine or light. In contrast, it can also represent timid ness or deceitful natures, in addition to in the animal kingdom a bright color like yellow can often be used as a symbol of warning. This color being emphasized could reflect the instabilities of the family.
I have gained a few other personal reminders while reading this novel. For one, in keeping track of all the identical names that lessen the uniqueness of the characters, I have been reminded of the importance of names. (What’s in a name?). The names in the novel are similar for a reason and I have walked away with the perception that names make the “man” / person. Besides the significance of naming, I have been reminded as stated that time is a concept that is always fleeting and should not be wasted on idle actions and activities.
I hope to see if the family has at least one member not plagued by misfortune.
Danielle Eschuk
So, after FINALLY finishing the book, I have to say that I enjoyed it. Like to many other of the books I’ve read this summer, I’m surprised I enjoyed them all so much…-these books get too much of a bad rep.
The ending brought a nice bit of closure. After following generation after generation and relationship after relationship of the same repeating loveless patterns, ending with a true-love relationship, the end of the line, and a child finally with the pig tail, really wrapped it up nicely.
I have to say, I really did enjoy the writing style and structure of the book. Throughout different events that would happen, like Colonel Aureliano’s shooting squad, the death of his 35 children, along with the family tree that gave away hints, too really kept me interested. They were like little teasers that helped foreshadow the upcoming plot.
By the end, I had come to realize that the family was dominated by children that lived in solitude and lacked true love in their lives-whether through situations that warped their hearts, or because they were born without love. So many of the family repeated the same childhood and puberty as others before him or her. The Aurlianos, one after another grew up immersed in the work of Melaquides devoid of any interest in woman, and then bam they all become huge womanizers. So, after reading the ending, I’ve come to believe in their “condemnation for a hundred years”, because throughout –each family member has eventually found their own solitude. I don’t know what to think about this solitude, though. Most definitely not a good thing- almost similar to a curse, this solitude was greeted and cherished by some of the family. However, I also don’t understand what would have caused this curse of solitude to come down upon them.
Overall though- pretty enjoyable. Though I got hints throughout, like the family tree, and the opening of the book where you learn that Colonel Aureliano faces the firing squad – it’s still surprising and interesting to read. I was pleasantly surprised by this book.
-Winnie
One thing I have come to enjoy while reading this novel is how distant the 'chapters' seem to be, in which each chapter seems like a different world. Throughout the reading, each section had a different tone or setting about it, for instance, like in the beginning where the novel conveyed a social setting and appeared like a market place in which foreign gypsies sold their mystifying trinkets and otherworldly gadgets. From this, I have seen sections that display anywhere from war torn, to passionate wild love, and to muddy and excessive rain like settings. What I'm trying to say is that the novel has many various places in which each chapter takes place. It adds to the overall pleasure in reading it.
In adding to this observation, I have noticed that nearing the last 100 pages of the novel the weather becomes ever more increasingly a reflection of the town and people, with unyielding torrential rains and mud cloaked fields that reflect the overall decaying of the town and life itself. As I read this portion of the novel, I was distinctively reminded of the phrase ‘nothing gold can stay’, an overall good description of one theme of the book.
In the end the family desire to keep everything in the family resulted in severe consequences. From the names to the children, the family of the Buendia, Acardios, etc did not diversify and were inevitably condemned to death as a family lineage. The solitude of each character became in my opinion so strong that the characters at one point seemed more like wandering specters than actual human beings as they floated around endlessly in life and death wallowing in their own miseries to the point where even the line between the dead and living was indiscernible.
From the start of the novel, I noted the constant reemergence of a floral presence. For example, the author writes: “She was wearing a pink silk dress with a corsage of artificial pansies” (352). One of many instances, various female characters have worn dresses lined with floral patterns; there has been many references to flowers, and so on. Now I find that those flowers could reflect on the fact of life that life is short- flowers bloom quickly then crumble and fade to ashes.
I guess the family tree had no hope and were condemned from the start to death as the prediction of Melaquides stated. But to the unknowing family destined to die, the future was uncertain.
Danielle E.
Hello. This book is truly amazing although sometimes quite difficult to read. I think one feature of the novel that makes it hard to understand is the way in which Marquez uses syntax. He uses many long descriptive complex sentences that include many meticulous details about the setting and the characters that it is quite often difficult to decipher the meaning of each sentence, let alone an entire chapter. I think one reason he does this is in order to engulf the reader into the story in the introductory paragraphs incorporated in the first chapter. I just felt that was fascinating how he began his novel. His words are beautifully articulated and paint an image in every reader's mind regardless of whether they enjoy the novel or not.
One element in the novel I found fascinating was the way in which he used characters to resemble certain mythical creatures or religious figures. His descriptive sentences and meticulous details incorporated in the imagery he uses significantly stress the concept.
Early on in the first chapter, he uses one of our main characters, Jose Arcadio Buendia, to resemble Jesus. He does his when he states, "the men on the expedition felt overwhelmed by their most ancient memories in that paradise of dampness and silence, going back to before original sin, as their books sank into pools of steaming oil and their machetes destroyed bloody lilies and golden salamanders….sleepwalks through a universe of grief, lighted only by the tenuous reflection of luminous insects and their lungs were overwhelmed by a suffocating smell of blood…."It's all right," Jose Arcadio Buendia would say. 'The main thing is not to lose our bearing.'….he kept on guiding his men toward the invisible north so that they would be able to get out of that enchanted region," (11) to emphasize the terrible conditions, gloom, and darkness the rest of his crew faced and the strong guidance and determination Jose had to get his crew out of this area and into a brighter, more promising area. He soon follows by stating, "When they woke up, with the sun already high in the sky, they were speechless with fascination" to emphasize that Jose may have led them to arrive to heaven.
This is really an interesting way to begin the novel because it foreshadows the struggles, conflicts, and even resolutions that Jose and his family face in their lives. This was such a great way to prepare the reader for what was to come in the novel.
So the first thing I noticed about this novel was wow, it's really confusing. But as I continued to read, I started to get the jist a little. Marques has a very unique way of writing and it's enjoyable. He seems like he likes to exaggerate a bit but he doesn't cross the line too far and he knows his facts.
Because I am just about the coolest person I know, I followed by Cora Lin's example, and made myself a handy dandy bookmark out of the family tree. It's been super helpful. (Thanks for the idea Ms. Clapp!)
I've just finished everything up to chapter seven, and I do have to admit that the way the book is written confuses me a little. I've noticed that some of the things mentioned in the book, aren't supposed to happen until a long time after it's written about. The first sentence talks about being killed by firins squad, and then there is no mention of that for some time.
What I am grasping from the novel, is that Márquez believes that, atleast in Macondo, progress is what will be the downfall of society. It seems that every time something happens that would put Macondo "on the map," something horrible happens that halts all progress.
Will post soon!
Hello. I must say, this novel is exceedingly dense and tough to understand. I did not realize its level of difficulty until midway through this work. The thing that makes it complex, complicated, and hard to read is the fact that I do not know what information is important and what is not. Marquez continually presents an overwhelming amount of information that it is hard for the reader to decipher what is important and what is not. It is often not hard to lose track of which characters he is referring to and the order in which the events occur.
I have also been pondering as to what the purpose of this piece of literary work is. I understand that it has something to do with the disillusionment of the characters and their doomed fates, but is there some other obvious meaning I am missing here?
The characters of this novel remind of me of the Lost Generation of World War II. I'm not sure if anyone else made that connection but throughout the entire novel, it always seems as if the characters are somewhat lost and do not understand what their purpose is or what they wish to aspire from life.
One example of this is the frivolous relationships consistently being portrayed. This aspect of the novel reminds me of "The Sun Also Rises" by Hemmingway. The empty relationships symbolize a sense of insecurity and bareness of their lives or how they are spending them. This can be supported interestingly when Colonel Gerineldo Marquez asks Colonel Aureliano Buendia why he is fighting the war. His response does not seem very persuasive and it almost seems as if they both do not know what they are doing with their lives.
An interesting aspect of the novel I noticed is that there is always a constant struggle between having a stable relationship, such as the marriage of Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula Iguaran, versus the "hook ups" many of the characters have such as those to do with Pilar Ternera. Marquez always has the marriages of the book turn ill-fated, such as Jose Arcadio Buendia going mentally unstable, and the death of Remedios Moscote subsequent to her marriage to Colonel Aureliano Buendia. Throughout the continuous turmoil of the family and their many affairs, Ursula is the only character who attempts to keep stability within herself and those around her.
Marquez always gives off an undeniably strong vibe to his reader that a marriage is about to go the way "it's meant to be" but quickly twists the situation around, always ending it in misery. For example, when Aureliano Jose and Carmelita Montiel are about to start a family and have a stable, absolute relationship, it falls apart, which can be seen in the quote, "Aureliano José had been destined to find with her the happiness that Amaranta had denied him, to have seven children, and to die in her arms of old age, but the bullet that entered his back and shattered his chest had been directed by a wrong interpretation of the cards."
This overlaps with the greater theme of a predetermined future versus one that is able to be changed based on the present actions taken. As "rei-amandan" stated, the close similarity with the names in the novel could symbolize either their predetermined fate of ruin or their human nature that does not seem to change throughout each generation.
The funny and somewhat ironic aspect of the novel is these characters have a choice in what they do, yet they consistently mess it up for themselves.
P.S. "How to Read like a Professor" is really coming in handy while reading this. I'm catching on to important elements that play a key role in the work such as weather and symbolism. I'm still having a bit of a hard time picking out mythology referances though.
I agree whole heartedly with Dina about seeing connections between this and The Sun Also Rises. It's almost as if some of the characters have no need for love, but only feel lust.
Also, as far as I see it, the Buendias don't like to deal with grief, loss, or any other emotion that seems to be out of the ordinary. When some one dies, their spouse goes into confinement. It's like they don't want to deal with their sorrow.
I've just finished chapter 13, and I have to admit I've started to catch onto how the book should be interprited. As soon as I figured that out I began to enjoy it alot more.
Hello again!
One question I would like to pose to everyone is where exactly is the novel taking place? I mean, I understand it takes place in Macondo but what country? And does Marquez use war to signify the Spanish-American War or any other significant Latin American war? Or is it just used as a strategy to bring out the human nature of the characters? I know it is a literary work of fiction but it may be based on a real historic event but I was not positively sure.
In this entry, I would like to discuss the role of the gypsies relative to the novel and how they shape the inhibitants of Macondo. When first introduced, the gypsies enthrilled and amazed the people of Macondo, but as they continued to bring different objects, such as the magnifying glass and the ice, many people began to fear them. I believe the gypsies symbolize change in a primative society. The impact they have on the society is what is important in the novel because in some respects, it leads to its demise. The city continues to change, as well as the people there because they continuously gain knowledge and power, which becomes overwhelming to each other and those around them and eventually, it causes them to self distruct, in some respects.
The way in which Marquez uses the characters to bring out a certain aspect of human nature is facinating yet he does it completely subtly.
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So I will go ahead and post again...
Marques seems to rfer to religious matters alot in this novel. For example in the first chapter he referred to Jesus by using the name of Jose Arcadio. Which makes some sense considering Latinos are very religious people.
Although Marquez has a style of in-depth writing. He's very specific and discriptive which sometimes throws me off track.
And Dina in referral to your question, I think the story takes place in Colombia.
To answer Dina, I don't think Macondo is supposed to be a real place. If it was, I have a feeling Marquez would have made it a more well known place. In the novel, many of the events are based off of true events, so if the novel was supposed to be a real place it would be named as such.
And I agree with Dina. She said,
"I believe the gypsies symbolize change in a primative society. The impact they have on the society is what is important in the novel because in some respects, it leads to its demise."
The gypsies cause many of the destructive things that happen in the novel. *They bring the inventions that lead Jose Arcadio to his insanity. Jose (II) falls in love with a gyspy and runs away.* just to sight a few.
I think the gypsy's impact on Macondo is vital to the outcome of not only the novel, but inevitably on the ARcadios as a whole.
Hmm, referring to Maria Cristina's response, I'm curious as to why you said it takes place in Columbia...that's an interesting observation. Any particular reason why you think so? I couldn't pick up on it..
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