One Hundred Years... - Ideas/Initial Thoughts

As I read on, One Hundred Years of Solitude only becomes more complex (and also confusing!). I notice the entire book has a dream-like quality. Not in the sense that magical realism is apparent and some particular scenes seem influenced by some kind of supernatural force, but overall, I find the entire book to feel as if someone is recounting a dream they experienced. Nothing seems concrete. Everything is jumbled. It is hard for me to pinpoint exactly what makes the novel evoke this dreamlike quality, but I think much of it is due to the non-linear plot. Also, the third person narrative reminds me that this is a story being told rather than an actual account.

I mentioned in my previous blog that there seems to be a desire for escape among almost all of the inhabitants of Macondo. Jose Arcadio quickly falls in love with the gypsy girl and on a whim decides to run off with her, only to return some years later. Colonel Aureliano Buendia leaves Macondo with the desire to fight victoriously for the Liberals and escapes the confines of Macondo. Upon his return, he is a changed man, most likely due to the horrors of war. Colonel Aureliano Buendia attempts to take his own life - an eternal escape from Macondo. Rebeca also seeks escape through solitude after Jose Arcadio’s (her husband’s) death.

This desire becomes more clear when I look at Macondo as a representation of Columbia’s society during this period of time. Garcia Marquez’s characters are developed beautifully, each representing a detachment from a definite cultural identity. I feel that the characters try to determine an authentic identity, yet never really actualize it.

Lastly, I’d like to mention a particular quote from today’s reading that struck me. Garcia Marquez writes: “Normality was precisely the most fearful part of that infinite war: nothing ever happened.” (181) This is a timeless, and also very relevant quote. When war becomes infinite, as in today’s society, and there is never a void of violence to allow for a time of peace, it becomes a normality. This desensitization process is horrific in itself.