100 Years of Solitude: Part 2
by kenwardt
Wow, what a read. 100 Years of Solitude was a great novel, one that I am very pleased we got to read in class. The second half of the book wasn’t as great as the first part in my opinion, but that may be due to the fact that reading break is over and I was occupied with other assignments that deterred me away from reading the novel in less sittings. This lead to confusion between who’s who, and that made me less interested in this novel. Having said that, I enjoyed how the themes explored in the first half of the book such as time and memory playing a continuing role in the rest of the book. Macondo was now not what it once was; due to many reasons such as the war, and new technology.
The end was bleak, with a Buendia descendant being born with a pigs tail, suggesting that the family’s curse will continue in the future. The brief detail in this “scene” could be too much for some, but I personally thought it was useful in understanding just how devastating this curse was. The fact that the baby was just described as having a pig tail goes to show the style of magic realism, and that the baby symbolized much more than what it was.
There was some positive aspects to the book as well, especially when there was some hope when the rain of yellow flowers occurred after destructive rains and floods devastated Macondo. Although bad things are occurring at the moment, there will also be good things up ahead, or at least that’s how I look at it. The good things may not be for the descendants of the Buendia family, but perhaps for Macondo in the future. I appreciated this magical realism due to its uniqueness and creativity.This intrigued me as I connected it to the cyclical nature of things and how history will probably repeat itself.
I was also brought back to the idea of play in literature, and how well magical realism can be a part of play. I now understand how powerful tools like these are in literature, especially when exploring complex ideas through innovative ways. It just makes reading much more enjoyable!
My question to you all is what other aspects of magical realism did you find connected to the overall theme of time or memory throughout the book?
The novel can cause confusion, it is true, but it seems that you have found positive elements that have entertained you. To what extent, in your opinion, does the Buendía curse also condemn the people of Macondo? Beyond looking for symbolism, is there a moment in the novel, is there something that has stuck in your memory?
Hi Kenward!
I agree that the ending was bleak and kind of felt like the Buendias were always doomed to end poorly, with the pig tail being foreshadowed through Ursula’s worries. I also enjoyed the magical realism aspects of the story, from the ghosts to Remedios the Beauty ascending to heaven. In regards to your question, I thought the explanation about Melquiadez’s room where time can splinter and leave fragments behind was a good explanation for some of the happenings throughout the story. I was surprised that we even got an explanation, but I’m happy we did.
Hi! Really enjoyed your post and I agree with what you said about some scenes being ‘too much’ but they definitely served a purpose. Magical realism was never my favorite and so I was nervous about having to read this book – but now I can see how the playfulness of it allows for really important and heavy topics to be discussed and I appreciate it a lot more!