In the later part of Gabriel García Márquez’s’ “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, we see the once simple town of Macondo struggle with disruptions brought over by the shiny new train. This comes in the form of modernization and capitalism which begins to take over with the start of industry in the banana plantation and later the towns dependence on it. I wonder if this is supposed to be commentary on colonialism and western industrial technology brought to Latin America. The issues associated with the modernization of Macondo play out throughout the end of the novel which notably is plagued by constant deaths, war, and total collapse. At one point Garcia Marquez draws a pretty vivid comparison to the corpses from the massacred piled up “in the same way in which they transported bunches of bananas”. I think this line is really indicative of the dark fate Macondo experiences during the turmoil and collapse of their major industry after the deluge.
It wasn’t until the end of the book where I finally realized how much of the history of Macondo and the lives of its inhabitants had already been prophesized by Melquíades’ closely following the history described throughout the parchments. It seems like every generation repeated the mistakes of their ancestors (e.g., the Buendia family’s tendency for solitude and involvement in wars and revolutions) seemingly without much progress in terms of new approaches or even much attempt to alter their fates. For these reasons, I believe the fate of Macondo was inevitable and doomed from the outset.
Originally, I thought the intention of novel may have been to provide further commentary on the circular nature of time and inevitable repetition within human nature like we’ve seen in other readings this semester like Borges’. However, after getting through more of the novel it seemed like it was more about the influences of the outside civilization and the ailments that come with progress leaking into Macondo like we’ve seen happen with Western Nations leaking into Latin America. My question for discussion is how has “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez influenced your understanding of progress and change? Is the search for progress and improvement all that productive considering all of the unforeseen possible outcomes that may come as a result of it?
Hi Diana,
Great post. I agree that the themes of modernization and capitalism within the novel surprised me. I was expecting to read more of a fantasy novel of sorts, but this combined the fantasy elements with those of reality. Interesting comparison to Borges too about writing in circular time. This book has made me reconsider time’s definition as something linear and instead made me look at the repetition it brings too. To answer your question, this book also made me change my perspective of modernization through considering how modernization led to war within small communities. I’ve never really considered the drawbacks of modernity in terms of resulting in violence from a micro perspective. When I think modernity and war I think of more technological advancements used (or threatened to be used) by big nations. This book made me consider war and technology from a more micro scale.
Your question is much more complicated to answer than I would have thought at first… it has to do with the power of fiction to transform perception, but above all it makes us wonder about the impact of the idea of progress on our ideologies. The novel contains images of the civilizing process and its contradictions, without a doubt. What would be García Márquez’s position on colonization? Apparently he makes a distinction between it and the contemporary capitalist irruption.
Hey Diana,
Firstly, thank you for such a well-thoughout analysis- I really enjoyed reading your post!
I totally agree with you, the novel does, in some sense. present a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked industrialization and capitalist greed. t’s interesting to see how the arrival of the train and the subsequent growth of the banana plantation industry brings both progress and destruction to Macondo.
As for your discussion question, the novel seems to serve as a reminder that that progress and change are not inherently good or bad, but rather depend on the motivations and values of those driving them.
Hi Diana,
I really enjoyed your blog post and the analysis you wrote about 100 years of solitude. To answer your question this book did not fully influence my understanding of progress and change, but it deffinitely helped it shape it better. I believe that progress and change are tied together, but we somehow do not fully get to grasp the concept that we have no power over it.
Hi Diana,
I really enjoyed reading your post, thanks for sharing!
To answer your question, I think the book highlights how the search for progress and change can not always be a productive thing, and that it can unintentionally lead to consequences and downfalls, like what happened to Macondo. I believe Márquez is suggesting to approach progress with caution and consider all potential repercussions of one’s actions before moving forward.