This week we focused on the first part of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I have to be honest, out of all the stories we are reading this term, I was most excited for this one due many positive reviews from my friends and so far it has not disappointed me. In regards to the question posed in the lecture video, I would agree that reading the story can be frustrating and confusing at times, as there were many times in which I had to pause while reading to fully comprehend what was going on and with which characters (due to their similar names) however I found that I was still enjoying the story as new twist and turns arose throughout the first half. Personally, I feel that the ‘game of confusion’ that plays out in the book adds a powerful effect on the end of the reader, making themes such as the circularity of time more noticeable. An example of this can be exhibited on page 45/46 during which the repetition of the phrase “the narrator asked if they wanted him to tell them the story of the capon, and when they answered, the narrator would say that he had not asked them to say yes, but whether they wanted him to tell them the story…” allows the reader to really comprehend how severely the illness has impacted the people of Macondo who were affected. While many writers may of choose to describe this feeling more concisely as to not confuse the readers, the decision to repeat the phrase for a whole paragraph added a profound impact which signified the repetitive function of the plague of insomnia. In a way, this decision seems to mirror the stream of consciousness of ‘the narrator’, allowing the reader to gain a deeper sense and connect with the members suffering from the illness. While at first this section confused me a bit, I realized as a reader that part of the reason why the story was so intriguing was that you weren’t always clear as to what was happening and are in a way connected to the members of the Buendia family.
In the novel, we also see the theme of love throughout the book, and its confusing role both within and outside of the Buendia family. The story continually demonstrates an entanglement of love and lust, with many relationships demonstrating complicated dynamics and tension between characters (e.g. Jose Arcadio’s love affair with Pilar Ternera resulting in a pregnancy and the subsequent departure of Jose Arcardio with another woman). While this has been an interesting theme I have identified to be a cause of tension within many of the characters, I would love to hear the thoughts from others about how the ideas of love complicate and intertwine with the troubles of the Buendia family. Because of this, my discussion question for this week is: What do you believe the role of love plays within the novel so far? How do these complicated feelings affect the decisions and consequences of the characters?
It is interesting that you have taken the theme of love for your comment. It seems that it has not been touched by other readers, but only in its most disturbing aspects. Among the tangle of stories there are moments that make us think about the concept of love that was held in Macondo, it is its power both to build and to destroy, in the excess of powers to transform history in a couple of seconds, and the consequences of it. The “second part”, to call it something, further complicates these games with the reader that you identified very well.
Hi there,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this weeks reading and also for your discussion on the theme of love. I found your post very interesting to read, as love was not a theme I myself chose to focus on, however I think it plays an important role in the character dynamics and relationships. My first thought in response to your question was thinking back to Ursula and her intense fear or incest. I think this focus on incest and marriage within a family sort of distracted me from seeing true love in those relationships, as they feel uncanny and uncomfortable. However, they are realities of the time in which this book was written, and I think provide context into how these couples came to find each other, and how some lose each other. For example José Arcadio Buendía choice to follow his wonder and curiosity when his wife begs him to stop.