Mar
7
Cien años de soledad – Round 2
Posted by: | March 7, 2010 | Comments Off on Cien años de soledad – Round 2
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are always bad men.” – John Dalberg-Acton
From the beginning, Colonel Aureliano Buendia seems an acute and curious child bound for greatness. His newborn gaze seems to bore into people, capturing the workings of their mind and soul. He shows supernatural abilities, such as his ability to predict future occurrences. He shows a diligent work ethic as an apprentice to his father and when he begins his own enterprise in metal works. As a reader the character of Colonel Aureliano appears a likable protagonist, one who the reader pulls for to win the girl, the war and to overcome whatever obstacle. His love poems to Remedios show his creative ingenuity. However, as the novel progresses we begin to glimpse the loneliness, confusion and cowardice of the future Colonel. He becomes jealous with Jose Arcadio’s ‘terremoto’ of an affair with Pilar and, to the reader’s dislike, beds her in a passion-less scene. The life he shares with his bride, Remedios, is shortlived. He is left alone with his memories, and his work, and remains without love. During this period of mourning, he has formed a connection with Remedios’ father, thus opening the world to politics and war. It is this future which will consume him, leaving but a trace of that acute, curious child.
War greatly changes the Colonel. At first, he resists taking part. Later, he is a modest leader, who deters praise of his name. Yet years later, he seems to shrink, becoming gaunt and unrecognizable. His countless battles, escapes, and journeys to the far reaches of the world have left him haggard and disheveled. When faced with the firing squad, he thinks back to that day, long ago, when his father showed him the ice. This was a time of childhood innocence, purity, and the splendor of childhood wonder. This was a time that the Colonel has long since left behind and cannot return to. The war persists, as do the many myths and identities of Colonel Aureliano Buendia. Everywhere he goes he leaves a trace of himself in another, resulting in 17 children, further losing hold of his own identity. It takes another man of war to recognize the toll that it has taken on Colonel Aurelianos. Colonel Gerineldo Marquez is the first to see the emptiness of war. Little by little, his communication with Colonel Aureliano Buendia fades until he feels hes in telegraphic contact with a stranger from another world. Colonel Aureliano Buendia was intoxicated by the glory of his return, by his remarkable victories. He had peered into the abyss of greatness. The rest is history.
