Mar
22
Cien Años de Soledad (4)
Posted by: | March 22, 2010 | Comments Off on Cien Años de Soledad (4)
What an interesting, yet not completely unexpected ending. GGM has one of the most morbid styles of writing, in that the plot is enhanced by solitude, death and incest- but in a sense it’s quite entrancing. (He somewhat reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe, but a bit less vulgar in stating death and destruction) Surrounding the characters and storylines with incredible detail and a hint of despair, there was almost no other way to end the book other than the manner in which he did. Sadly, everyone’s time comes to an end at some point, right?
I found there to be a lot of plots that eventually came ‘full circle’, such as the entire story of Macondo and how it had already seemed to be written as Aureliano Segundo found out, as well as the family itself starts and ends with incestuous acts. What I found most interesting is how Macondo seemed to live a ‘life’ of it’s own. Starting out with a vivid imagination, much like a young child, brought by the gypsies and enhanced by the Buendia family’s further interpretation. Slowly it started to change through government, lifestyle and other methods [almost like a type of puberty, or growth spurt]. The massacre was somewhat like a midlife crisis, in that the rain which followed could be viewed as a type of cleansing or realization in which the town of Macondo can start over on a new, fresh path. This final part of the book is much like the final chapter of anyone’s life – filled with death, but sadly not much to be remembered by surrounding people, as no one can ever fully retell a story with explicit accuracy. It seems to me that Macondo was erased from memory and existence. I really enjoyed the ‘final touch’ from Aureliano Segundo’s encounter of his own history being prewritten, it seemed to be one last magic realism idea gently tossed into the world hand-created by GGM.
A bit of a sad note to end the weekend on, but still a pretty good book. Wouldn’t mind giving it another read! (perhaps in the summer.. next to a beach.. mai tai in hand..) Mmm, 6 weeks till summer!
