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The depth of the theme of solitude in Cien Anos de Soledad is veryy apparent in this third section of the book. Each member of the Buendia family suffers in solitude. Even those, such as the seventeen sons of Colonel Aureliano Buendia, who did not grow up in the presence of the Buendia family, or even in Macondo, are marked with the family’s characteristic solitude. Aureliano Triste’s name itself is a good marker of this tendency. Despite the fact that the Buendia family continues to grow, and Macondo becomes more and more connected with the outside world (ie. the railroad and the ‘gringos’), each member of the family suffers from loneliness. I think a big part of their loneliness is due to the fact that they rarely talk about their emotions and therefore tend to hide their feelings inside, which changes their behavior.

We see the extent of this emotional isolation in Amaranta, who, having reached old age has never overcome her rivalry with Rebeca and never allowed anyone, including her suitors, to get close to her. She dies proud of her virginity, but I think her chastity reflects how she pushed everyone who cared about her away. Even Meme, despite falling completely head over heals for Mauricio, expresses her growing solitude that comes as a result of her obsession with him.

We saw already how Colonel Aureliano Buendia changed during his years at war. In this section it became more apparent to me how solitary he really became. He resents the fact that people only buy his gold fish to serve as relics of the past and therefore starts making fish and then melting them back down only to repeat the process, and occupy his time. He, like Amaranta, seems to be incapable of reaching out and connecting with anyone else.

Colonel Aureliano Buendia and Amaranta both die in this section. The older generations of the Buendia family are passing away, save the intrepid Ursula! The family’s ways do not seem to be at risk for ending, for as each new family member is born they continue to be named after someone else in the family. In fact, there is now a young girl named Amaranta Ursula–what a combination.

En la tercera sección que hemos sido leídos creo ha habido un cambio mayor de tono. Todo en Macondo parece estar cambiando para el peor. El pueblo parece oscuridad y triste, y nada pero acontecimientos desgraciados mantienen concentrar en la familia de Buendia. Parece como si quienquiera lleva el nombre que Aureliano tiene la característica de “womanizer” junto con él. Nosotros lo hemos visto con Coronel Aureliano Buendia y ahora también con Aureliano Segundo. No sólo haga él estafa en su mujer, pero él regresa en su barco que introduce a muchas prostitutas.

Así, la ciudad de Macondo no tiene el mismo humor inocente y feliz como tuvo en los años más temprano, ahora es cambiado bastante de forma distinta. Ursula lo advierte del muy comienzo cuya sabiduría siempre muestra ella dice que el mundo se acaba lentamente y esas cosas mágicas que utilizan para suceder a nuestro pueblo no sucederá ya. En vez del acontecimiento “magical phenomenas”, hay más tecnología y un sentido del modernismo introducido al pueblo, por ejemplo la tecnología con la compañía de plátano. Pero la plantación de plátano llega a ser la parte más trágica para el pueblo a causa del todo el dinero y nuevos habitantes que lo trae. Por lo tanto, en esta parte nosotros podemos ver el mensaje que es transmitido por un aspecto político. Como la techonologia occidental afectan las vidas del latinoamericanos. En el sentido del realismo mágico nosotros vemos cómo la tecnología es casi como magia a ellos porque crea la misma popularidad social como hizo cuando los gitanos vendrían y visitarían Macondo.

Remedios que la belleza llega a ser más desvelada en esta sección, nosotros la vemos más como un carácter que tiene mucho poder sobre hombres. Su belleza mata realmente, eso es cuán hermoso que ella es. Ella mantiene su calma y la inocencia a través de todo que sucede sin embargo ella logra mantener su sex symbol. A diferencia de todos los demás en Macondo ella parece ser el único que es demasiado puro e inocente para el pueblo, así ella logra flotar encima de e ir al cielo porque Macondo es demasiado peligroso o corrompió para ella. También, la muerte trágica de los hijos de todo Coronel Aureliano parece ser un destino que fue destinado para ellos desde entonces ellos tuvieron ésos cruzan cenizas en las frentes. Por lo tanto, todo parece desenmarañar ir para el peor, el Coronel Aureliano es deprimido y Ursula no tiene el mismo poder que ella tuvo antes de sobre su familia a causa de su edad y su pérdida en la vista de ojo.

I’m surprised at the development of the character of Aureliano Buendia. When he was a child I thought him to be introspective, thoughtful and sensitive, but he grew to become a dispassionate tyrant. The premonitions that he experienced were an interesting facet that for me imbued a sense of the Divine in him, a validation of a future omnipotence. Indeed as an adult he rose to a great height of power within the rebel military. Eventually his power left nothing further to be challenged, no personal goals nor ideals to be achieved. Colonel Aureliano Buendia’s apathy that resulted I think was a very realistic portrayal of the consequence of ultimate power. Of course Garcia Marquez was building on the theme of solitude and how eventhough one seems to have everything they want or need around them, one will probably also feel very isolated.
An aspect of the novel found throughout that I find controversial is the inter-generational relationships. It is kind of shocking. So far it is dificult for me to reconcile why Garcia Marquez would include this line of topic in his novel, eventhough it contributes greatly to the sub-theme of “power” – this concept being perhaps the overriding factor resulting from the aforementioned kind of relationship. Despite the fact that the book is a work of fiction, the vast majority of us would find the inclusion of inter-generational sexual relationships to be offensive. Garcia Marquez took a great risk in deciding to go down this questionable path. However, any work of art should push the envelope a little and maybe spark a cultural debate. In this way a work of art can find immortality.

Me gustó mucho lo que he leído de Cien años de soledad. Lo que me llamó más la atención fue los elementos cómicos de los personajes, que es todo típico de la escritura de Gabriel García Márquez. Hace que la historia sea más personal y accesible. José Arcadio Buendía es excéntrico y fascinado por las invenciones. Pasa mucho del tiempo aislado de la sociedad en su laboratorio, todo lo que no le gusta a su mujer. Me fijé en los elementos que tiene la historia en común con las demás obras de García Márquez, como Crónica de una muerte anunciada. Ambos se basan de un escándalo, en este caso Buendía no puede impregnar a su mujer y Prudencio Aguilar lo sabe. Típico de la escritura de García Márquez, el conflicto resulta en un duelo entre los dos. Y aquí entra de la misma manera el realismo mágico. Cuando matan a Santiago Nasar en Crónica de una muerte anunciada, se ríe y el machete sale limpio y no ensangrentado de su cuerpo. Aquí la fantasma de Prudencio Aguilar vuelve a molestarles. Tal vez García Márquez hace crítica de los rituales de matrimonio dentro del cuadro de la sociedad. En Crónica, Ángela Vicario ha perdido su virginidad antes de casarse, por la presupuesta culpa de Santiago Nasar, aunque a lo largo de la historia no sabemos. De modo similar, Úrsula Iguarán tiene miedo de consumar el matrimonio. El interés de Buendía en la alquimia es algo de lo mágico en sí porque tiene que ver con una ciencia inventada sobre la base de creencias mágicas. Además es interesante que Macondo esté lleno de gente joven y nadie ha muerto. Me llamó la atención de la manera en que García Márquez cuenta la historia. Como en Crónica, que empieza con el hecho de que ya sabemos que el protagonista muere al final, vemos el mismo modo de contar los eventos en forma de descripciones retrospectivas, y forman una serie de narración que maneja la trama. Todo esto establece un tono que es algo mítico, como una historia oral que trasciende las edades. Por el lado de lo real, vemos el mencionar de Sir Francis Drake, figura histórica que existía de verdad. Esto no corresponde a lo que dice García Márquez respecto al vivir en el tiempo en que los objetos no tenían nombre. Es una técnica de desorientarnos pero al mismo tiempo, sostenernos conectados a la historia.

The comic images are sublime. One that sticks out in particular is J.A.B. putting together the player piano. Like everything he does, he does it with great enthusiasm and disregard for detail. The moment when the piano starts playing all out of tune because the strings are out of order is truly hilarious. And does it stop the people of Macondo from having a party? No. They dance until dawn to music void of any key or rhythm. I love this image. A celebration of the spirit of celebration. The party goes on even though the music is all wrong.

On page 74 (of my copy) we find out that Aureliano remembered something else as he faced the firing squad: Melquiades’ disjointed writing. Writing that he didn’t even understand. This is an even more unlikely scenario than him remembering the day his father took him to discover ice. I think Marquez is again playing with the reader’s faith in the narrator.

The moment when the insomnia virus hits the townspeople of Macondo and they work day and night without noticing the need for sleep, echoes Genesis. God had a lot to do in those first six days and nights and the townspeople of Macondo have a lot to do to catch up with the outside world. I’m not sure about the rest of the townspeople, but J.A.B. is hell-bent on progress. The gypsies keep on introducing new objects into the town and pitch them as objects of entertainment (the flying carpet for example), he sees them as possibilities for progress. I’m interested to see how Marquez will explore the impact of progress. Will it bring happiness or misery to the people of Macondo? Or will they remain unchanged and continue to be just as absorbed in family affairs.

Melquiades didn’t die! More evidence that we can’t trust the narrator. Certain mysteries carry their thread through the myriad of stories that Marquez throws at the reader.
The questions I have are…
-What will Macondo transform into?
-What happened to Jose Arcadio after he left with the gypsies.
-And when and why will Aureliano face a firing squad?

En este blog quiero señalar estrictamente todas las relaciones sexuales extraños, cómo las mujeres son retratadas y cómo los personajes van y vienen lo que hace difícil para el lector mantenerse al día con todos ellos. En primer lugar, me parece muy extraño cómo Márquez, casi lo hace parecer bien ser el incesto. La gente en el pueblo de Macondo mantener “hooking up”, y parece que no hay gente suficiente porque los primos se van a casar, o tíos y sobrinos están íntima sexual, yo realmente no veo el punto de esta excepción a la repugnancia de la lector, tal vez? Por ejemplo, cuando Aureliano José trató de dormir con su tía, creo yo, Amaranta. Cuando trató de deslizamiento bajo el mosquitero, pero ella decía que se fuera o se pondría a gritar. Y Amaranta di cuenta que estaba mal y repugnante, porque ella le dijo: “Es casi como si yo fuera tu madre”. Naturalmente, un hombre debe tomar una pista, pero no a este tipo. En su lugar, le pide a un soldado “, una persona puede casarse con su propia tía?” Y el soldado trata de justificar todo esto diciendo que esta guerra es que están luchando “contra los sacerdotes para que una persona puede casarse con su propia madre”. Eso es muy inquietante.

En segundo lugar, a cada mujer en esta sección hasta el momento se presenta como un objeto sexual, a excepción de Ursula, que tiene un cerebro. Las mujeres parecen ser usado para el sexo, o son de muerte cerebral, o que comen de la tierra como el de Rebeca. Por ejemplo, antes, en el libro antes de Aureliano Buendía se convierte en un coronel que sentía pena por esa chica prostituta porque aún tenía 10 años de setenta hombres por noche a pagar sus gastos a su abuela. Esta parte me molestó mucho porque pensé que era repugnante para una abuela para hacer esto a su propio nieto. Sin embargo, esto también parece ser un tema común en el libro, la traición. Amaranta está celoso de Rebeca porque ella quiere casarse con ese chico italiano Crespi … ese muchacho Aureliano José Ursula casi mataría por orgullo, y al final Rebeca mata a su propio marido José Arcadio, y ni siquiera confesar, la familia Buendía parece que a su vez el uno del otro en los momentos más difíciles.

Por último, hay tantos personajes que van y vienen de que es difícil seguir el ritmo, pero hasta ahora todo va bien, aunque yo no entendía por qué Amaranta no quería casarse con ese chico italiano?

I have to admit, when I started reading the second chunk of Cien años, I didn’t quite have the same enthusiasm as I did with the first reading. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I wasn’t afflicted with the same sense of intrigue and mystery that I experienced with the first section of the reading. However, after a few pages I was firmly gripped by Marquez’s prose once again.

In my experience, the tone and mood of the second reading was markedly different than the first. In the first reading, I was captivated by the mysticism of Malquíades and the sense of adventure when Jose Arcadio explored the surrounding areas of Macondo. In my opinion, the second section of the reading was far grittier. The second section focused on much more political issues surrounding the revolution that was unfolding in Columbia, and more specifically the rifts caused in the Buendia family as a result of the revolution. The most prominent example of the inner conflict in the Buendia family is inevitably the relationship, or lack thereof, between Arcadio and the rest of his lineage. The burden that Arcadio carried with him since his infancy pushed him to betray his family’s heritage and drove the most senior members of the family to cut all ties with him and view him as their enemy. At the same time, Marquez sheds light on the solidarity of the rest of the Buendia clan and illustrates the importance of family relationships, which inevitably is a theme that run deeply through the pages of the novel. When reading this section, I couldn’t help but draw some parallels between the Godfather saga. Betrayal and deceit within a family are some of the most prominent features of the Godfather films. Inevitably, those who betray the family are cast aside and demonized by those who are loyal; which is exactly what Marquez has portrayed in his novel with the Buendia clan.

I also found myself at a bit of a loss while reading the second portion in the sense that I felt a serious absence of magical aspects. The only passage that truly resonated with me as being a concrete example of “lo mágico” was Rebeca’s assassination of her husband. The blood that pooled from the dead body flowed out of the house as though it were alive, snaking it’s way out of the house and into the streets. Marquez magicalized (yes, I realize that’s not a real word) the blood and gave it seemingly sentient and conscious characteristics.

As a final point, while the writing styles are drastically different, I could not help but think of Carpentier’s novel while reading through this section of Cien años due to the fact that both novels deal with revolutions, albeit in different manners.

That’s it for now.

Finally I’m back blogging! I did not think it would take me this long to get back here.. I guess I underestimated the effect that the Olympic Games would have on my schedule!

Round and round and round we go, where we stop, nobody knows!

This book amazes me. Where some authors may choose to write an entire book concerning what happens in a single day or over the course of a few years, or even one persons lifetime, GGM has written a book that covers countless generations and lives. There are a multitude of themes, names, and personalities that reoccur in this book. Personality traits – almost identical to their father, mother, aunt, or uncle’s – are passed down from one individual to the next. Events seem to repeat themselves or we get stuck on a certain event such as the death of Aureliano in front of the firing squad. Once we learn that he will not be killed in that particular scene, the event is prolonged and teased at an infinite number of times. We also learn of the many attempts to murder him throughout his life. These themes, names, and personalities lend a particular confusion to the book. I often have to refer to the family tree at the beginning of the book in order to remember which Aureliano or which Arcadio. The fact that Ursula and José Arcadio Buendía never seem to die does not help to understanding the progression of time or where exactly we are in the story.

I wonder why GGM chose to write like this. I wonder what his vision was and what exactly he was trying to say with this book. Certain aspects of the book remind me of torture. For example the way Amaranta locks herself away in her bedroom when really she wants to spend time with the Colnel Gerineldo Marquez and before that Pietro Crespi. She denies herself love and companionship when it is what her heart longs for. In the same way, Melquiades, Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula hold on to a string of life which they refuse to let go of. Life for them continues on until they are no longer lucid but their soles seem to be immune to death. Amaranta’s toying and kissing with Aureliano José is another torture for both of them because they never fully give into their desires. This self-made suffering, torturing of the soul, and drawn-out lives are major themes in this book and I just can’t quite understand why. I don’t think that every aspect of a book has to have so hidden meaning but literary repetition is well-thought out.

Thoughts? Anyone else on the same page? I would love to hear what other people thought of this.

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