This book written by Garcia Marquez has left a certain hole in my pupil, one that looks backwards to my own history and that of my family’s. Though, I can argue that that hole was already there, I can also confess that it has and is always being shaded with some type of filter. Seldom is it just a hole that reaches the past. Most often it is a shade covered with desire to see what I want to see, not what is really there. And that can be related to desire and to this notion of solitude from Garcia Marquez’s book. I mention my own idiosyncrasy in relation tot he book because I think these types of book’s offer a genuine node of reflection with self and world. And world can be described as starting with family as family is the cradle of world. Maybe, maybe not. But I believe this blog was designed to “freestyle” thought so there is my own version.

But it is compelling to see how this book tackles family within world and world within family. The discovery of an outer world to the secluded world is a great metaphor to the being of an individual intersecting with external forces. The trickle down effect of maintaining traditions or the lack of is also very evident in this novel as memory flees just as easy as it attaches.

With a family so diverse but also so similar it almost seems as if Garcia Marquez is saying that everything stems from one thing and ends up back to where it started. Why? Greed, desire, lust,  pride etc. All those selfish traits don’t allow any growth other than that of pursuit are very detrimental to a family well being.

In a way, you could say globalization is like that. Just seeking for people to trade their product for what they are actually looking for. Product by product, the world will continue to discovery reserved and secluded areas unknown to man just to install or influence locals of “magic” or “technology” so that they may “prosper”. But in the end, with family’s already having their own “original” problems do we really need to inherit the worlds?

A controversial question but maybe it is also legitimate. It is interesting to think that we leave our homes in an attempt to be part of the world and possibly help others by finding our own cause when issues at home haven’t been resolved. It’s not like that for everyone but I do believe that family is the most complicated thing we will ever come across in our life.

As a final question, I have a controversial one. What do you think about the phrase, for a child to become their own person this must metaphorically kill their parent? Messed up I know, but I heard that in Argentina from an author but I think it is relevant to a Hundred Years of Solitude.

Perdón Daniel y Profe, recién salido del trabajo.