One Hundred Years Of Solitude I

Cynthia here.

Thank you Mary for pretty much thinking the same things I do about this novel so far. I also really enjoy this book. I find myself just reading and completely submersing myself in the lives of the people of Macondo.

To start off, i find it interesting how Marquez jumps around from idea to idea, as a few people pointed out already. In one paragraph he will write about how Rebeca and Jose Arcadio had sex and in the next he will write about the war that is going on.

I agree with Mary that there is definitly a lot of sexual tension in this novel. So many of the family members are intertwined in odd ways. Ursula and Jose Arcadio Buendia are distant cousins, Jose Arcadio married his almost-sister Rebeca, and both Jose Arcadio and his brother had sons by the same woman (Pilar Ternera).

In reguards to Amaranta refusing to marry Pietro Crespi and Gerineldo Marquez, I think that it has something to do with pride. Amaranta was certainly attracted to both men and was madly (no pun intended) in love with Pietro. Amaranta was willing to kill Rebeca for Pietro and once she could have him, she did not want him anymore. I guess I might be able to understand why Amaranta is this way because I can also be stubborn and proud sometimes, but Amaranta forces it, as some would say. She would take it to the point where she would make herself sick (throwing up, fevers).

Another thing I thought about while reading this novel was about the type of community that Macondo was. As some of you already mentioned, it seemed like a kind of utopia for a while. All the people of the town worked together to establish it under the guidance of Jose Aracadio Buendia. There was no government, no need for police or anything of the sort beacuse the people just naturally worked well together. That is, until Melquiades arrived with the gypsies. With the arrival of new technology, the town of Mcaondo began to modernize itself and almost become corrupt. The people had lived fine with their old ways and suddnely with new technology not only did the Buendia family suffer (because of Jose Arcadio Buendia's obsessions) but the town also changed. Soon there was the town leader Don Apolinar Moscote and the town priest, Father Nicanor.

As the twon began to evolve a war broke out. I must admit that I am still confused about exactly what was going on with the war. I understand that Aureliano became a Colonel and that he was a Liberal. His father-in-law was a conservative. it was a civil war of some sorts but I am still not sure aboutthe specifics. (So if anyone can clarify that for me, that would be greatly appreciated).

I also wanted to comment on the repetition of the line "as he faced the firing squad". That was how the novel began and it was used throughout when talking about Aureliano and eventually about Arcadio as well. This line shows how the novel difnitly does nto go in order. It jumps around from time period to time period as it will focus on just one character for a while (completely ignoring the lives of the rest) and then moving on to the next character in the same fashion.