More Themes in 100 Years of Solitude
When we write we should be trying to make a point or explain an
observation about the human condition as it relates to ourselves and our
characters or fictional world.
In 100 Years of Solitude the themes of time and solitude (isolation) (see previous posts) are central to understanding the point of this book. By considering these themes, we, as readers and students, can at least try to grasp what Marquez is trying to teach or tell us about ourselves as human beings. Ah, the power of literature!
The novel's central theme is solitude or human isolation. The Buendia Family, as our protagonists, represent the human condition. Protagonists usually represent the common man or woman (Everyman). Critics have noted that the Beundias "are solitary individuals living together as strangers in the same house. As such, they personify the predicament of the human race."
Other themes include fate. An individual in this book is not free to control his/her own destiny. When José Arcadio Segundo shuts himself away to study Melquíades's manuscript, his face reflects "the irreparable fate of his great-grandfather." The names, as mentioned before, recall ones connection with the past, just as our names (first or middle usually) may be chosen to represent a connection with a past family member. Marquez seems to be saying that human personality is largely shaped by heredity and environment. The Buendias are our primary example. As Macondo changes and grows so does the family--the two are related. As the Buendia family grows, so does Macondo.
Particularly the outside world fails to measure up to the level of the Buendia's expectations--the petty political wars (reminiscent of the civil wars and political situations of Columbia and many other Central and South American countries in the 20th century), the effect of technology (as represented at first by Melquiades and the gypsies who "infect" Macondo with technology (education and science)) and then later by the railroad, the banana plantation, and manufacturing and so forth at first seem to be a solution to the Buendia's hopes and dreams. However, their inability to affect long-term change in the world recalls our own sense of "powerlessness" in the modern world. Again and again the characters in this book find fulfillment and their dreams denied. Move over Langston Hughes.
The characters' misfortunes (and there are many) seem arbitrary. Colonel Aureliano sees first his wife die and later his sons, Ursula outlives her sons, Rebeca and Meme tragically lose the men who brought them happiness. For the characters life becomes synonymous with suffering, and a recurring motif is to withdraw in what critics call "a symbolic retreat to the refuge of the womb" (i.e., solitude). Peace is achieved only when the characters choose solitude, and accept the fate they have been given. A wise lesson for us all.
In 100 Years of Solitude the themes of time and solitude (isolation) (see previous posts) are central to understanding the point of this book. By considering these themes, we, as readers and students, can at least try to grasp what Marquez is trying to teach or tell us about ourselves as human beings. Ah, the power of literature!
The novel's central theme is solitude or human isolation. The Buendia Family, as our protagonists, represent the human condition. Protagonists usually represent the common man or woman (Everyman). Critics have noted that the Beundias "are solitary individuals living together as strangers in the same house. As such, they personify the predicament of the human race."
Other themes include fate. An individual in this book is not free to control his/her own destiny. When José Arcadio Segundo shuts himself away to study Melquíades's manuscript, his face reflects "the irreparable fate of his great-grandfather." The names, as mentioned before, recall ones connection with the past, just as our names (first or middle usually) may be chosen to represent a connection with a past family member. Marquez seems to be saying that human personality is largely shaped by heredity and environment. The Buendias are our primary example. As Macondo changes and grows so does the family--the two are related. As the Buendia family grows, so does Macondo.
Particularly the outside world fails to measure up to the level of the Buendia's expectations--the petty political wars (reminiscent of the civil wars and political situations of Columbia and many other Central and South American countries in the 20th century), the effect of technology (as represented at first by Melquiades and the gypsies who "infect" Macondo with technology (education and science)) and then later by the railroad, the banana plantation, and manufacturing and so forth at first seem to be a solution to the Buendia's hopes and dreams. However, their inability to affect long-term change in the world recalls our own sense of "powerlessness" in the modern world. Again and again the characters in this book find fulfillment and their dreams denied. Move over Langston Hughes.
The characters' misfortunes (and there are many) seem arbitrary. Colonel Aureliano sees first his wife die and later his sons, Ursula outlives her sons, Rebeca and Meme tragically lose the men who brought them happiness. For the characters life becomes synonymous with suffering, and a recurring motif is to withdraw in what critics call "a symbolic retreat to the refuge of the womb" (i.e., solitude). Peace is achieved only when the characters choose solitude, and accept the fate they have been given. A wise lesson for us all.
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