Cien Anos - Part 4

My curiousity was peaked from Friday's class wondering what would be revealed by the end of the book. I wasn't sure what to expect but I did find the ending interesting. It is as though all the pieces of the book finally come together. However at the same time there is the idea of fate within the novel. That is, Melquiades had written the history 100 years ahead of time and it seemed that the events were already predetermined in the lives of the characters. That could suggest that Melquiades was a 'fortune teller of sorts' or maybe it simply means that history has a way of repeating itself and Marquez cleverly supports that idea through the constant repetition of names, relationships and the passion of love between individuals. For example, the passion between Aureliano and Amaranta Ursula reminds me of the intense relationship between Aureliano Jose and Amaranta.

Perhaps the idea of fate means that we are inextricably linked to our past, our family and that we cannot change what is inevitable. And by the time we reach the end of our lives, we finally get it but by that time, it is too late to change it.

The last line which reads "porque las estirpes condenadas a cien anos de soledad no tenian una segunda oportunidad sobre la tierra" reminds us again that we only get to go around once and we should make the most of the time while we are here.

I think I appreciate more now the idea of magical realism. Even though the book is filled with many bizarre and magical moments, the thread of reality constantly permeates the book which is much like life. We introduce moments in our own thinking of fantasy and dreams, sometimes as an escape from our reality or a way to diffuse the intensity of life.

All in all, my first thoughts of the book have certainly changed in that I have a greater appreciation for what I think Marquez was wanting to say. Or perhaps it is that I was able to connect with the book on many different levels.

Cien Anos - Part 3

I certainly found the third part of Cien Anos very interesting to read. It has taken on a life of its own as I read it. The part that caught my attention was the chapter on Ursula as she looked back over her years and coming to the realization that she was losing her vision. However, she cleverly kept that information from the family. She used her sense of hearing to pay attention to voices. She used her sense of smell. In the darkness of a room for instance, she could thread a needle. She discovered that people had rhythms and patterns to their lives and used that ability to find Fernanda's ring when no one else could.

But the biggest changes came from her solitude of being blind. Through the solitude she saw truths of the family that she had never seen before. She realized for instance, that Colonel Aureliano Buendia had not lost his love for the family because of war but because he never loved anyone including Remedios. He was a man incapable of love.

The passage of time makes a difference in people's lives. It's as though the things one feels such as passion, outrage, or the need to control simply fade with intensity. They are replaced by wisdom, a clearer understanding of people and the unusual gift of letting most of it go and focusing on what really matters in the end.

For me it feels that Gabriel Marquez explored that process as he wrote the novel. He explored the passion and drive of youth with all its invincibility and adventure and as time progressed, people changed and the passion and drive were replaced by guilt, sadness, acceptance and the ever ending struggle to remember how it was.

There is a saying...."I wish I knew then what I know know" about sums it up.

Cien Anos - Part 2

After reading the second part of Cien Anos I'm still not sure what I actually think about this book. I will say that it certainly challenges me personally on many levels and I guess that makes it a thoughtful book. Not thoughtful in the sense of increasing my self awareness but in defining what my views are.

The elements I like are the inquisitiveness of the unknown. That is being open to figure out and explain the magic of inventions. I like the speed of the novel. It feels like so much happens in one or two pages that you have to keep focused on what you are reading.

Some of the imagery is definitely different. For instance, when Jose Arcadio is shot (or kills himself), the description of blood trickling from his body, onto the street, moving towards the Buendia house, under and around the furniture to where Ursula was standing. And to fake his death and perhaps create another legend, Colonel Aureliano Buendia, has the doctor draw a circle on his body so that when he shoots himself, the bullet passes through without touching any vital organs.

I think the circular motif of names and seemingly repetition of personality traits adds another dimension to the book.

One thing I noticed through this passage was the word 'solitary'. It certainly keeps the title of the book alive. And how 'solitary' is created always seems to be of a character's own choosing. For instance, Colonel Aureliano Buendia has a 10 foot circle drawn around him so that no one can get close.

On the flip side, the theme of incest continually interwoven throughout the book is not a part of the book I enjoy. It appears so casually within the pages of the book but for me, incest is anything but casual. I have been wondering whether there is really another message that the author is trying to say.

I guess, with any novels or writings, we examine it from our own perspective but perhaps at the same time, there maybe a part of us that wants to understand the author's point of view and what it is that he wants to say. That's true at least for me.

Cien Años de Soledad: Parte uno

Cien Años de Soledad es desde luego un cuento muy diferente que los cuentos hemos leído hasta ahora. Al principio era difícil para mí entender los personajes porque tienen los mismos nombres. Pero cuando leí otra vez, era más fácil para distinguir la diferencia entre ellos. También la relación entre los personajes es muy complicada. Por ejemplo, Arcadio, quien es el hijo de José Arcadio y Pilar Ternera, es como un hermano de Aureliano y Amaranta pero los dos son su tío y tía respectivamente. Los dinámicos entre ellos crean un aspecto muy diferente. Y entonces hay el personaje de Úrsula quien aparece jugar un papel importante en el cuento y desde luego añade una perspectiva muy interesante.

El elemento de mágico y fantasía era diferente para mí al principio porque me gusta leer los libros que representan la vida real. Una vez cambié mi enfoque leer este libro, yo descubrí que este cuento es muy agradable y al mismo tiempo tiene elementos que expresar la vida que experimentamos. Esto es, las relaciones cambiando, los dinámicos entre los padres, los hermanos, el deseo seguir el amor y la oportunidad para descubrir y explorar las cosas que son diferente y nueva.

Pienso que el resto del cuento será muy agradable. Es como la vida real sino un elemento de mágico y fantasía.