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.
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I agree with you in that this is magical realsim at its finest. Like Jon said in class, there isnt a whole lot of MR in this book, but when it appears it never fails to impress. Before reading this book i was quite confused about magical realism. To be honest I disliked it completely, mind you my only "real" exposure to it was through Isabel Allendes book "Eva Luna" which is was a complete disaster. but here it is very interesting, as though the imagination of the characters get the best of them usually in times when they are under certain strain.
When I read a book it’s usually so I can lose myself in its pages and forget the real world for that particular couch or beach session. This book was indeed filled with many wonderful images based on reality and the magic realism that Marquez is so famously known for. At times I found myself wondering how a man could come up with so many fantastic ideas to put into a book and clearly find a way to do it in an incredibly fantastic way.
Without the discussions held in class and the enlightenment that Jon offered I must admit that I would not have enjoyed this book as much as I did.
However I must comment on the idea of fate. I do not believe in idea that we are predisposed to living our lives by a concept such as fate. I believe we all have the choice to change our futures not matter what our pasts are. The difference is choice, we all have the choice to change.
My opinions regarding this novel have changed so much since the very first chapters. I remember starting the book and thinking to myself: "what the hell is all of this magic realism stuff? It doesn't make any sense!!". But now I have gained a far greater appreciation for Marquez's writing, and I agree with you that the magic realism is a way of escaping from the horrific reality of life in Macondo. It is possible that Marquez includes magic realism because it mirrors his own coping strategies that he used during his tumultuous childhood, because after all, he grew up in rural Colombia close to banana plantations and warzones. Also, just think how dreadful and depressing the novel would be if there was no fantasy and imagination!!!
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