One Hundred Years of Solitude
In One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez narrates a story about the Buendias family; the story is magical, mythical and full of fantasy. As I read the book and the tale unfolds I got to meet the Buendia family, after I have read the first three pages, I felt as if I was part of the story, Gabriel Garcia Marquez has a writing style that transports the reader to the places where the story takes place, I could even feel the warmth of Macondo, described as a beautiful island located at the Caribbean sea.
Gabriel Jose Garcia Marquez was born on March 6, 1928 in Aracataca Colombia, raised by his maternal grandparents and three aunts; listening to their stories. (Gabriel Garcia Marquez Biography).Marquez lived in Aracataca at his grandparents house until the age of eight; he left the city when his grandfather died. After that event he never returned, but he remembered the stories or characters he had heard from his family, later on his books, he recalls them as he remembered them, or rewrote their stories as he liked. One Hundred Years of Solitude was no exception. He took the second last name of his grandmother Iguaran for Ursulas character. Marquez took the character of Colonel Aureliano Buendia from another tale he had heard, when he was a child; the tale tells that General Rafael Uribe Uribe had pass through Aracataca, and drunk some beers with his grandfather and some others veterans. (Gabriel Garcia Marquez Biography)
Jose Arcadio Buendia is one of the most important characters in the story. He was one of the founders of Macondo, extremely curious and innovative, he was fascinated by the tricks brought by the gypsies to Macondo and tried to reproduce them. As I read the book I could see him doing all of his enterprises, for example, trying to multiply Ursulas doubloons at his laboratory, or trying to create a solar gun with the enormous glass magnifier. Due to his curiosity and ignorance Jose Arcadio got in trouble with his wife Ursula so many times.
On the other hand we have Ursula Iguaran, Aurelianos cousin and wife; she was the most important female character in the story. Ursula was strong and wise woman; she was the matriarch of Macondos founder family. Because of the weakness of her husband for his scientific experiments, Ursula took the role of a family provider. She worked hard with her sons at the garden, growing the vegetables. Ursula even starts her own small business at home, selling small candy animals, then after she started a pastry shop. As a provider Ursula succeed, she felt very proud of herself and used to say: As long as God gives me life, there will always be money in this mad house. (Marquez)
Even though, Melquiades was not an inhabitant of Macondo. He still plays an important role in the story; he was one of the gypsies who returned frequently to the town, bringing scientific marvels, such as magnifying glasses, magnets and alchemy. Melquiades become a good friend of the Buendias family, eventually after many visits to Macondo, Melquiades stayed at the Buendias family, and finally died there among the people he had learned to love.
In conclusion One Hundred Years of Solitude is an extraordinary story, transporting me trough the one-hundred years of the Buendias family. The story is so magical, combines Macondos everyday living from the fantastic to unexciting, life and death, tragedy and comedy. One Hundred Years of Solitude ends on tragedy. In my opinion it would be nice to have a happy ending, but the way that Garcia Marques has write this story could never be better.
Works Cited
Gabriel Garcia Marquez Biography. 23 January 2011 <http://www.repertorio.org/education/pdfs/marquez.pdf>.
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. "One Hundred Years of Solitude." One Hundred Years of Solitude. Buenos Aires Argentina: Perenial Classics, 1967.
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