Saturday, September 16, 2017
Final Thoughts on One Hundred Years of Solitude
As our discussions close on 100 Years of Solitude, I was wondering what were everyone's final thoughts on the novel. I for one really enjoyed this novel. Even thought it was confusing at first, because some of the characters have such similar names, it was one of my favorites novels to read. Marquez writes in a way that seems to always keep me interested, and the novel is so absurd that it is almost comical at some points. I liked our discussions on the men and the women in the novel, as Marquez paints men as these unrealistic dreams and women as being grounded in reality. I was also interested in how we compared the novel to bible. Marquez tells the story of Macondo from its genesis as an Edenic paradise to its demise similar to revelations in the bible. Macondo and Eden were both also subject to their demise due to their over curiosity and exposure to the outside world. My favorite part of discussion related to the novel would have to be how Marquez uses Macondo and the Buendia clan as a metaphor for Latin American society as a whole. I believe having the ability to see documents such as Marquez's noble prize speech allowed me to gain a new perspective and appreciation of the novel. Being from North American it was interesting to me to see how Latin Americans viewed our society and country as a whole back then. With all these things in mind I'd say One Hundred Years of Solitude was probably one of my favorite books to read in the past 4 years, but I would like to know what you guys thought. From what I could tell some of you guys really liked the novel but did any of you not like it and if so why?
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I really enjoyed reading this novel as well, Bruce. Like you mentioned, the novel touches on so many different themes, conflicts, and ideas that I was never tired of it. More importantly, due to all the different concepts Marquez writes about, the discussions on this novel were incredibly stimulating. Furthermore, Marquez does a wonderful job of seamlessly tying all of these themes together to create a novel that not only describes Latin American society but also just any community impacted by conflict. The novel's themes are so universal and relevant to communities in any time period.
Sitting here, in my bed at 11 pm on a Saturday night, what sticks out to me about the novel the most is the pigstail. The pigstail represents so many of the themes and styles Marquez plays with. First off, it exhibits the comical, fantastical elements of the novel. It also demonstrates the cyclical nature of time as the novel began with Ursula's fear of a pigstail and ended with the birth of a baby with a pigstail. The pigstail really embodies the nature of family and society's tendency to forget the past while creating the future. The pigstail seems so miniscule and humorous, but it turns out to carry a significant theme, which is a common occurence in the novel.
Again, overall, I really liked the novel.
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