What it means to see GHOSTS

         One Hundred Years of Solitude, as well as Sing Unburied Sing, are written in similar forms that focus on the past and how that past weights an individual down with guilt, yet they represent different themes within each novel. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Jose Arcadio Buendia kills Prudencio Aguilar in a cockfight after he judges his manhood. Immediately, Jose Arcadio Buendia feels remorse and is consumed by guilt. Jose Arcadio Buendia becomes so weighed down by his grief that he becomes haunted by the corpse of Prudencio Aguilar who is constantly bleeding from his wound fails to wash it. This obsession of guilt drives him insane and Jose Arcadio Buendia flees town and his killer past. This type of magical realism represents Jose Arcadio's fear of the past and the past repeating itself. But as we know, the Buendia family continues to make the same mistakes their ancestors made — because Jose Arcadio Segundo begins to participate in cockfights as well after Jose Arcadio Buendia dies.

        Similarly, in Sing Unburied Sing, Leonie becomes haunted by the ghost of her brother, Given, and Jojo is haunted by the ghost of his grandfathers’ childhood friend, Richie. These spirits both serve as different purposes in the novel. Given appears to Leonie whenever she gets high and becomes a reminder of her failed parentage. Leonie never shows Jojo or Kayla true motherly love. She focuses on her boyfriend, Michael, and their fragile relationship that is constantly falling apart and being glued back together. Given forces Leonie to face the ghosts of her past which brings back memories of how he died (Michael’s cousin killed him. Unfortunately, ghost Given’s attempt to change Leonie’s mindset doesn't affect her and she continues to prove to her children that they don't mean anything to her. On the other hand, when Jojo begins communicated with Richie, you start to see a strong sense of maturity with Jojo. Jojo had always been more of a parent to his sister than his mother had. But Pop’s story about the poor black boy, Richie, who used to be in prison with Pop and looked to him as an icon, starts to further change Jojo’s mentality. His manhood is highlighted in the way he cares for his sister and how he communicates with his distant parents. These ghosts are young men who never were given the chance to grow up and represent the “unburied” secrets of the past and a child's journey toward adulthood.