Exploring Mob Mentality in “One Hundred Year’s of Solitude”

“Mob mentality” is a well-known pyscological term; it simply refers to the tendency of individuals to act emotionally, rather than rationally, when in a large group. The people in the group feed off the energy of the “mob”— the others in the group — and often do terrible things that they would otherwise never do. Accordingly, many low points in human history are the result of mob mentality: slavery, the radical beliefs of the Nazi Regime, and modern day terrorism are a few examples. Though the term is never explicitly mentioned, mob mentality is evident throughout much of One Hundred Years of Solitude. Perhaps the best example is the One Thousand Day’s War. Many of those involved in the war quickly succumb to ruthless brutality, becoming so caught up in the “mob” of Liberal or Conservative ideology that they are willing to kill in cold blood— something most of them would likely never do without the pressure of their party. Another clear example of mob mentality is the disgraceful treatment of the Banana Company workers. Due to their inhumane working conditions, the workers of the Banana Company go on strike, demanding things that shouldn’t even have to be asked for: toilets, cleaner working conditions, and compensation that is usable everywhere, rather than just the company store. The response of the Banana Company is vicious: soldiers massacre thousands of the strikers and lawyers rule that the workers never even existed. No human being could do such unthinkable things without some sinister force driving them; this evil force is... mob mentality.

The Struggle for Identity

Most of us are fortunate enough to have loving parents, grandparents, and an overall thorough understanding of our family's past. Sadly, however, some are not blessed with this basic knowledge that is so crucial to one's identity. We see this in One Hundred Years of Solitude: Arcadio has the misfortune of knowing absolutely nothing of his lineage or history. Marquez uses this aspect of Arcadio as a catalyst for one of his major motifs throughout the novel: not having a clear understanding of one's past results in a lack of identity, which, in turn, can lead to violence and a thirst for power. Upon his birth, Jose Arcadio Buendia declares that Arcadio should never know Arcadio's true history. Jose Arcadio's wishes are kept throughout the novel, and when Arcadio takes control of Macondo after the departure of Colonel Aureliano Buendia, he still knows very little, if anything, about his past; he has no true identity. Upon being granted control of Macondo, Arcadio quickly becomes a ruthless dictator. In doing so, he is searching for some quality that will truly define him-- anything that will give him the identity and sense of belonging that he so desperately craves. By showing how easily Arcadio succumbs to dictatorship, Marquez reveals how dangerous it is when an individual or a country knows very little of their background-- by all means a direct reference to the actual violence that plagued Marquez's home country of Colombia for so long.

New Orleans Goes BANANAS!

You may wonder, where is this building? 

NEW ORLEANS, LOUSIANA

What today is a Fidelity Homestead Bank was once the HQ of an exploitative company that shaped the history of Central and South America: the United Fruit Company. Almost 100 years ago, in 1920, the Company set up their base in our hometown. Notable businessman Sam "Banana Man" Zemurray directed its operation.

Sam Zemurray was a poor, uneducated Russian immigrant. He eventually got a job in Mobile, Alabama selling overripe bananas people threw away and was dubbed "Banana Man." As he became increasingly successful, he started a fruitful (haha, pun!) business in New Orleans: the Cuyamel Fruit Co. He eventually sold this company to the United Fruit Co. The United Fruit Co. struggled during the Depression, so Banana Man took effective control of that company (as the largest stockholder). He may sound like a shrewd businessmen who exploited Central and South America, but his affiliation with the Company was not his only societal involvement. He was a philanthropist who donated to the Guidance Center for the Institute of Mental Hygiene, to Tulane University, and to Touro. 

As you can see, the United Fruit Company and Sam "Banana Man" Zemurray have intimate connections to New Orleans. 

The United Fruit Company may no longer exist, but if you find yourself on St. Charles Avenue, take a look at the fruit-themed art on the outside of this building, and send yourself back a century!

FUN FACT: The United Fruit Company earned the nickname "el pulpo," or the "the octopus," because "its tentacles were everywhere."

Sources: 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/united-fruit-company-building

https://www.nola.com/300/2018/06/sam_zemurray_banana_man_new_orleans_06162018.html

Masculinity in One Hundred Years of Solitude

Throughout the novel, we see many male characters struggling to assert their masculinity, especially in the Buendia family--and it usually doesn't end well.
It all starts with Jose Arcadio Buendia, who kills Prudencio Aguilar for suggesting he is impotent. For the rest of his life, the ghost of Prudencio haunts Jose Arcadio Buendia, who killed him out of pride. Jose Arcadio Buendia's first son, Jose Arcadio, leaves with the gypsies at a young age, but when he returns, he tarnishes the family name by auctioning himself off every night at the local club to any young women who wish to sleep with him. Furthermore, he seduces Rebeca, his step-sister, into sleeping with and marrying him, bringing shame to Ursula and the rest of his family. Jose Arcadio's younger brother, Aureliano, fights as a Colonel in the Thousand Days' War for the Liberal Party, even though his political beliefs are not that strong. The war hardens Aureliano to the world, including his own mother (whom he won't let within ten feet of him), and eventually he realizes he was only fighting the war out of pride.
The first three males of the Buendia family all try to uphold an air of masculine strength and toughness. However, being macho isn't everything, and all three end up harming themselves or their family as a result of their efforts.

The Latin American Boom

One Hundred Years of Solitude is hailed as the pinnacle of Latin American literature, but it was part of a larger artistic movement called the "Latin American Boom," which occurred in the mid- to late-1900s. The "Boom" marked a explosive period of artistic, especially literary, growth in Latin America. "Boom" novelists were known for incorporating Latin American themes into their works, while also taking inspiration from the techniques of Western writers, such as Kafka, Hemingway, and Faulkner. Western ideas such as stream of consciousness, unreliable narrators, and fragmented plots melded with Latin American history (especially the revolutionary and civil wars of the nineteenth century) and traditional mystical storytelling. Many of the "Boom" writers incorporated taboo sexual themes into their novels, such as incest and homosexuality. The Latin American Boom catapulted Hispanic writers onto the global stage.

Here are some of the major works of the Latin American Boom:

1963 - Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar (Argentina)

1963 - The Time of the Hero by Vargas Llosa (Peru)

1966 - Paradiso by Lezama Lima (Cuba)

1967 - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez (Colombia)!!!!!!!

Modernity and downfall of isolated civilizations

            The introduction of modern technology and philosophies in Macando from colonials and gypsies in One Hundred Years of Solitude reminded me of when Europeans from the new world came to America and influenced the Native Americans. In the novel, gypsies bring normal items from the modern world, but seem to be new inventions to the citizens of Macando. Because they are so isolated, they have never seen such innovation and modernity. The introduction of all of these items cause excitement throughout the town and even an obsession for people like Jose Arcadio, who is determined to figure out how all of this technology works and wants to use them to gain more knowledge of his surrounding world. As we know, the influence of these new inventions and ideas into the town was not a positive one, as it eventually caused the downfall of the Buendia men and the rest of the city. When I read this, I immediately thought of the poor Native Americans a couple of centuries earlier who were in the same situation. Europeans crossed the seas bringing guns, swords, armor, disease, luxury items, and new food. Many of the natives became obsessed with some of these and eventually caused the end of many of their traditions of hunting and gathering and living off of the land. Disease was probably the biggest factor however. Small pox brought from Europe contributed to a die of over a third of all the natives. If they didn't die trying to fight off of Europeans from taking their land, they died from deadly disease for which there was no cure at the time. Similarly, Macando had the insomnia plague, the civil war (influenced by outside philosophies), and an obsession for items they had no use for, which led to a change in their culture. This loss of traditional culture led them stray away from their common values and caused disagreement and ultimately the downfall of the town. The event that was the final end for the Macando civilization was the construction of the railroad connecting the city to the rest of the nation. From this came businesses and companies from all over the world that drove the town to destruction.

Portrayal of women in the novel

Throughout the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude,  many marital and sexual relationships are described, some of which are incestuous and unacceptable in today's society. There are many instances where women are unfairly treated and abused like caged animals. This includes the little gypsy girl who has sex with 60 different men every night for money which is collected by the older gypsies. This illegal and underage prostitution gives us our first look into how girls and young women are treated like objects at times in the story. As the novel goes on, girls, especially younger ones that have just reached puberty seem to constantly be under attack and competed for by men. It feels like once one lover finally leaves a girl alone, another one comes in to take his spot. This situation is seen multiple times with Rebecca and men like Pietro Crespi and then Jose Arcasio and also Armanta and Pietro and then Colonel Gerineldo Márquez. There are so many other examples of this. But, in the end, the women find the right lover for them , and overall, it ends up in that the unconventional relationships that would be rejected in today's society end up being more happy and sympathetic. The women who keep to the traditional standards for women's behavior like Amaranta and Fernanda del Carpio tend to not have healthy relationships. Marquez might be trying to say that women have the freedom to love who they want and have the right and ability to marry whoever they choose, instead of being forced or won over in a fight among men. Marquez's liberal views allow him to look past traditional roles of women in society and criticizes past treatment of women that still exist today like in human trafficking, which he exposes in the story. I became very sympathetic towards the poor girls and young women who were mistreated, and it made me realize how so many men do not even think before they do terrible things that could have eternal consequences and punishment.