Term Paper on "Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez"

Term Paper 5 pages (1571 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Specifically it will discuss how well the novel summarizes Latin American history from the era of the explorers to the recent present. At first reading, this elegant novel does not seem to encompass Latin American history, but rather the history of a family in a particular town. However, reading with a broader eye indicates Garcia Marquez has created a metaphor for Latin American history in the family's 100-year history in their town of Macondo. The novel makes Latin American history interesting, funny, and a bit magic at the same time, and is a good overview of Latin American history, particularly the history of Columbia.

Native Columbian Garcia Marquez and Nobel Prize winning author wrote this lyrical, magical book, considered his finest work by many literary critics. The main character of the book, Jose Arcadio Buend'a, founded the town of Macondo, and the tale follows his family for one hundred years of tumultuous life, death, and warring in the town. Ultimately, the family's experiences parallel almost completely the history of Latin America during the same time, especially the history of the country of Columbia. Throughout the book, there are comparisons and actions that mirror the history of Latin America, from wars to dictators and political revolutions. The book is also a magical journey through the lives of three generations of the Buend'a family, blending history with a miraculous sense of unreality, hope, and enlightenment.

At first, the town of Macondo is autonomous, not tied to any government or ruler, but that changed as the town grows (just as it changed in many areas of Latin America as they were populated and grew.) a magistrate comes to the town and takes control away from Jose Arcadio Buend'a, who has always been the unofficial leader of the town. The magistrate imposes arbitrary rules, such as what color the houses must be painted. Garcia Marquez writes, "His first order was for all the houses to be painted blue in celebration of the anniversary of national independence" (Garcia Marquez 57). Just as in Columbia and other countries, once there was a government, they began to control all aspects of the people's lives, which led to discontent and revolt. In Macondo, the same thing occurs. The people, in no need of laws with no relevance to them, send the magistrate packing, and he returns with soldiers to uphold the law no one in Macondo wants.

Because of the rigid rule by the government (the Conservatives), a new party, the Liberals, attempt to overthrow the government, and civil war breaks out. This parallels the Thousand Days War in Columbia, which took place from 1899 to 1902 due to fraudulent elections. In the book, the magistrate, who is now Jose Arcadio Buend'a's father-in-law tampers with the election box as an example of these fraudulent elections. Garcia Marquez writes, "That night, while he played dominoes with Aureliano, he ordered the sergeant to break seal in order to count the votes. There were almost as many red ballots as blue, but the sergeant left only ten reno ones and made up the difference with blue ones" (Garcia Marquez 99). Buend'a's son, Aureliano, allies himself with the Liberals and becomes a colonel in the army, and goes off to fight in the civil war.

In the book, the civil war lasts twenty years, which is also a mirror of Columbian history. A historian writes, "To narrate the civil wars would be impossible. A Colombian writer, Holguin, reckons twenty-seven; Haring counts 'ten civil wars which were national in scope'; the Colombian historians Henao and Arrubla emphasize five" (Kirkpatrick 254). However, the war Bureliano uses to begin his career is definitely based on the Thousand Days War, that crushed the Liberals and left the Conservatives still in power. The uprising did end with the Treaty of Neerlandia, which Garcia Marquez mentions in the book, and uprisings occurred before and after this treaty.

The coming of the "yellow train" also marks an important event in Latin American history. In remote locations such as Columbia, travel was difficult, as the town of Macondo shows. Buried between mountains and oceans, it was difficult to travel and it took a long time. The train makes travel easier, but also represents progress coming to the town. Garcia Marquez writes, "The innocent yellow train that was to bring so many ambiguities and certainties, so many pleasant and unpleasant moments, so many changes, calamites, and feelings of nostalgia to Macondo" (Garcia Marquez 228). The train represents progress, which represents change. The once happy village is now closer to the rest of the world, and this will lead to modernity, but also the overall decline of the village and its residents. This occurred all over Latin America as progress and technology began to reach the region. The rural lifestyle of villages like the fictional Macondo changed forever, and for many, the change was not welcome or desired.

In fact, as modernity came to Latin America, the people began to change as well, just as Macondo's residents change. Latin American culture was always based on myth, mystical beliefs, and the supernatural, as this book clearly shows. There is a mythical, magical quality to many of the characters and their stories throughout the book. When technology comes, the people are expected to understand and support reality and the modern world, and all the changes it brings, but they are unprepared for it. As Ursula says, "What's happening,' she sighed, 'is that the world is slowly coming to an end and those things don't happen here anymore'" (Garcia Marquez 189). Indeed, progress brings things like the cinema, but it also brings prostitutes and foreigners who create their own town, something the people of Macondo could have never have anticipated, and have no way to change. Latin American history was altered forever, and Garcia Marquez shows that quite eloquently in this book.

Another important historic element of the book is the foreign intervention of plantation owners coming into Latin America and exploiting it for their own gain. This happened throughout the region because of the tropical climate that was so conducive to growing tropical fruits like bananas. American and other foreign companies came in, took over large areas, and began to profit from the rich agricultural bounty available in Latin America. They did little to add to the economy of the region, and they exploited the workers who worked for them by paying low wages and treating them like slaves, just as the banana plantation owners to in Macondo. They terrorize the village and massacre innocent victims, and generally bring a feeling of gloom to the town. This happened all over Latin America and the Caribbean as people began to discover the benefits of large plantation growth and the profits to be made. It changed Macondo just as the railroad did, and not for the better.

Arcadio, another son, becomes dictator in the town, which is also representative of many Latin American countries. Dictators seemed to show up all time, and many uprisings occurred when one or another powerful politician attempted to gain control of the government for himself. Columbia had been dictator free throughout much of the history during the time of this novel, but after the Thousand Days War, General Rafael Reyes was elected President, and within six months had made himself a dictator. Many other Latin American countries also suffered through several dictators, and so the book mirrors the experience of many other countries in the area. In fact, Columbia had a constitution and regular elections even by the early 19th century, and became a Republic in 1886. However, Arcadio's dictatorship mirrors that of Reyes, except Reyes quietly resigned and went abroad in 1909, while Arcadio was executed. This helps point to the political unrest… READ MORE

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