Synthesis

In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's book One Hundred Years of Solitude throughout the entire book things are always changing but history is also reporting himself. Marquez asserts through the characters that even in their best efforts to understand something or be different in the end they're destined for a certain and that they won't be much different than the family members before them. The book takes you through six generations of the Buendia family and with each new generation they still resemble their ancestors making the same mistakes as before. For example Jose Acardio, the patriarch of the family becomes very removed after learning about magic from Melquides, a traveling gypsy. Like him his son Colonel Aurelaino also becomes isolated after the war. In addition it is also said that Amarata Ursula is "as much of a barbarian as her father", Aureliano Segundo (260). This repetition of history shows that depute our best efforts somethings are destined.

Also throughout the book there is no linear path. However, after reading the whole thing it makes sense. Marquez wants to allow his readers to see what's happening to the town of Macondo and that it becomes less and less innocent and also is forever changing. In the beginning of the book it is said that all the houses are "white and enormous, like prehistoric eggs" represents that at the beginning the town was pure and simple (1). However, by the end the town has changed and is no linger simple and has lost its innocence with modernization. For example after the "railroad" is brought in it changes the town because now they have more access to the outside world (221). By being exposed to a bigger world brings in "so many pleasant and unpleasant mementos, so many changes, calamities and feelings of nostalgia to Macondo" (222). The people become overwhelmed with these new inventions and don't know what to do which ruins there once simple town. Marquez allows his readers to see the juxtaposition between a town that use to be simple and pure turn lost and corrupt at the end. However, for a long time it seems that Ursula the matriarch of the family is the one trying to keep the family together. She's the one that can tell the truth and say what good and bad. Warning her family about children of incest and who should be in charge of Macondo. After she dies though "the house again fell into a neglect from which it could not be rescued" (345). Although the book is not linear it is clear however, that the Buendia family slowly falls apart and so does the town of Macondo.

I think that Foster's writing on point of view helped me the most in my reading. Because the book is centered around the Buendia family and most of them have the same names it can be hard to keep track of who is being talked about or who is talking. In addition the fact that the book is written in a non-linear way also makes it hard to understand what's happening at a given time. While someone may die at one point they may be talked about as if they were alive in the next chapter. It's important to listen to the narrator because often they give clues as to what period it is using past tense language or present and the names that they use. In addition at the beginning of the book their is a family tree that also helps keep up with what's happening because it was important to remember the different generations and who was born from who and who was married.

I would recommend this book for someone that likes a challenge and a non tradition text. Also I would suggest annotation it in some fashion because there's a lot to keep up with and add to existing knowledge as the book progresses. Much Like his book Chronicle of a Death Foretold information is given to you as you go, nothing is ever laid out for you perfectly and neatly. While the book is written entirely in third person it does not go in chronological order. The first page states "Many years later…"  to "The new house, white, like a dove…" shows the contrast between past and present (1,59). Also it can be difficult because of the variation of same names such as Colonel Aureliano, Aureliano Jose etc. Overall through I enjoyed the book because it had so much to offer and so many aspects to take into account that mattered from family history, to modernization, innocence and so much more.