One Hundred Years of Solitude

With artistic form the great Gabriel Garcia Marquezto make sure the necessary work by the native
created the most well known Latin piece of literatureMacondos was getting done. In contrast to his distaste
known in the world today. Starting out with journalismof oppression when talking about the Buendias family,
this well known author raised himself out of poverty bybecause of a past couple who were too closely
showing others the living state of the Latin people andrelated, they bore a son who was born with a pigs tail,
conditions that they were exposed to. This novel isand in an attempt to cut it off he bled to death thus
called One Hundred Years of Solitude and today stillbeing natures punishment for a family being too closely
acts as a living testimony to all Latin America.related. Garcia is mainly telling us that there is to be a
Gabriel Garcia Marquez is know today as the wellbalance between involvements with other sources.
accomplished Columbian author made famous by hisPredictions played a major role in the novel also. While
ground breaking novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude.being recurrent about the novel and being claimed by
Born in Aracatuba, Columbia in 1927 it has been saidalmost as many as the prophecies affected almost all
that Garcia Marquez (for short known as Gabo)of these prophecies came to be true. Whether it was
became an overnight success for his work ona random prediction by a youth of a coming visitor, or
demonstrating the Latin American culture in such anthe final scene in which a very important characters
artistic way that it was translated into many foreignprophecy would need a translation to find out that the
languages. In fact the novel was so powerful thetown already had its fate made out the passing of
William Kennedy had said that the book is, "the firstthings seemed predestined. Part of the reason for this
piece of literature since the Book of Genesis thatis because of the movement he was bringing of
should be required reading for the entire human race."magical realism which as stated before had the goal
Marquez is responsible for contributing if not startingof bringing forth fantasy with reality; the unreal part of
"magical realism", which came about in the 20ththis motif was that it was predestination while the real
century along with other modern movements, whichpart was the happenings of the prophecies, a real
means he would add almost fantasy or magicalintricate way to state what Garcia Marquez was
element, i.e. flying carpets and alchemy into his writingtrying to get across while including magical realism.
which is what he especially did in his novel OneThe majority of the Garcia's inspiration was based on
Hundred Years of Solitude.his early life's events in Aracataca, Columbia. Most of
It was with this style of writing that Garcia Marquezthe references of the small town of Macondo can be
contributed to the Latin American Boom, allowing Latinapplied to many of the small towns in all of Latin
American culture such as art and literature to beAmerica during the early times of superstitious
introduced to Europe. Being a radical and independentlifestyles and the times without advanced technology.
writer was what Gabriel was about which was a keyPrimarily the Latin American ideology of living is very
factor to his Nobel Prize award in 1982 for his "novelsfocused on the family rather than the individual which is
and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realisticexactly how the story of One Hundred Years of
are combined in a richly composed world ofSolitude worked; it focused on the Buendia family as if
imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts".they were a single character as a whole, progressing
Much of the events that occur in the novel Onethrough the ageing family and allowing the reader to
Hundred Years of Solitude, are similar to the situationsexperience the lives and deaths of almost each family
he was in when he was being raised. His grandparentsmember. The opening of the novel can relate to the
who raised him are greatly similar to the mainmost primitive cultures of the Americas such as the
characters of the novel such as the very superstitiousMayans, the Incas or the Aztecs this is due to the
mother afraid of being cursed for marrying her cousincivilizations extreme isolation and the families main
acting superstitious like his grandmother and theconcern with attempts to better themselves with
grandfather who kill a man in a duel.science and technology and their fascination with the
It was in 1965 when Gabriel Garcia Marquez issuedelement of gold. The imperialistic invasion is something
the moving novel of a family's struggle to survive thethat Gabriel had experienced first hand at a very
ways of life in the simple, yet mysterious town ofyoung age.
Macondo. Plagued but what is later revealed asGarcia makes no attempt to hide his agenda to
destiny the town bears witness to more ups andexpose the ruthlessness of the fruit trading imperialists,
downs over the course of a century than mostmaking the climax of the entire epic he created being
civilizations experience in over two or three hundredthe time when the American industry claim over 1,000
years. Due to Garcia's occasional use of out of orderlives of the suppressed and abused banana workers
writing, the novel becomes well fitted at the end,because the workers, upon going on strike, attempted
causing all pieces of foreshadow and irony to meetto obtain their freedoms back. Through his fictional
together at the novels resolution. One Hundred Yearsalmost fantasy work; Garcia is able to make such a
of Solitude was written in the past tense howevernovel a historical if not biographical one that exposes
Garcia references the future many times with thethe happenings of his fathers and the present state of
almost exact, repeating phrases throughout the novel,his smaller Latin towns. Just like in what happened in
with also references of the past that seems to hauntreal life after the imperialists came to the Mayans, with
many of the characters of the novel. The families wemuch bloodshed to take over, they left the great
follow are called the Buendias, their story of theircivilization. All of these reasons were enough for
journey and struggles coincide with the town itselfMarquez to show this carnage in his writings.
making the Buendias and the town of Macondo reflectThe novel itself had a spectacular effect which
each others actions of all kinds. Fate and destiny playcaused almost an overnight success making Gabriel
a major role in the novel amongst the town and theGarcia Marquez a forerunner in Latin literature
family almost in such an eerie way that the novelpersuading a current influential Latin novelist Mario
seems suspenseful to the reader who is unaware ofVargas Llosa to compose an over 600 page review
the town's predestined fate. Macondo was seen as adedicated to Marquez's fiction. Not only successful
greatly special town because of its isolated nature yetamongst his own people Marquez's One Hundred
the story picked up when that isolation was broken,Years of Solitude saw fame and likings of many
whether by an old friend, relative, culture, trade route,European countries too. The novel received the
imperialist or war. When the town was isolated in theChianchiano Prize in Italy, best foreign book of the year
start of the novel the people of the town got alongin France, the Books a broad's Neustadt Award, the
great while each member gave their own part andRomulo Gallegos Prize and an honorary doctorate
contribution to the means of benefiting society. Uponfrom Columbia University, this all being within a time
confliction with other cultures, turmoil grew until it wasframe of three years after its publication. While being
too much to handle for the town. In a snowballingsuch a success overseas Garcia's novel was able to
effect sadly enough the town just like the family whichcontribute to the Latin Boom and represented magical
was responsible for its start ended in a broken down,realism to the critics and doubters of the legitimacy of
deserted manner.the movement. At his home, Garcia became a
Intricately woven between the happenings ofhousehold name and was considered to be a hero for
Macondo, the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude isColumbia thus eventually leading to his most prestigious
filled with meaning and symbolism made to entice theaward, The Noble Prize in 1982.
readers understanding of life's concepts. One majorIt is clear that this novel was ground breaking to all
factor that Garcia shows is isolation verse association;literary cultures breaking down the barriers of language
this is shown in not a one or the other fashion but isand reminding the present of our past actions. Today
referenced to as a necessary balance within aGabriel Garcia Marquez is still alive, and his novels and
community. Garcia Marquez shows this relationshiplegacy for not only the people of Columbia but for all
with the town of Macondo itself and the Buendialiterary culture still lives on today. His work is a constant
family starting out as isolated, then gradually becomingreminder that the best written novels are the ones that
more involved with other cultures and then ending in anuse great, well defined characters to explain what has
almost deserted yet this time saddened town do tohappened in our world today while intricately combining
too much influence of foreign culture. More specificallynecessary literary movements of the time.
it was the greed which introduced suppressive force