One Hundred Years of Solitude 5

1. Emissary: 1 : one designated as the agent of another : representative
2 : a secret agent.
-Merriam-Webster Online.

P 167: "He sat in a chair between his political advisers and, wrapped in his woolen blanket, he listened in silence to the brief proposals of the emissaries."


2. Jose Raquel Moncada, the man put in charge of Macondo in the absense of a leader during the time of war, is sentenced to death. Moncada was a friend of Aureliano, even though the two were supposed to be rivals. Because of this implied rivalry, Aureliano allows the sentence to be carried out. Both Gerineldo Marquez and Aureliano become more depressed, feeling that the war has become a pointless power struggle. Marquez spends more time attempting to woo Amaranta, who refuses him although she seems to feel something for him. Aureliano isolates himself even more than usual, completely withdrawing from society and his family. Marquez is tried and sentenced to death, but Aureliano frees him and they fight against the Liberals, who they were fighting for. They eventually sign a peace treaty, leading to such feelings of failure that Aureliano attempts to commit suicide via bullet. The bullet misses every single vital organ, however, and Aureliano survives. Ursula sees his miraculous aversion of death as a final chance for peace, so she moves him into the house and throws herself into cleaning it up. Despite her best attempts, however, Aureliano remains withdrawn. He spends his time making golden fish in the workshop. Aureliano Segundo gets permission to enter Melquiades's room, where he finds a mysterious book. Upon reading the book, Melquiades himself appears, and the two have many conversations. Jose Arcadio Segundo becomes involved in a brief stint in the church, but he then changes his focus to cockfighting. The two both sleep with Petra Cotes, unbeknownst to her, as she believes she is sleeping with one man. After she gives Jose Arcadio Segundo an STD he ends the relationship, but Aureliano maintains their relationship. While they are lovers, Aureliano's livestock reproduces at a fantastic rate. He becomes extravagantly wealthy, throwing parties and pasting money to the walls of Ursula's home. Jose Arcadio Segundo, more and more resembling Jose Arcadio Buendia with his fleeting whims and frenzies, decides to make the river passable by boat. He eventually succeeds in bringing a raft carrying French women into Macondo via water, and the newcomers arrange for a tremendous festival. Remedious the Beauty is chosen to be Queen of the festival, as she is the most gorgeous woman alive. During the carnival, strangers arrive with a queen of their own, Fernanda del Carpio, and the men fire into the crowds, shouting, "Long live the Liberal party!" After the riot, Fernanda del Carpio is looked after by Ursula, and eventually she marries Aureliano Segundo in an elaborate celebration.


3. Aureliano finally feels again, as evident when he attempts to take his own life. He seems to finally come out of his black stupor, realizing that the war is being fought for all the wrong reasons and that the only solution is to end it once and for all. His suicide attempt demonstrates his small descent back into reality, but also his ever remaining solitude. The twins are two very intriguing characters; they both seem to be the incarnation of previous characters. Jose Arcadio Segundo, contrary to his name, is not large and crude like Jose Arcadio was. Rather, he is thin and intense, like the elder Aureliano. However, he embodies a lot of what Jose Arcadio Buendia was, particularly in his passionate exploits. He attempted to create a water-navigable route to Macondo, much as Jose Arcadio Buendia devoted much time and attention to trying to find a land route away from Macondo. He devotes himself wholeheartedly to first the church, then to cockfighting, always searching for that which will prove to be successful and fulfilling. This whimsical nature is very similar to that of Jose Arcadio Buendia, whose life was full of ever-changing obsessions and passions. Aureliano Segundo, on the other hand, is larger and more crude, similar to Jose Arcadio. However, he spends much of his time locked in Melquiades's workshop, uncovering ancient secrets and probably dabbling in experiments of his own. He also embodies a lot of Jose Arcadio Buendia, particularly in his reading. He seems fascinated by magical ideas and mystical histories contained in Melquiades's books. This adoration of the unknown is similar to the love Jose Arcadio Buendia showed toward the flying carpets, magnets, and ice brought by the gypsies. Aureliano is prone to excess, though, especially monetary extravagance. The twins, in general, seem like a mixture of many of the characters previously seen in the story. They combine names, traits, and resemblances to create a confused identity. Although this is clear repetition within the family, there is no exact replication at any point. The same characteristics and names appear quite often, but never in the exact same way. Traits are combined to create a character who, while very similar to many characters, is ultimately unique and provides new experiences for the Buendia family. I also think it's interesting that Aureliano breaks the incest line, but in a way that is certainly unconventional. He marries Fernanda del Carpio, the beauty who arrives from a mysterious land, but he keeps Petra Cotes as a concubine. This is never said to be frowned upon. In fact, it is never mentioned at all, with the exception of its first explanation. It seems to be widely accepted, or at least not given a second thought. Granted, Ursula and the rest of the remaining Buendia family might welcome anything other than incest, but I would think that someone would find his wife and mistress situation unusual. The arrangement once again emphasizes the inability of any Buendia to have a normal, functioning relationship. Also, this all occurs after the priest has set up his church in Macondo. Apparently religious convictions hold little or no sway on the citizens of Macondo. Jose Arcadio Segundo joins the church for some time, but soon after he begins having sex with donkeys. This blatant lack of concern for the church seems to be significant: I believe Gabriel Garcia Marquez may be making a point about religion, particularly about its foolishness. Before the church came to Macondo, the town was innocent and vibrant. Since its arrival (but not necessarily resulting from its arrival), the town has declined in morality and in quality of life. Does this connect with the church? Should the church be able to save the town?


4. Similar to the conclusion of my analysis, shouldn't the church have a moral bearing on the town? Why does the priest not intervene? Highly immoral things are going on within the Buendia family, yet nobody seems to want to step in. Why?

Will Macondo continue to flourish, welcoming new arrivals like the French women? It seems that as time goes on, Macondo becomes more urbanized and diverse. Maybe flourish isn't the correct word, but will Macondo continue to grow?

The twins feel very significant to me for some reason. Will they do something to severely impact the story? They're the first two characters who truly include traits of every prior character, not really having an identity of their own, but one made up of a multitude of other personalities. Is this important? Will they play a major role in the coming action?