BOOK REPORT: October 2010

I. Introduction

II. Characters

He is the founder of the village of Macondo and the Buendia clan. He was initially a person who is an outgoing leader type but he found interest in science and mystery which led him to lead a somber and antisocial life.

I can identify with the main character whenever he feels glad and mystified whenever the gypsies bring a new invention in their isolated village. Things that most people don't usually think about and even consider impractical interests him, just like I am.

She is Jose Arcadio's practical wife and cousin. Always in constant fear of the effects of incest, she blames that mishaps of the clan to the Buendia habit of having affairs with their own relative.

He is the second son of Jose and Ursula. Having inherited his father's interest with science, he became a renowned silversmith at their village. Once he had become a colonel at the Liberal's side but continuous failures prompt him to go back to the lonely lifestyle he initially had.

III. Setting

The story takes place at Macondo, a fictional village that must be somewhere in the Spanish-speaking regions of South America. The time line must have been in the 18th century because of the occurrence of civil wars, territorial claims and new inventions.
The setting allows the possibility of magic and mystery to influence the characters. If it were in a modern era, I don't think the story would have been possible.

IV. Plot:

Jose Arcadio Buendia founded Macondo and lead the young people of the village.
The gypsies brought new inventions to the village which eventually led to Macondo's opening up to civilization and interaction to other villages.
As relative peace reigns at Macondo, the Buendia family is in constant crisis as complex affairs threatens to lead the family to demise.
The once solitary and simple village of Macondo gets involve in the war between Liberals and Conservatives inflicting sadness to its inhabitants.
Jose Arcadio Segundo's scientific exploits brought technological advancement to Macondo but it also brought worldly pursuits and dangerous foreign capitalists who are interested with the village's banana industry.
Reading Melquiades' writings made Aureliano Segundo realize that their family's history is going on in cycles and with the death of his son, the last Buendia child, the clan's curse of having to live in solitude has finally come to an end.

V Theme

There's a thin line between what is real and what is just an illusion. The village and the people of Macondo are easily swayed with both the internal and external forces that influence them. Believing and forgetting comes to them easily as love is inconsistent.

Although the story pretty much points out as to how history repeats itself, I learned that if we let our life be, we might not be able to break from the chains of our past. We have choice whether we would want things to go just they are forever or change the course of our destiny.

There was a time when the village of Macondo was plagued with insomnia and memory loss. The people had to label everything so they could not forget them but they soon feared they would forget how to read. Later, the gypsies came and gave them an antidote for it.

VI Evaluation of the Book

Although I am aware that the story has considerable depth and the seriousness of the philosophy it entails is beyond of what I might be able to comprehend, I honestly find the book quite humorous because of the number of unbelievable and frivolous situations running about in the story. For an instance, Colonel Aureliano, during the outbreak of the civil wars, fathered 17 children and all were christened as Aureliano. They also died together (except one), with a shot through the mark on their foreheads. The book caught my interest initially because of the title and when I read it, I became more interested in it as it discussed the Buendia's scientific pursuits (esp. alchemy). Generally, I liked the book.

BOOK REPORT