100 Years of Solitude (Day 1)

1. Jose Arcadio Buendia is a very important character in this book because he always seems to be exploring and looking for new knowledge. He wants to progress forward into more modern times, but his wife is there to keep him grounded and realistic. Jose Arcadio Buendia found Macondo and tried to connect it with civilization. In chapter three the entire becomes infected with insomnia and amnesia. They begin to label everything so to help aid their memory. Melquiadas returns one day with an antidote to cure the insomnia. One of the signs read “God exists,” and Jose Arcadio Buendia went on a quest to find a daguerreotype to prove His existence. This right here is a sign that perhaps Jose Arcadio Buendia is insane. It is not until chapter 4, however, that this is evident. His constant research into the unknown causes him to slip into insanity. For this, he is tied to a tree, perhaps the tree of knowledge. Solitude is a way of the town to deal with all of these changes in the government and communism. Jose Arcadio Buendia is a character similar to that we saw in Don Quijote. He continuously wants to experiment and progress foward to create a Utopia town, but this causes his to fall in and out of sanity.

2. A major theme in this story would be realism versus magic. Both are used to portray the the world as Jose Arcadio Buendia and Marquez see it. Reality is different for everyone. Jose Arcadio’s wife sees the world for what it really is, while he wants to create a perfect town heading towards modernity. The Gypsies brought not only technology to Macondo, but also magic. They blurred the line between reality and fantasy for Jose Arcadio Buendia. They offered him connections to technology, to science, and to the world outside of the town. Whether a person chooses to see the world for what it really is, magic and religion seem to always have an impact on their perceptions.