Solitude the Novel One Hundred

¶ … Solitude

The novel One hundred years of solitude is saga about of small town of Mecado somewhere in Latin America, which experienced a number of transformations caused by industrialization, imperialist expansion and numerous civil wars. History of Mecado and its people symbolizes uneasy situation of Latin America of the twentieth century, known by corruptive governments, dictatorships and Marxist guerillas.

The novel starts with memories of Colonel Aureliano Buendia, leader of guerilla Liberal army, about the visit of gypsies to his home village of Macondo, which caused further changes in the life of primitive preindustrial village of Macondo. Gypsies brought magnets, lens, paper and other unknown goods which occupied imagination and mind of town's founder Jose Arcadio Buend'a for a long time, making him to do explorations and researches which were observed and explained long before him. While Jose Arcadio Buend'a is occupied with scientific researches together with his younger son Aureliano, his older teenage son's behavior leads to future dramatic changes in the life of their family and in the life of the whole village. Jose Arcadio, is seduced by Pilar Ternera, a local woman who later gets pregnant. But he leaves the village with gypsies as he falls in love with a young gypsy girl long before his and Pilar's child was born.. Jose Arcadio Buend'a's wife Ursula tries to follow gypsies and stop her son. After nearly six months of pursuits she returns back to the village and tells everyone that only a two-day trip keeps their village apart from civilized world.

After return of Ursula, Macondo establishes ties with other towns of the province, which stimulates growth of trade and culture in the village. Buendias adopt Jose Arcadio's son Arcadio and orphan Indian girl Rebecca, who has habits of eating whitewash and dirt typical for Inca Indian tribes. Rebecca brings amnesia to the village, which is only cured after gypsies come bringing antidote. Old gypsy named Melqu'ades spends days together with Aureliano teaching him sciences in his home laboratory. Interaction with other cities leads to establishment of magistrate, which represents central government in the village but it shortly comes into confrontation with authority of Jose Arcadio Buend'a, founder of Macondo. Nevertheless, Aureliano falls in love with Remedios Moscote, daughter of magistrate' head Don Apolinar Moscote. They become close to each other, but Aureliano, exhausted by prolonged scientific findings falls into insanity for quite a long time, having horrible visions about his future. Aureliano marries Remedios when she reaches puberty age and they live happily in the house of Aureliano's parents. Remedios raises Aureliano's illegitimate son from Pilar Ternera. Rebecca and Pietro Crespi start preparation for wedding ceremony but Remedios dies suddenly and the whole family is in mourning. Mourning is broken by the return of Jose Arcadio, who had changed much and became a tattooed masculine man. Jose Arcadio has affair with Rebecca, which later turns into marriage and exile caused by the will of his outraged mother Ursula. Meanwhile Pietro and Amaranta Buend'a experience revival of feelings for each other.