Magic or Mayhem?
The Disturbing Lucid Dream of One Hundred Years of Solitude
Note: This paper was written prior to the release of the One Hundred Years of Solitude series on Netflix. I have since watched the full series and will be making a review on it at a later date.
Imagine sitting around your living room watching TV or reading a book while drinking coffee. Now imagine looking out your window and seeing hundreds of petite yellow butterflies trailing behind a woman while everyone else in your neighborhood continues with their lives nonchalantly. Upon seeing this, your first instinct may be to think you had too much coffee. Once you realize it is only your first cup, you will likely find yourself incredibly confused. This is the reality of the world of One Hundred Years of Solitude. The literary classic One Hundred Years of Solitude employs various cultural ties and traditions that reveal Gabriel García Márquez’s magical realist identity as an author. When reading a novel like this one, it may be challenging to visualize a world where blood can slide underneath multiple door frames, form a straight line across the street, climb over curbs, and direct itself into left and right angles. While some readers may propose these vivid images as being solely fantastical, a drawn-out dream depicting but not living in our waking reality, it is likely that storytellers of his time and from decades prior influenced a magical realist style of writing on him. Woven throughout the novel are allusions to Greek mythology as well as Chibchan folklore. Furthermore, the novel contains references to family traditions such as the repetition of names, all of which pertain to the development of García Márquez’s magical realist unique style.
In 1925, German art critic Franz Roh coined the term “magic realism” in his book Post Expressionism: Magic Realism. Roh primarily defined magic realism as a contrast to the expressionism movement. It was about 100 years ago when the term “magic realism” first appeared in art critic and historian Franz Roh’s book Post Expressionism: Magic Realism. At the time, Roh used the term magic realism to contrast the expressionism movement. He interpreted it as the revival of the new realism movement that developed in Europe following World War I by German artists which at the time was also referred to as the “New Objectivity” movement.
Over time, this style expanded beyond Germany. By the latter half of the 1920s, Roh’s works were published in Spanish and circulated throughout Latin America (Berger). Upon this circulation, Latin American writers such as Alejo Carpentier and Jorge Luis Borges began creating a new identity for magic realism. Magic realism soon became “magical realism” and received a new definition along with its new name. Magical realism today can be defined as fictional work that has fantastical elements incorporated into the real world, where eventually a blurred line between fantasy and reality forms. Despite all of the works we know today that fall into the category of magical realism, one undeniably stands out above the rest, and that work is One Hundred Years of Solitude. Although taking place in the fictional town of Macondo, the novel occurs in the real world and is shown to contain several culturally significant factors, all of which ultimately contribute to the magical realist identity that García Márquez was able to create for himself. To add on, García Márquez’s unique narration style was created as a result of those cultural factors, which also contributed to his identity as a magical realist. In an article published by Letras Libres, it is stated that Gabriel García Márquez himself has said in The Fragrance of Guava that his grandmother would tell him stories of terrible things with a straight face, which inspired him to use that same method of storytelling within his novel. This method can be seen in the massacre of the 3,000 workers at the train station. The narrator recounts these events, which seemingly do not affect the people of Macondo. As the author of the article, Arturo Fontaine, states:
No hay viudas, no hay novias, no hay hermanos ni hermanas, no hay hijos que padezcan esas muertes.
[There are no widows, there are no girlfriends, there are no brothers or sisters, there are no children who suffer these deaths.]
Along with this style of narration, García Márquez also employs several exaggerations that beg the question of whether these descriptions are meant to be read deeply or simply provide entertainment to the reader. An example of this was highlighted by English professor Robert Kiely in his New York Times article, noting that “when it gets hot in Macondo, it gets so hot that men and beasts go mad and birds attack houses. A long spell of rain is remembered to have lasted, not weeks, but four years, eleven months and two days.” What is interesting about García Márquez’s writing is that there never seems to be a sufficient number of times that the work can be read to fully grasp all the different points of view and interpretations that can be taken away from the novel.
The world of One Hundred Years of Solitude seems to be inspired by many aspects of folklore and mythology, both native and Greek. Growing up in Colombia for García Márquez likely meant hearing legends of why we exist and why certain rituals are done, whether or not those beliefs were practiced. Regardless of García Márquez’s personal beliefs, there are clear ties connecting his work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, to Chibchan mythology. The novel tracks nearly one hundred years of the Buendía family line, beginning with the matriarch and patriarch of the family, Úrsula Iguarán and José Arcadio Buendía, getting married even though they are first cousins. As a result of this marriage and their agreement to have children, with José Arcadio Buendía even stating in the novel that “[i]f you bear iguanas, we’ll raise iguanas,” the cyclical pattern of history within the Buendía family begins (García Márquez 24). This pattern of incest in the novel is expressed multiple times, with this being the trigger. We can see this connection to Chibchan mythology within their two stories of creation. In one story, Chía, the good goddess, surfaces from the Iguaque lagoon with her three-year-old son. Once he is of age, they procreate and populate the world. In the other story, there is Bachué, who is the goddess of drunken debauchery, and similarly, once her son comes of age, they procreate. In the Bachué story, however, she is punished and turned into an owl because of her incest, according to some. This mythology then correlates with the two primary birthgivers of the family, Ursula Iguarán and Pilar Ternera (Corwin 64). Of the many dissolute characters in the novel, no one seems to stand out more than Pilar Ternera. Pilar, known to some as the local prostitute, known to others as the local fortune-teller, seems to reflect Bachué’s story the best. When she is first introduced into the novel, she stands out as the woman who gives birth to teen José Arcadio’s child, Arcadio. Pilar later goes on to have a child with José Arcadio’s brother, Colonel Aureliano Buendía, whose child was then named Aureliano José. Pilar’s and Colonel Aureliano Buendía’s relationship in turn caused the second strain of incest within the Buendía family to occur due to the fact that Arcadio and Aureliano José were not only first cousins, but also half brothers. A few years later, within the novel’s world, when Arcadio comes of age, he develops an attraction for Pilar, whom he is unaware is his mother. To deter this incestuous relationship, Pilar sets up Arcadio with Santa Sofía de la Piedad, which sequentially keeps the Buendía family line from dying out, imitating the Chibchan creation story. Aside from this creation story, the Chibchan legend of El Dorado is also thought to have contributed to the plot of One Hundred Years of Solitude. El Dorado is the story of a man covered in gold, associated with the events at the Guativita lagoon. This legend expresses the wealth of the Chibcha people through ritualistic bathing, which inspired the myth. This ritualistic bathing is also presented in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Remedios, the Beauty, and her nephew, José Arcadio, reveal the connection between death, gold, and bathing. Rather than bathing in gold, José Arcadio owns it after discovering the gold Úrsula had buried. Additionally, the local adolescents who wash him repeat the ritualistic bathing. With references to gold woven throughout the novel, it is impossible to ignore its Chibchan roots. An example of this can be seen when Aureliano Buendía creates small gold fish and offers them to people such as Remedios Moscote, his seventeen illegitimate children, and Gregorio Stevenson. Readers can connect these gold fishes with the recurring theme of all of them dying violent and untimely deaths (Corwin 65). Writer Jay Corwin, however, fails to explain the relevance of Remedios, the Beauty to the myth of El Dorado. Remedios, the Beauty’s prime characteristics, were her overwhelming beauty that often led men to their deaths and her childishness, which seemed to counter that beauty in the eyes of the women of Macondo. In one episode of the novel Remedios, the Beauty was taking a bath when a man appeared from the ceiling, attempting to watch her bathe. Rather than Remedios, the Beauty telling him to leave because of the invasion of privacy; she encouraged him to leave for his safety. This man ended up falling through the ceiling and dying instantly. To simply call this connection between death and bathing a coincidence is possible, but with the additional evidence of José Arcadio, Pilar Ternera, and Úrsula Iguarán’s connections to Chibchan folklore, this connection is likely what García Márquez intended.
For many families, it is extremely common for names to be repeated, often to honor those before them. García Márquez intentionally repeated the names of his characters for an alternative reason, however. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a distinctive novel in terms of its family tree and story structure.
Throughout the novel, five names are passed down through six generations of Buendías, which presents much confusion even among literary critics. Of these five names that the Buendía’s possess, specific actions and fates can be seen to correspond with them. The male characters of the Buendía family either carry the name of Aureliano or José Arcadio, while the female characters are named Remedios, Amaranta, or Úrsula. The Aureliano’s and José Arcadio’s contrasting physical appearances, personalities, and actions are just a few of the many essential things that contribute to the novel’s structure. On the one hand, Aurelianos are described as curious, imaginative, withdrawn, rational, and smaller; on the other, José Arcadios are seen as impulsive, lacking imagination, irrational, and much larger than the Aurelianos. As for their actions and fates, Aurelianos remain sober, commit themselves to extended projects, become infatuated with women in their romantic lives, and die with their eyes open, emphasizing the awareness ingrained in their nature. José Arcadios are depicted as hedonists who lack concern with the political turmoil and historical progress affecting themselves and the people of Macondo. José Arcadios are, for the most part, dominated by some of the women in their lives and die painful deaths. Similarly, the women of the Buendía family are divided by their personalities and actions. On the one hand, there are the sensible Úrsula, Amaranta, and Amaranta Úrsula; on the other are the childish Remedios’. The Úrsula’s and Amaranta’s share traditionalistic values and emotional strength. These traits can later be seen as an immediate contrast to the Remedios’, who lack emotional growth and maturity (Bell-Villada). Along with the traits attached to each character’s name, a deeper meaning can be found within each name. The name Remedios translates literally to “remedy” from Spanish to English, emphasizing Remedios Moscote’s youthful personality that introduces temporary joy to the Buendía household. As a writer, García Márquez made many connections to people such as Gustavo Ibarra Merlano; these people were able to provide additional viewpoints to García Márquez regarding things like Greek classics and mythology (Martínez). That being said, García Márquez referencing Greek mythology and culture within his works is not a far stretch. According to the Name Doctor, the name Arcadio can be traced back to Greek roots originating from the Greek land of Arcadia, which was named after the hunter Arcas (“Arcadio”). Interestingly enough, the name Úrsula also has an origin relating to Arcas’ story. The Name Doctor states that “[t]his name derives from the Latin ‘ursus > ursa,’ meaning ‘little female bear’ (“Úrsula.”).” The Latin “ursus” or “ursa,” however, originates from the story of Callisto. Callisto was a nymph whom Zeus fell in love with and ended up having a child with. That child was Arcas. Upon hearing this, Hera, Zeus’ wife, became enraged with Callisto and turned her into a bear. One day, while Arcas was out hunting, he came across his mother, whom Hera had sent to him in hopes that he would mistakenly shoot her. Before Arcas had the chance to, however, Zeus had put Callisto among the stars, where she was then named “the Great Bear” (Hamilton 429).
This is the Greek origin for the constellation Ursa Major. The connection between the character of Úrsula Iguarán and the origin of her name, specifically the parts that reference bears, connects to the stoicism of her character, which additionally supports the idea that the characters of the novel were not simply named at random.
One Hundred Years of Solitude presents a unique take on magical realism that, to this day, serves as both a precedent and an inspiration to writers all over the world. The multiple allusions to native and Greek folktales, as well as references to family traditions, all contribute to Gabriel García Márquez’s magical realist identity as an author. While the novel contains many difficult and dissolute topics, García Márquez’s emphasis on these allows for the bridge between the real world and fantasy to be built.
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“Arcadio.” Name Doctor, www.name-doctor.com/meaning/arcadio. Accessed 9 Feb. 2024.
Bell-Villada, Gene H. “Names and Narrative Pattern in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude.’” Latin American Literary Review, vol. 9, no. 18, 1981, pp. 37–46. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20119255. Accessed 04 Jan. 2024.
Berger, Bjørn J. “What Really is Magic Realism?” PH Moen - Hovedside, www.phmoen.no/english/english_index.html?%2Fenglish%2Fmagic_realism%2Fwhat_is.html&main. Accessed 7 Feb. 2024.
Corwin, Jay. “‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, Indigenous Myth, and Meaning.” Confluencia, vol. 26, no. 2, 2011, pp. 61–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41351016. Accessed 20 Dec. 2023.
Fontaine, Arturo. “¿Es Cien Años de Soledad una Obra Maestra?” Letras Libres, 9 May 2016, letraslibres.com/libros/es-cien-anos-de-soledad-una-obra-maestra/. Accessed 09 Dec. 2023.
García Márquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude. Translated by Gregory Rabassa, HarperPerennial, 1998. Accessed 09 Dec. 2023.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Grand Central Publishing, 2011. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.
Kiely, Robert. “Memory and Prophecy, Illusion and Reality Are Mixed and Made to Look the Same.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Mar. 1970, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/15/reviews/marque-solitude.html?_r=1. Accessed 09 Dec. 2023.
Martínez, Antonio Marco. “Gabriel García Márquez and the Greek and Latin Classics.” Antiquitatem, 28 Apr. 2014, www.antiquitatem.com/en/garcia-marquez-and-the-classics/. Accessed 09 Jan. 2024.
“Úrsula.” Name Doctor, www.name-doctor.com/meaning/ursula-1. Accessed 9 Feb. 2024.
Cover Image: Portrait of Anne of Austria (1601-1666), Wife of Louis XIII, King of France