1. Choose a character from these first five chapters and do a "study" of him or her. How does the novel present this character? Why? What do you think he or she represents within the novel? (Think about archetypes, myths, etc. - Garcia Marquez is drawing from a lot of myth and literature here in his creation of this novel). Refer to specific scenes within the novel to support your answer.
One character in these first five chapters that stuck out to me was Jose' Arcadio Buendia. He is the founder of his town and is first seen always experimenting. I thought it to be a bold move of him when he took his wife's money and melted it in one of his experiments. His wife Ursula is pretty disapproving of his experiments, but does not really voice it with force. Over time he becomes more and more of a homebody, staying away from human contact. I think he is important because he found Macondo and is always on the hunt for knowledge. He wants nothing but the best for his village. One invention, not that of Jose' Arcadio Buendia, is ice. The gypsies bring it to Macondo and it is said to be one of the greatest inventions ever to date.
"'It's the largest diamond in the world.'"
"'No,' the gypsy countered. 'It's ice'"
...
"'This is the greatest invention of our time" (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Marquez, pg: 17 & 18).
Allowing the gypsies to bring forth this invention was something helpful for the village. Jose' Arcadio Buendia shows through this that he cares for his people. This could possibly be a foreshadowing of good things to come for the village, and of what type of person Jose' Arcadio Buendia may be.
One character in these first five chapters that stuck out to me was Jose' Arcadio Buendia. He is the founder of his town and is first seen always experimenting. I thought it to be a bold move of him when he took his wife's money and melted it in one of his experiments. His wife Ursula is pretty disapproving of his experiments, but does not really voice it with force. Over time he becomes more and more of a homebody, staying away from human contact. I think he is important because he found Macondo and is always on the hunt for knowledge. He wants nothing but the best for his village. One invention, not that of Jose' Arcadio Buendia, is ice. The gypsies bring it to Macondo and it is said to be one of the greatest inventions ever to date.
"'It's the largest diamond in the world.'"
"'No,' the gypsy countered. 'It's ice'"
...
"'This is the greatest invention of our time" (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Marquez, pg: 17 & 18).
Allowing the gypsies to bring forth this invention was something helpful for the village. Jose' Arcadio Buendia shows through this that he cares for his people. This could possibly be a foreshadowing of good things to come for the village, and of what type of person Jose' Arcadio Buendia may be.
2. Choose a theme / symbol you find to be important within these initial chapters. How does this comment upon what we have read thus far? Why do you feel this to be the case? Refer to specific scenes / quotations in the novel to support your answer.
One theme I feel to be important is the uncertainty of time. Marquez does not go in order of time periods. I feel this is important because perhaps one needs to read about something from the present, not understand, and then read about the past to fully grasp what the author is trying to do. I feel this will become clearer as the book continues. It is also difficult to say what the year is in this novel thus far for the present time. There is mention of the sixteenth century and of a time when nothing was named, but it s hard to determine when exactly. I feel the inventions give a good clue to the time period as well the scene when Jose' Arcadio Buendia hypothesized about the world not being flat.
One theme I feel to be important is the uncertainty of time. Marquez does not go in order of time periods. I feel this is important because perhaps one needs to read about something from the present, not understand, and then read about the past to fully grasp what the author is trying to do. I feel this will become clearer as the book continues. It is also difficult to say what the year is in this novel thus far for the present time. There is mention of the sixteenth century and of a time when nothing was named, but it s hard to determine when exactly. I feel the inventions give a good clue to the time period as well the scene when Jose' Arcadio Buendia hypothesized about the world not being flat.
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