Historical Themes of Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude

Restall, Matthew. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2003

The modern world can learn much from past events, whether they be written or orally passed through generations, and de Vaca’s account of his explorations through early America and Mexico is of no exception. Readers see an account of the still ongoing physical and emotional struggles between races, as well as learn important lessons about life and its temptations of greed and pride.

For decades, the history of Latin America has been shrouded in a cover of Spanish glory and myth that misleads and complicates the views of historians everywhere. Myths such as the relationship between natives and conquistadors, and the individuality of the conquistadors themselves stand as only a few examples of how this history may have become broken and distorted. However, in Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest Matthew Restall goes to great lengths to dispel these myths and provide a more accurate history of Latin American, in a readable and enjoyable book.

In his introduction, Soluri introduces his idea of the banana as a symbol, something that he repeats throughout the book. I believe this is one of his strongest arguments. To him, the banana is a symbol of the "distance" (2) between those who grow the banana and those who consume it. According to Soluri, while the actual fruit lost its exoticism by the early twentieth century, "Yankees" still found their countries of origin "a world apart, fill with dark, sensual, and slothful people" (2). This symbolism is further exploited with the emergence of mass media. The banana 's "sensuality" was expanded by the invention and recreation of "Miss Chiquita". Originally inspired by entertainer Carmen Miranda, who used the banana 's sensuality in her own acts (164), Miss Chiquita was a banana that wore a long flowing skirt, sang catchy tunes, and inspired the American people to eat only the "highest quality" bananas. Miss

In the book The Conquest of America by Tzvetan Todorov, Todorov brings about an interesting look into the expeditions of Columbus, based on Columbus’ own writings. Initially, one can see Columbus nearly overwhelmed by the beauty of these lands that he has encountered. He creates vivid pictures that stand out in the imagination, colored by a "marvelous" descriptive style. Todorov gives us an interpretation of Columbus’ discovery of America, and the Spaniards’ subsequent conquest, colonization, and destruction of pre-Columbian cultures in Mexico and the Caribbean. Tzvetan Todorov examines the beliefs and behavior of the Spanish conquistadors and of the Aztecs.

"In Hispanic history, as in every variety of Western history, one never has the luxury of taking point of view for granted. Hispanics -- like Indians, Anglos, and every other group -- could be victims as well as victimizers, and the meanings of the past could be seen, at times, to be riding a seesaw" ( Limerick, 257).

In the movie Guns, Germs, and Steel and Matthew Restall’s book Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, two very different accounts of the early conquests by the Spaniards are uncovered. The movie, which follows Jared Diamond through his studies, presents a more European-centered view, while Restall individually debunks commonly believed myths of the conquest that are perpetuated in the film.

In history, everyone seems to have a different opinion of what “really happened”. In fact, it is some people’s job to determine what the truth really is. So, when there are very few written accounts of what happened, as there is with the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, it can make these people’s jobs even harder. While each historian may have their own perspective on the events, they can all be used together like parts of a puzzle to discover the truth and by doing so it is clear to see that the Conquest of Mexico was a lot more than an adventure. In this paper, I will be putting this puzzle together by looking at a pro-Spanish and pro-Native sources. Using the works of Camilla Townsend, Hernando Cortes, and La Otra Conquista, I will analyze each perspective and look at how such different views can fit together and balance each other out.

The way history is portrayed often changes depending on who is writing it and which country it is from, to really grasp an understanding of The Punitive Expedition through the eyes of Mexican history it is essential to analyze Mexican Textbooks and how they portray it. Analyzing Mexican history will not only give insight to what caused Villas attack on American Soil, feelings towards the Punitive expedition, and its causes, but justification for Pancho Villas attack on Columbus in the eyes of the Mexican People. The following report will include a description as well as analyzes of Mexican Textbooks as well as connections to American history when accounts of history contradict.

   One Hundred Year of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez projects itself among the most famous and ambitious works in the history of literature. Epic in scope, Marquez weaves autobiography, allegory and historical allusion to create a surprisingly coherent story line about his forebears, his descendants and ours.

In the twentieth century, South Americans faced a dilemma: to succumb to the capitalist ideals of the western world or to surrender to the communist beliefs of Marx and Engels. Through symbol-laden texts, writers communicated their beliefs concerning the two economic ideologies. In his acclaimed novel _Chronicle of a Death Foretold_, Gabriel García Marquez vindicates Marxist ideals through his portrayal of the Catholic Church as a manipulative hegemon that cripples its people. These townsfolk become drones because of the local bishop's stranglehold on his

Open Veins of Latin America is the book to remember. Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano is responsible for the creation of this relevant and controversial masterpiece, which follows the history of Latin America and the Caribbean through centuries of struggle against poverty and those imperial powers who abused of Latin American resources and created inequality. With a leftist political point of view, magic realism and historical events, Galeano epitomizes a Latin America craving redemption and progress. He illustrates his ideas by laying out the story from 1492

By far, Garcia Marquez's most acclaimed work is Cien Anos de Soledad or One Hundred Years of Solitude. As Regina Janes asserts, "his fellow novelists recognized in the novel a brilliant evocation of many of their own concerns: a 'total novel' that treated Latin America socially, historically, politically, mythically, and epically, that was at once accessible and intricate, lifelike and self-consciously, self-referentially fictive." <4> In it, the totality of Latin American society and history is expressed. Upon first reading, the novel appears to relate a regional history of the town of Macondo and the many generations of Buendias that inhabit it. This local

The critical nature of Santiago’s relationship with Victoria Guzmán allows Márquez to satirize the servant-master and patriarchal complexes present in his portrayed culture. The sexual relationship between Ibrahim Nasar and Victoria Guzmán, parallels that of the relationship between Santiago Nasar and Divina Flor and highlights the social constructs and environment, which reduced Victoria Guzmán into servitude through the juxtaposition of the aforementioned combative personalities of Victoria Guzmán and Santiago. Márquez is successful in the sense that he can create a social commentary on the portrayed Arabic and Columbian cultures while still maintaining false objectivity by inserting variation into separate accounts. Márquez’s uses periphrasis, syntax, and chronological divisions between chapters to subdue overt comparison between the portrayed values of Columbian culture and its societal norms with the conflicting relationship of Victoria Guzmán and Santiago Nasar, effectively shrouding his commentary.

In Soplo de Vida, this is most apparent through the sociopolitical context and the character of ‘La Golondrina’. During the 1980s, Colombia was ruled by Belisario Betancur, a progressive president who highly promoted peace (source) and was thus named ‘La Paloma’ (source). However, his time in office was severely tarnished when 97 people were killed after an attack on the Colombian Palace of Justice by guerrilla group M-19 on the 6th of november 1985. Not only did this event mark the end of successful peace negotiations but it also symbolised the death of ‘la paloma’, the death of hope for a better country. Ospina’s use of ‘la Golondrina’ to nickname Pilar automatically connects her to Betancur since the dove and swallow both represent freedom (source) and her murder can also be used to represent the end of the hope for freedom. In addition, Colombia was faced a few days later with the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano believed to have killed around 20,000 people in the Andes region. It was also suspected that the government was actually aware of the possibility of an eruption but decided not to evacuate the population (BBC). Taking all of this into consideration, the amount of corruption and violence present in