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Rabies In Marquez's Of Love And Other Demons

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In the late 19th century there wasn’t a lot known about sickness and cures so it was very likely that people would turn to magic or religion to resolve any conflicts that presented themselves. This method of explaining what is unknown is very common in literature through the use of magical realism; it takes very common and realistic situation that seems to have no logical explanation, and comforts it with words. This can also be seen in real life history; religion and magic are tools that are used to comfort the human mind, when there is nothing else to explain the situation at hand. In relation to Gabriel García Marquez’s Of Love and Other Demons, there is little to nothing known about the illness of rabies as well as it’s cure. This lack of intellect and this misunderstanding is what prompts the characters to blame demonic possession for a young girl’s sickness. Demonic possession is a…show more content…
The interaction between The Marquis and Abrenuncio within the second chapter further more proves that magic realism is a way of giving meaning and reason to that which is not understood. In regards to Sierva Maria’s condition, she has been diagnosed as rabid. She was the first to be bitten and the last to show any signs of rabies. After a series of healers have visited the girl, her father The Marquis decided to enlist the help of a half Jewish physician who after looking at the condition she is in decided to turn to the magical. Abrenuncio the physician states “science has not given me the means to tell you anything else” (García Marquez 50). Further proving the necessity for the magical, Abrenuncio also gives the direction that they turn to for answers, he continues “Put your trust in God” (50). The novel eludes to religion as a realm of the fantastical to explain incomprehensible cause and effect of
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