Active Reading: Chapters 1-6 + 7-10 + 11-20

Plot Summaries:

1. The book starts with a really unclear time setting, which in the end does not really matter since we find out about Macondo. The characters first presented to us are Ursula and her husband, Jose Arcadio Buendia (JAB). We are then introduced to the gypsies, and what they bring to Macondo, which are all new wonders of science. JAB is very interested in these, and even goes crazy at some of them. He tries to make war with fire, he tries to find gold with magnets, and even "discovers" that the world is round. JAB then decides that since the town of Macondo is a bit lonely, he will go and find other people, but the plan fails because his wife doesn't want to go- he therefore turns to his kids, but it fails. The chapter ends with the the gypsies bringing ice to Macondo- JAB and his kids love it.
2. The second chapter instead of moving forward, moves backward in time. It takes us back to when Ursula and JAB married, and tells us that they are cousins. The book says that U and JAB were scared of having sex, and even after they were married it took a while, as they were scared that the kids coming out of them would be deformed since it was after all incest. This makes the people of Mac think that JAB can't get it up and they therefore criticize him. This is where Prud Agui comes into play, since JAB kills him after a rooster fight...PA starts hunting them at night, and they decide to move away which is how Mac starts. Once at Mac, JAB keeps dreaming of a city of ice. While all this is happening, PT starts trying to get JA (JAB's son) to have sex with her, since she know his penis is extremely large. He gets her pregnant, but then the gyspsies come and he sleeps with one of them- he falls in love and leaves with them. U tries to catch up with them but instead she finds other people- she comes back with the great news.
3. With the great news, Mac becomes less isolated. It starts filling up with people. PT has JA's baby, and is still no where to be found, they name the kid A. JAB also adopts a girl named Rebeca that arrives at the town with a letter from someone that they claim to not know. She eats dirt, and plaster from the walls constantly and one night she stays awake all night with insomnia. They all get sick from it as if it was contagious, and they say that soon from the lack of sleep they will forget everything. They come up with the brilliant idea to label things by name, and then to label things by what they do. The insomnia gets cured with a medicine that Melquiades brings to Mac (even though he had supposedly died). A plays an important role towards the end of the chapter since the narrator notices that he's not too interested in women, but that changes when the nine year old daugher (R) of DAM catches his eye.
4. A then falls into a trap. He may not be able to sleep with R, but he chooses to sleep with the same woman his brother fell for; PT. She even becomes pregnant. But the really doesn't stop A from wanting to pursue marriage with Rem, and it doesn't, the parents just tell him to wait for her to hit puberty so that she can have children. As soon as she does, it's a sure thing. At the same time, a man comes to install a piano in the Buendia's home, and both Amaranta and Rebeca fall in love with him. It's a fight between them. Reb goes back to her old ways and Ama threates to kill Reb before she gets to marry Crespi. Then Melquiades dies, which affects JAB deeply, which then cause him to think of the guy he killed who appears before him every now and then. He goes crazy after that, and attacks everything, his family is forced to tie him.
5. This is the chapter where Rem reaches puberty and marries A which was supposed to be at the same time as Reb married Crespi but a letter was written by Ama that said that his mother was ill and the wedding had to be postponed. Rem really is welcome into their home since she is seen like the "light" of the family...she takes care of pretty much everything. Then she literally dies, and all that causes is for A to be sad and for Reb's wedding with Crespi to be delayed even more- they must even have to wait for the Church to be finished. The priest that comes along with the church starts talking to JAB in Latin which is the language he speaks in and finds out that well...he really isn't crazy. Almost out of no where JA returned, and he returned looking "hot like a sailor". Reb is so amazed by his body that she sleeps with him and pretty much leaves after they marry since they get kicked out by U. This opens up the door for Am and Crespi. But not to be ignored is the political state of Mac, which is now in a fight between the Liberals and the Conservatives. A joins the liberals in a war and becomes known as the colonel.
6. This war requires AB to leave the town and on the way he pretty much has sex with tons of people and has A LOT of kids. He decides that while he's gone he will be A in charge, but he was not counting on him become this cruel Castro-like ruler. He pretty much goes crazy with his power. For God's sake, he even tries to sleep with his own mom! She of course isn't too keen on the idea and gives him a virgin to sleep with. He has three kids with her. He "accidentally" remains leader when the Liberals lose and their leader gets killed by the conservative (AB). Crespi asks for Am's hand in marriage, but she refuses...so he commits suicide, since really, that's always the best option. Then Am burns her hand.

Quotes:

Chapter 1:

1. "Science has eliminated distance"
2. "Earth is round like an orange"

Chapter 2:

1. "A pig's tail that no woman ever saw"
2. "If we have iguanas, we'll raise iguanas"

Chapter 3:

1. "In that state, they not only saw the images of their own dreams, but the dreams of others"
2. "JAB then decided to build the memory machine that he wanted to remember that gypsies inventions"

Chapter 4:

1. "That man is a fag"
2. "She fought with a woman that dared to say that Arcadio has the butt of a woman"

Chapter 5:

1. "Then Nicanor raised himself twelve centimeters above the ground."
2. "I'll sh*t twice on nature"

Chapter 6:

1. "Dare bastard!"
2. "You don't deserve the last name you have"
3. "Viva the liberals!"

Magic Elements:

• Chp1- Starting with the new "technology" and "science" of the time, this chapter has a very magical feel to it. But definitely the very top of it all is the alchemy lab, which we of course know is impossibe. The the imaginary and impossible weapons made with the magnifying glass. It's very cool.
• Ch2- This chapter has very weird magical elements. The element that sticks out the most is the fact that the humans with deformities aren't just normally deformed but it's rather as if they're a mix of animals and humans. The pig tail for example, or the shark fin. The ghost was also very interesting, especially the fact that the ghost and the characters are able to have conversations- I mean, it's definitely not within common reality. Throughout this chapter, the most common is this mixture of animal/human, which is further mentioned with the man that turned into a snake.
• Ch3- I think the whole fact that whole town has amnesia is a bit humorous, but past that, I think it strays a bit from reality. It's almost as if everything gets jumbled within the book. Then the fact that they can see what other people dream..I mean, that's straight out a science fiction movie. The memory machine. The two hundred year old man. Trying to find scientific proof of God. All this is "magical".
• Ch4- This chapter is lacking many elements, but it definitely has a very strong one. The death of Melquiades and the confusion of whether or not he's alive is very strange.
• Ch5- This chapter is also lacking elements, and really, the only one I found was the levitation of the priest.
• Ch6- Are there even any there?

Themes

• Ch1: Time. This is definitely the main theme of it all. The first words in the book are about time, and really the book skips around between the past and the present. I even found it to be a bit confusing because of that, but it added to the depth of the book. --Magical Realism is also it's strongest in this chapter out of the ones in this active reading.
• Ch2: Time remains a theme here, especially since this chapter goes a bit linear. Incest is possibly a theme, since it's present all throughout the chapter, beginning with the founding of Macondo.
• Ch3- Magical Realism is a theme in this chapter, which gets near absurd.
• Ch4-Pretty much all the same.
• Ch5- And more of the same.
• Ch6- Same?

Characters:

JAB- founder of Macondo, husband of Ursula.

Ursula- cousin and wife of JAB.

Rebecca- Where did she come from? No one knows. Adoptive daughter.

Remedios- Wife of A. Dead.

Pilar- both A's and AB's woman

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Plot Summaries:

Chapter 7

After some time without hearing from the colonel, the town finally hears from him. But really, it's all bad news, since they lost the liberal war and now they have sentenced him and his friend to death. He chooses Macondo as his place of death and says that if they don't carry out his wishes, it's on them. But once there, and after days, just as they are about to kill him he is saved by Jose Arcadio and he pretty much just goes back to the war. During all this, Santa Sofia finally has Arcadio's kids which turn out to be two twins, following tradition, they are named after a person preceding them. This chapter is full of deaths, Jose Arcadio, and JAB both die, but JAB's death is a lot more glorious and a rain of yellow petals that covers up the town like Chicago during a snowstorm is brought on.

Chapter 8

This chapter is a bit sexually freaky. So Aureliano Jose, who was given to Amaranta to take care of him is growing and falling in love with Amaranta. Now, keep in mind that she is pretty much his adoptive mother and blood aunt. He comes to her bed at night and both just lie there naked, both wanting to have sex, but neither initiating it. This continues for a good while, until Pilar alsmot discovers them kissing. In fear, she "breaks up" with AJ to which he reacts by leaving to the army to fight in the war. He really can't take it though, and after some time he comes back to marry Ama, but she of course rejects him as she is scared of the incest part of the relationship. But his efforts to continue the relationship are really fruitless since he gets killed very shortly after. Then the best part of the chapter comes right along with all the women CAB has children with in Chapter 6 show up and demand a baptism. They are all named the same way, but with the woman's last name , which is not a very good idea in my opinion. JRM is sentenced to death for betraying the people of Macondo and even though JAB and him admire themselves mutually, he decides to go forth with the sentence.

Chapter 9

After JRM is executed, things sort of start going down. And discussions of why the war is still being fought are talked among the colonels. CAB ends up with the conclusion that this is a war about pride, not about the good of the country, but still, the war continues. Ama is then being courted by CGM, who is also fighting in the war, but she is still caught up in the memories of Crespi. She refuses to marry him, even after he drinks coffee with her everyday and really is genuine love with her. But to follow the death pattern, he is condemned to death, and that's when CAB gets the lightbulb above his head and decides to end the war. That means that he would have to fight against his own liberal party, and against the conservatives but with words this time, but when this fails, he asks the doctor to draw a circle where his heart is, and then shoots himself in that spot, but the doctor drew it so that he wouldn't die.

Chapter 10

The twins get caught up in confusion between who is who and end up sleeping with the same woman, but although they both share "supernatural" similarities they are different in character. Ursula even notices that they are not following the pattern of the names, which really are usually the same way. They both take different roads. AS begins to be in the the room that used to be Melq and he literally talks to him, but of course, no one sees Melq so they feel that he's talking to himself. JAS on the other hand starts with fighting roosters and becomes really rich because his animals have babies by the ton. Then a carnival comes to town, and Ama, decides to allow Remedios (the beauty) to participate after all the protection over her. But the carnival turns into a disaster when forces come in and it's almost a massacre.

Quotes

7

"Burn them tonight"

"Ursula bit her lips to not cry"

8

"Remedios inherited the pure beauty of her mother"

"One cannot marry an aunt"

9

"Amaranta was drowning in anxiety"

"We're too old for that"

"You're the boss of your war but I'm the boss of my home"

10

"Your great grandpa also talked by himself"

"If God gives me life, he'll be the Pope"

Magic

7-Pilar Ternera knows when death comes and for who, which is of course impossible. The body of AB kept smelling after months, and after covering the grave. Pilar guessed what was going to happen with her cards.

8-Pilar once again guesses deaths, but almost with a confusion.

9- As CAB shot himself, milk turned simultaneously into worms at Ursulas' house.

10- Even after years, Melquiades room is perfectly normal, and clean. The animals having supernatural amount of offspring.

Themes-

The line pretty much gets blurred among all of these chapters as they all have the same themes. Violence is one of the themes that is present in every chapter, not only with the constant wars, but the event at the carnival. Death is also a big one, there is a death of a someone major around every nook and cranny. The passage of time is also very clear among these chapters, which includes the "development" of both, relationships and physical objects. Identity is the biggest ones though, with all the names becoming pretty much blurred.

Characters-

Amaranta- depressed virgin that really doesn't accept the love of anyone since Crespi died.

CAB- Fighter of the liberal party. Goes from war to war.

AS- falls in love with Amarants, his adoptive mom.

Remedios the Beauty- mentally handicapped individual that is over protected but very beautiful. She gets crowned queen.

JAS- Studies "with" Melquiades (twin)

AS- Petra's final destination (twin)

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ELEVEN

Plot Summaries

Chapter 11

After the fair where many of the Macondoans died, AS 'falls in love" with Fernanda. Now, have in mind that this woman has been raised to be a beauty queen for all her life, but in reality, she has never had the chance to BE a beauty queen. AS sets out to find her, looking for her everywhere, but only finds her on accident because of an old sign outside of her house. It seems that her moment to shine has come. Fernanda is not anything like Petra- she is very religious by the way she was raised, and this turns AS off, that's why even when being with Fer, he still sleeps with Petra (by using the animal mating excuse). AS sleeps with the two interchangeably, and has two kids with Fernanda. They girl is named Renata Remedios, and the guy is named Jose Arcadio. The president, then, tries to honor the coloner, who is now hidden in his room making gold fish, but he takes offense to that- so much so that he even thinks of waging war. They have a big party for him, and the noise causes all his seventeen sons to come visit him. They then go to church to receive ashes, but the ashes become like a tattoo that doesn't come off regardless of what they do. AT, who decides to stay in the town, while looking for a house to stay in with his girlfriend, discovers that Rebeca is still alive but forgotten. AC, who also decides to stay, builds a factory of ice, and even starts making ice cream. AT then leaves, tells the people he'll be back by next summer, but comes back eight months later on a train that he invented.

Quotes

"She had made him a man"- Refers to Petra Cotes removing AS from the lab and turning him into a normal man.

"I convince myself too late that it would have been better if I had let them kill you"- Gerineldo Marquez tell the colonel this when he refuses to bask in the honor and wants to wage war. If he had let them kill him, the story would have changes dramatically.

Magical Elements

All of the colonels sons coming to Macondo at the same time without being in agrrement.

AS finding Fernanda with VERY little information.

Rebeca being alive even though her appeareance says otherwise.

AC breaking plates without touching them.

Theme

Time. Ursula confirms in this chapter that time and history is repeating itself when AS show his plans for the train and they look the same as JAB's solar war plans.

Characters

Fernanda- grows up thinking she would be a queen, and when her chances seem to pale, she's found. She is very religious.

Petra- AS' sexual outlet. They have sex a lot as they attribute their riches to that.

Renata Remedios- Her nickname is Meme, she is the daughter of AS and Fernanda.

TWELVE

Plot Summary

It's amazing how quickly Macondo has changed. It's practically a city now with all the invention constantly sprouting. The only real problem are the foreigners that have come to change the Macondo way of life, via the train. They have even started a whole new town protected by electrical fencing that kills birds every morning. The foreigners started their own everything- they even their own unsensitive police force that killed a man and his son when he tripped and spilled a drink all over one of them. Thinking how unfair it all is, the colonel plans to wage war and even develops a plan with all his sons. This fails though when all but one of his sons are killed right into the cross on their forehead that never disappeared. This only deepens the colonel's desire to wage war, but when he goes to his friend's house to make the plan, he tells him that he's older than it seems.

Quotes

"With any of them, your kids will come out with a pig's tail"- Even after all the years, Ursula still believes that incest breeds animal-human hybrids.

"...an unbearable smell of rotten memories floated in that room." - I like the way memories is personified in this sentence.

Magical Elements

The people of Macondo changed rain patterns, sped up the crops cycle, and removed a river from its place.

Remedios The Beauty carries death with her. The fact that she leaves a deep smell everywhere she goes. The fact that the wind took her away.

Themes

Death. It's everywhere in this chapter. Tons of people die here, some significant, some not so much.

Urbanization. Macondo has never seen such an explosion of construction and population.

Characters

Remedios The Beauty- Still as beautiful. Still as tormenting and innocent.

The colonel- Hidden behint the gold fish.

THIRTEEN

Plot Summary

It actually came as a surprise to me when I found out that Ursula was going blind and has been going blind for a long time. The fact that she had just hidden her blindness and done everything as normal even though she was in darkness. But what amazed me the most was the almost paranormal senses she developed, some of them, like the knowing of the routines and words at the time of day are amazing to me. It saddens me that even though she determined herself to SEE JA become Pope, she won't be able to. Then someone forgotten for the past few chapters returns, JAS, the other twin brother. He tries to start things again where they left off, but really much has changed. He attempts to befriend the colonel, but after the incident with Meme's friends, he has no patience. After following a routine somewhat of JAB's when under the tree, he dies (the colonel).

Quotes

"So many cows and pigs were sacrificed, that the yard's floor was muddy from spoiled blood"- Points out the wastefulness in the Buendia household.

"She came to the conclusion that the man she had raised was incapable to love"- This is the final realization that the colonel cannot love.

Magical Elements

The ghost of JAB makes many appeareances in this chapter.

Themes

Light in the darkest places. Ursula's blindness makes way for this theme, as even in her situation, she "sees".

Characters

Camila Sagastume- The Elephant.

Colonel- Dies.

FOURTEEN

Plot Summaries

This is by far one of the most interesting chapters I have encountered, and one of the craziest too. Amaranta finally gets really caught up in her problems and memories that she decides that death came and told her that she was going to die, so she has to get ready. That's pretty crazy, but what's even crazier is that "Death" told her to prepare her own funeral- she takes it further, and in an attempt to be forgiven, and pay her debts to the world she decides to take letters to the dead. The most important thing for her, which the author puts a lot of emphasis on is the fact that she wants everyone to know that she dies a virgin. On the other hand, Meme is completely opposed to this, and taking advantage of the situation, she goes out with a love interest when telling her mom she is going out with her dad. Fernanda finds them kissing in the movie theater though, and she decides to lock her up in a room, as if that was the solution. But Meme is intelligent- she waits for him in the shower. The problem is that Fer finds out, and the chapter abruptly ends with the shooting of her love interest.

Quotes

"She was tormented by an unknown fear"- Which was the thought that Meme was to take Petra's love away.

"Imagine what the colonel will think in his tomb"- As if the dead really thought!\

Magical Elements

The butterflies following Meme around. It's full of fantasyand magic. Very interesting.

JAB's ghost under the tree is also out of place.

Themes

Love and death appear as a theme together. It seems that the message throughout the whole book has been that love kills. But in this chapter, Ama dies because of the love for her memories, and Meme's love interest dies because of his love for her.

Characters

Meme- hides her love affair from her mom

AS- covers up his daughter's secrets

Fernanda- remains obsessive over Christianity

Ama- dead for holding on to her memories

FIFTEEN

Plot

After the guard shoots Meme's reason for existence, she pretty much just shuts down. She becomes mute, and her mother's reaction is to take her far away to the land where she comes from. Her only hope is to every now and then see the butterfly, which was a symbol of MB. She stops seening butterflies, which means thet he has finally passed on to another existence. Fern is the one that receives the "burden" of taking care of Meme's son, and she often thinks she should drown him to get rid of him, but instead opts for God to do that. The chapter drastically jumps into the banana plantations though and how the workers are rising up in a strike led by JAS. They all think the plantation owners are to come to an agreement and invite the workers to the main place in town, only to find that they are corralled by machine guns. After a few minutes, they start shooting at the people, and then the bodies are put on a train to be dumped at sea like the bad bananas. JAS is one of the survivors though, and he manages to get off the train and walk back to Macondo. Once there, he comes telling people about the murder, but no one remembers! Not even the families of those affected! The army looks for the "criminals" though, but they fail to find JAS who is in Melquiades room.

Quotes

"The only survivor was JAS"- Well, isn't that a coincidence?

"She failed to be corageous enough to have the determination to drown him in the bathroom"- Wow! We have a murderer around to cover up the embarrassment.

Magical Realism

The butterflies are still present.

The rain that continues for months.

The army not finding JAS although they were looking him in the eye.

Themes

Time and the repetition of it. This chapter is the one that begins the repetition of the first few chapters. The idea that time is cyclical.

Characters

MB- man of Meme's desires

Aureliano- Meme's and MB's son.

Fernanda- woman that will do anything to cover up her secrets.

JAS- leader of the rebellion against the banana plantations

Meme- mute, and sad, after her love is shot