Seven generations of the family in "One Hundred Years of Solitude" are the protagonists. First generation: the inquisitive and adventurous José Alcatio Buendía and the shrewd and capable Ursula. The second generation is José Arcatio, who is reckless and bold and curious, and Aureliano Buendía, who has a lackluster personality. The rest of the people also have their own characteristics. What is consistent is "terrible" loneliness.
There are two sides to everything, there is a sunny side, and there is a dark and fragile side, if a person does not have loneliness and loneliness, then it is equivalent to a plant without soil, and it lacks an indispensable part of it The first time I read this book, I was immediately confused by the complex relationships and names of the characters in the book, the only clear thing is the character of the entire Buendia family, just like the title of this book, "loneliness" seems to have become a tone of the whole book and all the characters.
The entire Buendia family is a person who does not express emotions, some of them are silent and can not talk to people all day, and some are only obsessed with a goal and express themselves frantically, without considering each other's feelings. Gradually, they isolated the entire family and went crazy to death. The first person in the family was tied to a tree, and the last person in the family was eaten by ants. Although they are withdrawn, they have a resolute eye and an attitude of casual defeat, and can use their unique charm to attract women with beautiful bodies and full personalities.
In order to combat this loneliness, the first woman of the family, Usuna, made many efforts, but the children inevitably went to the abyss of loneliness, and in the end she could not overcome this loneliness and died regretfully. It can be said that this kind of loneliness should be a commonality, which can reflect the deep level of this society from the surface;This loneliness goes deep into the land and the people who live there.
This book can be said to be a history of the rise and fall of Latin American history, the changes of various things that have happened in Latin American land: the development of science and technology, the advancement of urban culture, the invasion of colonizers, the resistance and struggle of the indigenous people, and finally the arrangement of fate. In the book, everyone has their own set of ways to combat loneliness, whether they join the revolution, or go on a long voyage, or overeat and profligate, or indulge in ** all their lives, and some even sound crazy. These seemingly boring methodical methods, but the author organically combines them and integrates them into the story, which is an extreme but true expression of human nature and the characteristics of the entire family.
Many of the women in the family eventually followed and became crazy people. With the exception of the aforementioned first woman, Usuna, and the last to appear, Amaranta Usuna, they have always maintained an optimistic and strong belief instead of being drawn into a chaotic life. There have been many women involved in the family, and their changes are rooted in two cyclical male personalities: Aureliano and Hoavaltio. Their cycle drives the story and spells the fate of the entire family. From the founding of the town, after many cycles and twists and turns, it ended in the same place. It's like going around in a circle, and finally you come back to square one. This cycle of the whole family is also the most attractive part of the whole book.
Speaking of loneliness, in fact, it's not just this book, loneliness should be ubiquitous in life, no matter how cheerful people look on the outside, there will be times when they are lonely, it's just that everyone deals with loneliness differently. Loneliness is a part of life, and some people want to resist it, but they can't let it disappear completely. Living in a modern city, after the daily lights and hustle and bustle, people will always feel an irresistible loneliness at some point. No matter how we resist escape through other activities, whether it is the extreme or crazy ways in "One Hundred Years of Solitude", or the transformation into real life, whether it is a game, a TV, money, or real estate: all kinds of ways, although we enrich our lives, we gradually cannot find that feeling from this daily repetition, or we cannot find our true self.
Sometimes even if we are not alone, we will feel very lonely, when we see others get good grades and smile in front of us, when others tell all kinds of interesting stories with our parents during the holidays, even if they are close to our ears and in front of us, we seem to be far away from ourselves, and we can't be like them, so we are very lonely. And since this loneliness can't be avoided, why not try to enjoy it?In "One Hundred Years of Solitude", the family members kept trying to resist loneliness, but in the end they were still physically exhausted and buried by loneliness. No one wants such an ending. A hundred years of history have flowed, and in the end it is still eroded by loneliness. Loneliness cannot be forgotten, it does not disappear with the passage of time, it does not disappear with the company of others. If you try to accomplish something alone in another way, and look down on it with a proud attitude, anyway, when there is always someone in the end, it is better to adapt to everything in society alone, take responsibility alone, and find the feeling of adapting to loneliness, so you don't have to be afraid
Loneliness is not necessarily negative, it is sometimes more of a motivation that we use to experience life and the feeling of frustration when we have the courage to face someone. If there is one thing that allows us to recognize ourselves, when we are lonely, it is like a conversation between us and ourselves, we can hear our hearts clearly, we can have a moment of silence in the bustle, as if there is only the sound of our own heartbeat left in the world, so that we can better understand our own state of mind. Loneliness makes a person perfect, more deep and thicker. Enjoy the solitude, enjoy every second of the conversation with yourself, and make room for yourself.
Just like we are now, in the era of high-rise buildings and diverse speeds, we have lost our direction and fallen into a hundred years of loneliness. More and more, we feel that a kind of indifference is spreading, eroding our fragile and sensitive hearts, and love and beauty have become words of luxury.
However, real loneliness is not a simple meaning such as loneliness and helplessness, but a coldness that stays in people's hearts. Life has never left solitude and existed on its own. Loneliness in the true sense, whether we are born, grown, in love, or succeeding or failing, until the end, exists like a shadow, and comes out from time to time to remind you of its existence. The existence of loneliness reminds us to cherish the present, urges us to experience life, so that we can be sober when we succeed and smile indifferently when we fail.
Loneliness is inevitable, it is better to see it as a friend, a friend who can make us recognize ourselves at all times, enough to cherish it for a lifetime, cherish every inch of time we can spend with it.
Look up at the starry sky, examine yourself, understand society, embrace others, and live towards the sun!
One Hundred Years of Solitude is an extremely rich book, so many people who pursue reading speed will soon find themselves confused with the characters and plot, and they don't know what to do. Classics should be tasteful, good sentences should be pondered slowly, and this book is suitable for close reading, suitable for repeated reading.
Reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" should not use our current concepts and our own values to understand the characters in the book, but should combine the history of Latin America for a hundred years, the life and deeds of the author, and the thoughts of the characters in the book. Bring yourself into it, and when you encounter a plot you don't understand, observe rather than comment directly, such as Amaranta's story, and think about why she hates and why she refuses to propose marriage twice in combination with her character, rather than commenting directly on her. This will help us to understand and deepen our understanding rather than just focusing on the story in the book.
I hope that every friend who has read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" can face up to the loneliness, gain self-inner awakening, and finally lead to the bright road of life, just as Marquez said in his autobiography:
"I've been young, down, happy, and I've always had a deep love for life. ”
One Hundred Years of Solitude is a book that we should not miss, and it takes a lot of time and effort to savor it carefully. At the same time, today's article is only a little insight, and it can only play a guiding role in reading and understanding this book.
If you are interested in this book, click on the merchandise card below to buy it!The best thing to do is to read it yourself.