100 Years of Solitude (Chapters 1-5)

1.I chose to write about Aureliano Buendia, because I feel he has an important role in the story, and it will continue to grow. I think that it shows how strong of person he is when he decides to become a commander in the Liberal army, because he doesn’t like what’s going on and what’s to see change. When he went to Gerineldo Marquez’s house and spoke with an authority in his voice, that was when I knew that he would become a strong character in the rest of the book. Even though they didn’t have any weapons, Aureliano still wanted to make it happen by taking the opposite sides weapons. They attacked with table knives and sharp tools, which I think is kind of crazy and they should have found another type of weapon, but it worked. I think that Aureliano will become a great leader of the army, and will remain and important figure in the book. But also, I think that this war might maybe change how Aureliano feels, and acts, because War can do that to people, when they least expect it.

2.A theme that I see in here is expanding the village, and trying to overcome insomnia and amnesia. Jose Arcadio Buenida went through the village, trying to put names on items, like table, chair, desk, etc. He didn’t want the memory loss to have a negative impact on the village, so he wanted to place names in locations for them to remember what they are. They put a sign on a street that said Macondo, and God Exists. I think its good how they put that God Exists on the sign, to keep their faith up. Even though they had a loss of memory, they still believed that God would help them make it through the day. It was interesting how when Jose went to the house and the visitor opened the door, he felt himself with the forgetfulness of death, not the forgetfulness of the heart, which is totally different.