One Hundred Years of Quarantine chapters 10-12

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100 years chapters 10-12

What when where?

• It is often unclear when exactly events happen but there are some allusions to real-life events that help us pinpoint the setting
• The story is believed to start around 1850 (with José Arcadio Buendía and Ursula Iguaran founding Macondo
• The story ends around 1950 (we know this because of some events at the end and y'know, cause it's 100 years...)

Setting and context

• Though Macondo is not a real town in Colombia, it is based on Gabo's own home town Aracataca.
• Many of the places described in the novel actually exist in Aracataca (like the river)
• An important piece of background is the civil wars and the struggle against colonialism that Latin America went through

Colombia - context

• Colombia used to be a Spanish colony but became independent in 1810
• They were the first constitutional government in Latin America
• The liberal and conservative parties were founded in 1848 and 1849 
• The conservative and liberal parties were at war for a long time
• Most important civil war took place for two years between 1861-1863
• There were more bloody wars afterwards, most significantly around 1900
• In 1928, there was the Banana Massacre that is referred to later in the book. It started as a strike by plantation workers and ended in the conservative army killing many workers to end the strike.

However...

• Remember that this is still both fiction and magical realism  
• This means that not everything is true or even possible
• Though the history of Colombia is very present as a backdrop to the novel, there is no use in trying to find a one on one relationship between the two

Who have we met so far?

What's in a name?

In chapter 10, Úrsula overthinks the names of her decendents. As you know, pretty much all men are either called José Arcadio or Aureliano. Quote:
"Throughout the long history of the family the insistent repetition of names had made her draw some conclusions that seemed to be certain. While the Aurelianos were withdrawn, but with lucid minds, the José Arcadios were impulsive and enterprising, but they were marked with a tragic sign." 

i.e.: Aurelianos are lonely and silent but sane while the José Arcadios take more initiative but are crazy (marked with a tragic sign)

What about the segundo twins?

When they are small, people cannot keep twins Aureliano Segundo and José Arcadio Segundo apart.  They take advantage of this by switching identities on purpose. They both end up settling on a name.

We never truly find out whether the name they end up adopting was their name at birth or whether they switched.

Some say that their characters better match the opposite names, which could suggest that personalities are dictated by fate, not by names. The names they receive at birth, then, were "meant to be".

What is the use of this?

• A central theme of the novel is "history repeating itself"
• If you look closely at the characters with similar names, you will find that they are all interrelated and you will find many parallels between the different characters.
• The novel essentially is the story of 7 generations of a family that keeps on repeating the same mistakes again. The names are one large indicator of this repetition (both literally in that the names are repeated and figuratively in that the character of the name bearer is repeated).

Look into several generations of either Aurelianos or José Arcadios (pick one name). Consider their personality and actions. What proof can you find for Úrsula's conclusion on the previous slide? Explain!

This quote tells us several things: It goes back to the theme of history repeating itself: time is going in a circle. The plan for the railroad reminds Ursula of her late husband's (José Arcadio Buendía I) inventions. However, three things are noticable about that:
1. They are so far removed from modernity that they can't seperate fantastical inventions like memory machines from real things like railroads.

2. It circles back to what we said aboutthe names: JAB1 went crazy over his inventions while Aureliano Triste is very calm and organised in his approach.

3. Úrsula is always the one to figure this stuff out and see the connections

A little more context?

The 5 minute video on the next slide very clearly and calmly explains some of the things I have explained to you. It might help you grasp the context of the story a little better. Very highly recommended to watch :) 

Who begins to delve into the esoteric mysteries in Melquíades's laboratory?

1. Aureliano Segundo
2. José Arcadio Segundo
3. Meme
4. Renata Remedios

Who do both Segundos (Aureliano and José Arcadio) begin sleeping with?

1. Pilar Ternera
2. Renata Remedios
3. Petra Cotes
4. Amaranta Ursula

José Arcadio Segundo's only successful trip up the river from the ocean is to deliver a cargo of ___

1. imported chickens
2. purple fabric
3. scientific equipment
4. French prostitutes

What is Meme's real name?

1. Petra Cotes
2. Renata Remedios
3. Pilar Ternera
4. Amaranta Úrsula

What do the children of Fernanda and Aureliano Segundo find in the christmas box one year?

1. Chickens
2. More Aureliano's
3. A severed head
4. Their grandfather's dead body

What kind of factory do Aureliano Triste and Aureliano Centeno decide to build?

1. steel
2. furniture
3. telescope
4. ice

Foreign capitalists establish a ___ plantation in Macondo.

1. banana
2. cacao
3. sugar cane
4. coffee

Who is the only person that is unexcited by the chaos and uncontrolled growth of Macondo?

1. José Arcadio Segundo
2. Aureliano Segundo
3. Meme
4. Remedios the Beauty

Chapter 12 shows us what "modernity" looks like in Macondo. It's not a pretty picture. Explain what happens.

Any questions about these chapters or the novel as a whole so far?