3. Describe themes in the novel and trace their development throughout the text.

Transcription

1 One Family s Story If someone wrote the story of your family over one hundred years, what would it look like? Whose stories would be told? How would you and your family s actions appear when viewed through the lens of history? In his masterpiece, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Márquez recounts the past one hundred years of the Buendia family who live in the small South American village of Macondo. Through them, the author addresses and examines the breadth and depth of human experience. Be a Better Reader As you work through the study guide for One Hundred Years of Solitude, you ll also practice these skills, which will help you when you read novels in the future, for school assignments or just for fun. 1. Describe the development of the main character. 2. Discuss how the plot progresses throughout the novel. 3. Describe themes in the novel and trace their development throughout the text. 4. Cite textual evidence to support discussion of the novel. 5. Discuss the main conflicts present in the novel. Behind the Scenes Gabriel Garcia Márquez is one of South America s most prominent writers. Hailing from the Colombian village of Aracataca, which may have formed the basis for the novel s village of Macondo, the author was raised by his grandparents until he left for the capital city of Bogotá for high school. Working as a journalist, Garcia Márquez lived in Rome, Paris, Caracas, and Mexico City. Much of the author s work draws on South America s history of being conquered by European nations, as well as the author s socialist beliefs. After writing movie screenplays in the 1960s, Garcia Márquez turned to writing novels and his been awarded an International Prize for Literature as well as a Nobel Prize for Literature. Get This! 1. One Hundred Years of Solitude possesses numerous symbols. Be sure to notice and try to figure out the symbolism of the little gold fishes, the railroad, the English encyclopedia, and the golden chamber pot. 2. Garcia Marquez uses the motifs of memory and forgetfulness, the Bible, and gypsies throughout much of the novel. Notice how the author uses these motifs and what he achieves by doing so. 3. One Hundred Years of Solitude is classified as magical realism. See if you can figure out what this genre envelops and why the novel falls into this category.

2 The Plot Gabriel Garcia Márquez s One Hundred Years of Solitude follows the Buendia family as they found and live in the isolated village of Macondo over a period of one hundred years. As you read the novel, fill in the boxes for each element of the plot.

3 The Characters It seems that Gabriel Garcia Márquez uses almost all the Buendia family to tell his story. Draw a picture of each character listed. Then describe the importance of each character s role in the box beneath each picture. José Arcadio Buendía Úrsula Iguarán Colonel Aureliano Buendía Arcadio José Arcadio Segundo Aureliano

4 The Setting In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Márquez uses the setting of the isolated South American town of Macondo to tell the story of the Buendia family. Use the spaces below to describe the setting in the novel. In the first column, type or write direct quotes from the novel phrases and sentences that are used to describe Macondo throughout the work. In the second column, explain in your own words how these locations contribute to the novel. An example has been completed for you. Direct Quote Related to Setting At that time Macondo was a village of twenty adobe houses... to indicate them it was necessary to point. (1 st section) Your Explanation The author tells of the creation of Macondo as a Biblical illusion and also sets the tone of magical realism.

5 Tracking Themes What messages is Gabriel Garcia Márquez trying to communicate in One Hundred Years of Solitude? The main themes in the novel involve realism vs. magic, cyclical time and fate, and prophecy. See if you can identify and analyze those themes. Step 1: What parts of the plot seem related to a possible theme in the novel? (Think about the main conflict and how it get resolved or worked out.) Step 2: Which characters seem related to a possible theme? Which characters change, and what do those changes suggest about realism vs. magic, cyclical time and fate, and prophecy? Step 3: How does the author use symbols to hint at the novel s themes? What objects, people, or places stand for something bigger in the story? Step 4: What does the novel s title suggest about the novel s theme? Step 5: Write one or two of the novel s main themes in your own words.

6 Talk About It What do you think about One Hundred Years of Solitude? What conflicts did you notice in the novel? What did you notice about how Garcia Márquez used the motifs of memory and forgetfulness, the Bible, and gypsies in the novel? In the space below each question, write an answer based on your own experiences and your own understanding of the novel. Include some textual evidence or examples that helped you arrive at your answer. 1. One Hundred Years of Solitude repeats the same conflicts throughout generations of the Buendia family. What conflicts can you identify? How do they reappear throughout the novel? Textual Evidence or Examples: 2. Garcia Márquez uses the motifs of memory and forgetfulness, the Bible, and gypsies throughout much of the novel. Provide some examples of how the author uses these motifs, as well as what he achieves by doing so. Textual Evidence or Examples:

7 Represent! Show what you know about One Hundred Years of Solitude and its relevance to your life. Choose one of these projects to complete and share with your teacher, classmates, and others. Choice 1: 21 st Century Macondo Gabriel Garcia Márquez s One Hundred Years of Solitude depends on the isolated village of Macondo to create the circular theme of the novel. Create an updated version of the novel and bring it into the 21 st century. Think about how the characters lives would differ if they lived today and had access to more technology. What aspects of their lives, lifestyle, and relationships would differ from those portrayed in the novel? Create a DVD or Power Point presentation to share your updated One Hundred Years of Solitude with your class. Choice 2: Matriarchs and Patriarchs Ursula Iguaran and José Arcadio Buendia began the Buendia family and their lives in Macondo. Create and perform a monologue as one of these two characters. Be sure to write your monologue in the form of a play.