10/24 post on One Hundred Years

One Hundred Years of Solitude is very very different from any other books I have read. The incredible family history and events that carry through the years remain an interesting approach to writing. I think that the character development is also fairly deep, with many other novels the characters are usually flat and the plot is more dynamic. The book deals with some very strange and touchy subject matter. The incest seen throughout the readings can seem very disturbing to American readers, however I am not sure if it is disturbing to non western readers. I think in America incest is viewed as discusting and the people who partake in it are usually seen as slow and from the rural town in the south. I think that even if people who are related not through blood have sex or children they are seen as outcasts. I think in other cultures non blood related relatives often marry or have sex. Other cultures are much more open to things than westerners are. This book reminds me of the constatnt war state in Africa. I recently watched the movie "Blood Diamond" which immediately reminded me of this book. The movie points out the incrible divide between western culture and, in this case, African culture. The immense blood shed taken place everyday is the staple of these people's lives. They live in constant fear that rebels will overtake their villages and slaughter their families. In the west we do not have to live like this and I believe that many westerns go about their daily lives without ever thinking about the atrocities faced by fellow human beings. The war mentioned throughout the pages of OYOS reminds me of the wars in Africa because it almost seems as though people continue these age old battles just to continue them without stopping to think why they are really fighting. The Liberals described in Marquez's novel are also similar to the rebels in Africa. Armed with kitchen knives, wearing ratty clothes and fighting in an unorganized manner hold true for the African rebels as much as the South American Liberals. I think that Marquez seems to comment on war through his literature. It seems to me that although he may be politically astuted he may not be pro war. The writer of Blood Diamond creates a realistic portryal of the horrors takng place in Africa because of the daimond mining. I think both writers paint a picture of war at it's most brutal and show the auidance the horrors that war brings about. It is important to stand up for what you believe and to defend your morals, however killing is never the best way to go about doing that. To switch gears a little, I find the women in the story to be very intersting comments on society. I am not sure at what Marquez really wants to get across about feminism yet, but it is obvious that these strong women play an important, vital role in this community. I would also like to bring up the strange concept of some of the women giving their children to Amaranta to raise. Pilar does this a few times and Im not quite sure why.