Final though on One Hundred Years of Solitude 11/6/08

Good afternoon,

Today's class was very outspoken and informative. Fellow students seem to have many conflicting views on what exactly is going on in each character's head as well as author Gabriel García Márquez thought process while writing the great novel.

Now having finished the novel, I understand why Márquez won a Nobel Prize and received such great reviews for his masterpiece, One Hundred Years of Solitude. His writing style and plot choices along with the twisted, unpredictable end was inspiring. With that said, the lack of individuality between most of the characters and the hidden timeline made this book quite challenging and easily misinterpreted (as our class discussion today supported). Honestly, the only character that I actually understood was Ursula. She was my character for the class blog and arguably the most dominant character in the entire novel. She is strong, confident, and will do anything to keep her family safe and together. Near the end of her life, I found myself feeling for her, as she was bed-ridden and blind. However, when she was finally able to stand up and be with her family one last time, her realization that she was a vegetable for a significant time, I felt my heart ache for her and root for her final steps. She died beautifully, unlike many of the characters who were either ill or killed by firing squad, and as a result prevailed in the end.

For next class, I am very excited to research Marjane Satrapi and her masterpiece Persepolis. Graphic novels are always entertaining and inspiring due to its illustrations and Satrapi is no exception. I can only hope that the film will do the novel and Satrapi justice.