10/31/08 One Hundred Years of Solitude

This week in class, we explored the idea of the labyrinth and how it relates to Solitude. When traversing through a labyrinth, at least in a spiritual sense, it is common to follow the maze-like passages to the center of the labyrinth, all the while in a meditative state. Once in the middle, it is usually common to spend time reflecting before leaving through the same passage. One suggestion brought up in class was that the labyrinth can be compared to the life and death of the characters in Solitude—many of the characters are born in Macondo, spend time away from Macondo, and eventually make their way back to die. While this is an astute observation, I have been thinking of the comparisons in a different way. I have found the “modernization” of Macondo to be very labyrinth-like in the way changes have come about. Throughout the novel, Macondo has gone through steady changes without really ever digressing or falling back to its roots. The turning point—or the “center” of the labyrinth—of Macondo has been its westernization and arrival of outsiders, including Fernanda del Carpio and the Conservative party. All of the steady changes in Macondo have seemed to lead up to this point, but if Solitude is to remain like a labyrinth, something needs to happen to tip the scales. If Macadno’s “advancement” is the centerpiece, what will lead us back through the passage?