In this essay I will discuss the functions of the carnivorous island in Life of Pi (2001) by Yann Martel on the level of main character and on the level of the plot. I will mobilize psychoanalytical approach to argue that the carnivorous island symbolizes Pi’s loneliness during which he regains his faith and therefore survives. These functions are summarized by Pi in his conversation with representatives of the Maritime Department. Pi says: “Solitude began. I turned to God. I survived” (Martel 219). Carnivorous island is also a point in the novel where readers are invited to make a choice whether they believe in God or not. I will make a reference to the interview with Martel to state that appearance of the island is a culmination of the novel. Readers are offered the choice between faith and atheism.

I will refer to the article “Doing–Being and Relationship–Solitude: A Proposed Model for a Balanced Life” by Hadassah Littman‑Ovadia in order to prove that the island symbolizes solitude. The article explores communal and individual realms of social life in order to propose a method to find balance between the two. Specifically, I will highlight the similarities between the features of loneliness presented in the paper and those in the novel. Among these features are inner harmony, lack of concerns, and contradiction of loneliness to human nature. I will discuss how Pi and Richard Parker illustrate these features.

According to the article, mindfulness is “the self-regulation of attention in the present moment” (Littman‑Ovadia 5). It is achievable if consciousness obtains control over subconsciousness. To show how it happens on the carnivorous island with Pi, I will first prove that Richard Parker symbolizes Pi’s subconsciousness. In the final of the book Pi retells the story of his survival without animals to representatives of the Maritime Department who try to find out the reason behind sinking of the Tsimtsum (Martel 200). Mr. Okamoto notices similarities between animals and people: “Both the zebra and the Taiwanese sailor broke a leg, did you notice that?” (219). Following this logic, Richard Parker represents Pi’s subconsciousness: “selfishness, anger, ruthlessness” (219). When Pi gets on the carnivorous island, he tames Richard Parker: “I came to the conclusion that I had to step into the circus ring again” (189). Pi succeeds in training the tiger to jump through a hoop (190). Arguably, this scene symbolizes one of the benefits of loneliness for Pi – harmony within himself and presence in the moment. Another positive aspect of solitude, according to the article, is that “individuals are liberated from social and other constraints” (Littman‑Ovadia 8). I argue that this feature is illustrated by the island’s resistance to sea storms. According to Pi, he “would have trusted staying on it [island] during the worst hurricane” (Martel 188). The weather catastrophes represent problems that people face in the external world of social life. On the island of his isolation from people, Pi is liberated from hardships of living with others, such as arguments, contradiction of interests. It is also evident in one of Pi’s observations: “it was impossible to hurt myself” (183). I interpret pain here in metaphorical manner as spiritual pain sometimes experienced in society. Additionally, the lack of cultural constraints is shown by how Pi gorges with algae: “perhaps fish ate the algae as gluttonously as I did” (195). Islam and Christianity resent gluttony as a sin. The fact that Pi engages into committing this sin daily on the carnivorous island symbolizes his betrayal of ethical systems that guide people’s behaviors. To summarize, Pi’s actions on the carnivorous island support the claim that the island symbolizes Pi’s loneliness.

Further exploring the figure of Richard Parker, I will show how his actions on the carnivorous island depict the artificiality of solitude for people both in biological and social contexts. To begin with, Richard Parker starts “searching for a female” (189) on the island. Mobilizing psychoanalytical approach, I argue that such tiger’s behavior symbolizes Pi’s instinct for reproduction. Furthermore, discussing the social context, according to Littman‑Ovadia’s article, “as human beings, we are social by nature” (Littman‑Ovadia 6). Therefore, a prolonged solitude is unhealthy for people. It is visible in Richard Parker’s behavior. When the tiger starts killing the meerkats, Pi notes that “he [tiger] killed beyond his need” (Martel 187). Such actions symbolize the loss of culture by Pi, since ethical systems of Pi’s world condemn irrational murder. To begin with, as a Hindu, Pi was a vegetarian before shipwreck. According to his description of Hinduism, “Brahman [is] expressed not only in gods but in humans, animals, trees, in a handful of earth” (36).  Therefore, Pi can not kill creatures that have divine power in them. Both Islam and Christianity condemn murder of innocent creatures. It is possible to suggest that solitude ruins cultural values that have previously controlled Pi’s subconsciousness. Moreover, the fact that the carnivorous island heals Richard Parker and turns him into “a magnificent animal” (183) he had been prior to sinking of Tsimtsum, reinforces the scale to which Pi’s subconsciousness becomes unrestrained. To summarize, Richard Parker illustrates the negative aspects of solitude for people both in terms of nature and society.

I will use an article “The Correlates of Spiritual Struggle during the College Years” by Alyssa Bryant and Helen Astin in order to prove that Pi’s decision to leave the carnivorous island symbolizes that he returns to his faith. The study explores factors, such as inability to understand why people have to suffer, that lead to spiritual struggles among young people and consequences of such challenges on “physical well-being, self-esteem, and levels of psychological distress” (Bryant, Astin 2). According to the article, spiritual struggles are important in propelling personal growth and they also correlate with decline of spiritual growth. I will use this information to show that Pi is on the verge of losing religion, however, his decision to escape from the carnivorous island helps him to return to God. In Pi’s words, the presence on the carnivorous island or solitude inspire him to turn to God.

To begin with, I will prove that Pi enters the metaphorical island or literally succumbs to loneliness having lost his faith. It is evident in the description of Pi’s arrival on the island that underlines the illusive nature of the island, its detachment from reality. The main character’s attempts to get on the island resemble the Biblical account of how St. Peter was walking on water. Pi says: “I slowly brought a leg down. My foot entered the sea” (Martel 180). This allusion raises the theme of disbelief. In the Gospels, Peter starts sinking because he cannot believe his experience of walking on water. Even though Pi does not sink, he also doubts the existence of the island. Furthermore, the loss of faith is evident in how the religious experience is substituted with attributes and performance. In the beginning of the novel Pi describes his religious experience by emphasizing its spiritual nature:

Tree took account of road, which was aware of air, which was mindful of sea, which shared things with sun.

                                                                                                                            (46)

When Pi sees the island, he shares the following observation: “Green is a lovely colour. It is the colour of Islam” (179). In comparison to Pi’s prior religious experiences, this encounter with Allah is superficial. I argue that the shallowness of this phrase, Pi’s attention to attributes, rather than spiritual changes, proves his distance from faith at this point. It is further supported by the fact that Pi continuously mentions his physical healing on the island, neglecting his spiritual state. It can be demonstrated via the following excerpt:

My running became smooth and unselfconscious, a source of euphoria. My skin healed. My pains and aches left me. Put simply, I returned to life.

                                                                                                                               (187)

Furthermore, the fact that Pi lacks faith during the first weeks on the carnivorous island is supported by the comparison of meerkats with monks:

To see so many beings bending down at the same time reminded me of prayer time in a mosque.  

                                                                                                                               (185)

Once again, the substitution of spirituality with external attributes of faith, in this case, the ritual of bending down during prayer, reveals Pi’s spiritual struggle, him having become distant from faith. To sum up, the illusive nature of the island apparent to Pi at the moment of first encounter and many features of religious performance convey the loss of faith by the main character.

Now I will prove that Pi regains his faith after realizing that solitude is murderous. The fruits with human teeth that the main character discovers on the island allow Pi to understand that loneliness kills the spirit. According to the narrator, prolonged presence on the island will leave him with “broken spirit” (196). Pi describes loneliness as equivalent to hopelessness and lost dreams:

How much hope come to nothing? How much stored-up conversation that died unsaid? How much loneliness endured? How much hopelessness taken on?

                                                                                                                               (196)

Consequently, I will employ research from the article to prove that this spiritual struggle helped Pi to return to his faith. According to the paper:

Many developmental frameworks assume in fact that “crisis” is both necessary and instrumental in promoting personal growth and maturation

                                                                                                          (Bryant, Astin 6)

Pi decides to leave the island and by overcoming his religious struggles this way, he obtains a strong spiritual orientation.

Lastly, I will explore the function of the island on the level of the plot. During the interview Martel said that the island was the point in the novel where readers were required to either make the leap of faith and accept the implausible island or remain atheists. To prove this point, I will outline the features of the island that contradict laws of nature according to representatives of the Maritime Department. To begin with, lakes on the island are “evenly scattered, identically sized ponds” (Martel 184). There is no precise design in nature. Next, the description of a subspecies of meerkats that are capable of swimming is unbelievable because meerkats are adopted to living in deserts (185). Furthermore, the description of how algae turn salt water into fresh and digest marine fish is unrealistic (186). All these details lead the reader to face the choice of whether to believe in Pi’s narrative and thus, accept God, or reject the fantastic story and turn to atheism. From the point of view of the plot, the island carries out the promise given at the beginning by an elderly man who said, “I have a story that will make you believe in God” (4).

To conclude, the carnivorous island in the novel Life of Pi symbolizes solitude experienced by Pi in the ocean. This period of solitude gives him full harmony with himself and liberates him from all concerns. However, it also makes him face such struggles as inability to follow his instinct of reproduction and alienation from lifestyle prescribed by his culture. The loneliness is a challenge for Pi that he has to overcome in order to return to his faith in God. For Pi, failure to overcome the solitude imposes the risk of both physical and spiritual death. On the level of the plot the island serves as the point where readers are required to choose whether they believe in the unrealistic story told by Pi and accept religious accounts, or they remain skeptical and choose atheism.

Works-Cited

Bryant, Alyssa N., and Helen S. Astin. “The Correlates of Spiritual Struggle During the College Years.” The Journal of Higher Education 79.1 (2008): 1-27. CrossRef. Web.

Littman-Ovadia, Hadassah. “Doing–Being and Relationship–Solitude: A Proposed Model for a Balanced Life.” Journal of Happiness Studies (2018): 1-19. CrossRef. Web.

Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. 1. publ. in Great Britain ed. Edinburgh: Canongate, 2003. Web.

 

By using apostrophe genre in the novel “Mother to Mother” to convey the life story of Mxolisi, who murdered Amy Biehl, Sindiwe Magona shows how complexities of characters are often neglected with dichotomy of good and evil being used as justification. I will employ research from neurology and social psychology in order to highlight the range of factors, the totality of which pushed Mxolisi to take Amy Biehl’s life. I hope that using post-colonial criticism to point at the fact that people of all ethnicities are subject to the same neurological conditions and social influences will provide a foundation for acknowledging that the division into “Us” and “Others” should be eliminated based on genetic similarity of all humans and lead to raising questions about responsibility for crimes.

To begin with, according to Mandisa’s narrative, Mxolisi exhibits the symptoms of PTSD which is a mental disorder acquired during lifetime due to traumatic events and may cause problems for an individual, among which are insomnia; inability to relax, feel safe, and control aggression (NIMH). PTSD in children can be detected by their following behaviors: “wetting the bed after having learned to use the toilet, forgetting how to or being unable to talk” (NIMH). After being the cause and eyewitness of the murder of his friends, Mxolisi lost speech for two years (Magona, 158-159), which according to NIMH is a symptom of PTSD. Furthermore, after birth of Lunga, Mxolisi “who was dry and out of napkins by his first birthday” started bedwetting (Magona, 158). It could be argued that the reason for this behavior was a protest against not having his own father since Mxolisi on the next day after being forced to eat the roasted mouse as punishment pronounced the first words after two years of silence: “Where is my own father?” (Magona, 158). According to NIMH, bedwetting is another symptom of PTSD. An article published on ScienceDaily website points at an increased likelihood of children whose parents unexpectedly die to acquire PTSD (JAMA and Archives Journals). Mxolisi’s father suddenly disappeared which could have a similar impact. As can be seen, in the childhood Mxolisi was subject to PTSD which does not fade away on its own and can be treated only with therapy (National Center for PTSD, 9). This consideration allows to question the validity of perceiving Mxolisi as a flat villain character and reveals a mitigating circumstance behind the committed murder.

Because PTSD does not go away with time, the symptoms should be visible in Mxolisi when he is a young man. Among the signs that are observed in adults, “having difficulty sleeping”, “having angry outbursts” (NIMH), numbness, and violence against others (National Center for PTSD, 8), increased levels of disobedience (NCBI) are noticeable in Mxolisi. The fact that Mxolisi “prides himself on his ability to stay up half the night” (Magona, 6) might be interpreted as insomnia. Furthermore, Mandisa characterizes her firstborn as a pit-bull in contrast to Lunga who is associated with a dalmatian for her (Magona, 38), which points at Mxolisi’s aggressiveness. Mxolisi is also characterized as lazy by his mother: “Lazy boy” (Magona, 10), which might be the manifestation of apathy. Additionally, Mandisa mentions the fact that her oldest son “bullies his brother and the girl” (Magona, 10), which is indicative of cruelty and might be interpreted as a sign of mental disorder acquired due to trauma. Mandisa recurrently describes Mxolisi as disobedient. When he does not arrive home on time on the tragic day, Mandisa complains: “why was he so persistent in being disobedient?” (Magona, 67).  After Mandisa blames Dwadwa for not fulfilling responsibilities of a father towards Mxolisi, she realizes that it was not Dwadwa’s fault “that Mxolisi is so disobedient” (Magona, 71). Furthermore, Mxolisi also shows defiance by refusing to study despite of the future benefits that his mother outlines for him and despite of her admonishments (Magona, 161). This discussion highlights the fact that untreated PTSD placed Mxolisi into a risk group for committing a violent crime, which further underlines ambiguity of the character and the difficulty of judging him.

Prior to the discussion of sociological factors that triggered Mxolisi’s crime, it is necessary to explore the identities that he was developing in himself. He is presented as a complex individual who was trying to overcome acquired psychological trauma that predisposed him to engaging into criminal behavior and become both a caring and responsible family member and a magnanimous citizen. For example, Mandisa testifies that Mxolisi loves his brother and sister and is always ready to help and protect them: “he [Mxolisi] would care about her [Siziwe’s] safety” (Magona, 40). Moreover, he also cares after his parents: starts working because he observes his mother struggling after Lungile has left to train as a freedom-fighter (Magona, 161), goes to buy fruits for Dwadwa (Magona, 162). Besides care after his closest relatives, prior to murder Mxolisi committed generous acts towards unknown people: for example, saved a girl from rape (Magona, 163). In Mandisa’s memories he is also a diligent student: before quitting school Mxolisi was in the top of his class (Magona, 160). Additionally, he is a magnanimous citizen because he never participated in necklacing (Magona, 159). These considerations highlight that Mxolisi was not naturally predisposed to becoming a criminal, but rather there were multiply life paths for him to choose from, and the tragic circumstances, such as being brought up without a father and carrying guilt for his friends’ deaths pushed him towards committing the murder. 

Despite of Mxolisi’s attempts to integrate identity of a caring and responsible person, his acquired neurological features made it impossible for him to resist deindividuation in the crowd of furious people that triggered the murder. Deindividuation is a psychological phenomenon when levels of self-awareness in people decrease due to surrounding environment and cause loss of control over actions (Encyclopedia of Identity). Indeed, the outlined values nourished by Mxolisi during his lifetime, as well as some of Mandisa’s monologues pronounced when she met Mxolisi in hiding, and some of descriptions in the denouement might be interpreted as a proof that he was not self-aware among people who were cheering him on to kill Amy Biehl. According to a psychologist Daniel Goleman’s definition, self-awareness is “knowing one’s internal states, preference, resources and intuitions” (Positive Psychology Program). Taking away the life of another person is in contradiction with Mxolisi’s “preference” since he never participated in necklacing. When Mandisa’s son committed the murder, he acted as if he lost knowledge about his preference. It proves that at that moment he lacked self-awareness. Furthermore, when Amy Biehl asks for mercy, she says: “You don’t want to do this” (Magona, 209), which seems to be a discerning claim. If Mxolisi had wanted to commit murder, there would have been no “pain and terror” (Magona, 197) in his eyes afterwards. So, this observation proves that at the tragic moment Mxolisi did not know his internal state, and thus, was not self-aware. Lastly, when Mandisa meets Mxolisi, she asks him questions, the answers to which are intuitively known: “D’you realize she is never going to come back? <…> Don’t you see that if your knife has her blood, it doesn’t matter if you stabbed her in her thumb?” (Magona, 197). It leaves an impression that when Mxolisi was about to murder Amy Biehl, he did not know the answers to these questions, thus showing lack of intuition and consequently, self-awareness. Mxolisi experienced deindividuation in the crowd that surrounded Amy Biehl’s car, which caused the murder.

The analysis shows that Mxolisi was trying to become a better person, however factors outside of his control: development of PTSD due to childhood traumas and experience of deindividuation in the crowd made his goal impossible to achieve. Close-reading of Magona’s novel offers a ground for thoughts about complexity of life that emphasizes superficiality of dichotomic divisions into good and evil, as well as about the extent to which people are responsible for crimes they commit. The discussion also allows to acknowledge invalidity of racist claims that some ethnic groups are more predisposed to violence then others because the factors that are behind murder originate in neurology, psychology and sociology that are universal among all people.   

Works-Cited List:
Encyclopedia of Identity. SAGE. Jackson R. L., Hogg M. A.. SAGE Publications, Inc. 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412979306.n63

JAMA and Archives Journals. “Sudden Death Of A Parent May Pose Mental Health Risks For Children, Surviving Caregivers.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2008. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505162849.htm

Magona, Sindiwe. Mother to Mother. Beacon Press Books. 1998.  

NIMH. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mental Health Information. February 2016. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml#part_145376

Understanding PTSD and PTSD Treatment. National Center for PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/print/understandingptsd_booklet.pdf

Zhu, Jessie. “What is Self-Awareness and Why Does it Matter? [Meaning + 5 Tips]”. Positive Psychology Program. 2 January 2017. https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/self-awareness-matters-how-you-can-be-more-self-aware/

In this essay I will analyze the use of hyperboles by Márquez in his novel One hundred years of solitude in order to interpret what the author conveys about history of his home country Colombia. I will focus on exaggerations in representation of politics, technology, science and art in the key setting of the novel, Macondo, that represents Colombia. I will argue that by means of hyperboles Márquez communicates the distress about purposeless fights for power or wealth and generally out of pride. I will mobilize Marxist approach to argue that according to the novel internal struggles make communities vulnerable to degrading influences of capitalism. Furthermore, I will use post-colonialist approach to show that Márquez by means of exaggeration depicts Western technology as a medium that introduces capitalism into Macondo. The writer also criticizes science for the sake of acquiring knowledge and art for the sake of art rather than for doing common good.

To begin with, the exaggerated description of the rivalry between Conservatists and Liberalists emphasizes absurdity of this civil war that makes society susceptible to later exploitation by banana company. For example, Márquez writes that “Colonel Aureliano Buendía fought thirty-two civil wars and lost them all” (Márquez 197). The hyperbolized nature of this statement is apparent: there was only one armed conflict between Conservatives and Liberalists that received the name The War of Thousand Days and lasted from 1899 until 1903 (Britannica). The exaggeration evokes a feeling of bitter irony about the fact that someone could be so persistent in a mission doomed for failure. Moreover, the hesitation that one of Colonel’s political advisors speaks out: “for almost twenty years we’ve been fighting against the sentiments of the nation” (Márquez 86) additionally reinforces the illogicality of internal struggle. Another hyperbolized account that depicts absurdity of civil war is the fact that Colonel Aureliano Buendía survives a “dose of nux vomica strong enough to kill a horse” (70). Colonel epitomizes Liberalism because Colombian Liberal Party “represented coffee plantation owners” (Britannica) and Aureliano Buendía likes coffee without sugar and drinks a lot of it: “his mugs of coffee at five in the morning” (Márquez 107). The exaggeration of his survivability shows the insoluble nature of the conflict. Neither Conservative, nor Liberalist ideology concedes the arena of popular minds, and thus their rivalry is irrational because no side can ever win. This idea is also conveyed through the fact that weapons of unknown origin bring down both Liberalists and Conservatives throughout the novel. For example, murderers of Colonel’s sons are never found: “someone in the crowd who was never identified fired a revolver shot” (119). Captain Aquiles Ricardo, a Conservative, “was brought down by two simultaneous bullets whose origin was never established” (79). According to my interpretation, these bullets symbolize futility of ideological struggle since people are deprived of agency and a mysterious force assigns victories.

The hyperboles deployed to convey the purposelessness of social divisions lead to the climax of the novel, which is the exaggerated account of destruction brought by the arrival of banana company. It extracts resources from Macondo and leaves it in ruins. While discussing the way in which Márquez depicts the introduction of capitalism into Macondo, I will include historic accounts of events that served as basis. Banana company that arrives in Macondo is drawn from United Fruit Company, an American corporation. In One hundred years of solitude it becomes an epitome of destructive imperialist capitalism. I will prove it by drawing attention to the following details about the company. It uses dishonest methods to maximize its profits: “the scrip system was a way for the company to finance its fruit ships” (147). Also, the workers are exploited and left powerless: “terrible working conditions” (147). Márquez depicts capitalists as hyperbolically inhumane:

     because the child accidentally bumped into a corporal of police and spilled the drink on his uniform, the barbarian cut him to pieces with his machete

                                                                                                                               (118)

Furthermore, when the citizens of Macondo protest against exploitation, the United Fruit Company persuades the Conservative government to stop riots by force. The army gathers a large crowd of people with a pretext that authorities will arrive and offer compromise. Instead, the soldiers open fire and murder three thousand people. Then the bodies are loaded on the train and taken to the sea. The train has “almost two hundred freight cars and a locomotive at either end and a third one in the middle” (150). This exaggerated description emphasizes the horror of capitalist system. Another criticism of capitalism is ingrained into the hyperbole of a rain that lasted for four years. Márquez says that one of founders of banana company, Mr. Brown, “unleashed the storm” and that “it rained for four years, eleven months, and two days”. After that “Macondo was in ruins” (154). Mobilizing Marxist approach, I argue that this description alludes to the long-term negative consequences of exploitation. It is possible to assume that the metaphor of destruction refers to the economic collapse that happened in Colombia during the Great Depression when the prices of exports fell (Britannica). Márquez blames capitalism for the downfall because under this system of exploitation people were deprived from creativity and could not easily recover when exports of coffee and banana ceased.

Capitalism, together with destruction of native culture, are brought into Macondo by Western technology and its exaggerated description emphasizes its large-scale impacts on Macondo. For example, when the train first arrived, “the town was shaken by a whistle with a fearful echo and a loud, panting respiration” (111). This description by evoking anxiety foreshadows the decline of Macondo due to capitalist exploitation. Exaggerated nature of the account further reinforces the large-scale nature of capitalist impact. Also, Western technology is used to eliminate magic that has always been part of life in Macondo. For example, when José Arcadio died, there was a strong smell of powder coming from his corpse that could not be extinguished. Only the engineers from the banana company succeeded in liquidating the smell by covering “the grave over with a shell of concrete” (69). This victory of science over magic symbolizes the death of national believes in supernatural powers.

Hyperbolized description of scientific paths pursued by four philosophical figures in the novel – José Arcadio Buendía, Aureliano Segundo, José Arcadio Segundo, Aureliano Babilonia – emphasizes its uselessness since it cannot save Macondo from destruction. From post-colonial perspective enchantment with exotic knowledge, pursuit of omniscience through the pathways opened by globalization makes households unstable and unhappy. Similarly, Aureliano Buendía’s art fails to obtain social significance. I will start with considering the philosophers and then discuss the artist. Márquez writes about José Arcadio Buendía’s exaggerated passion for science:

      That spirit of social initiative disappeared in a short time, pulled away by the fever of the magnets, the astronomical calculations, the dreams of transmutation, and the urge to discover the wonders of the world.

                                                                                                                                 (12)

This description suggests that prioritization of entirely intangible dreams over social obligations impedes the development of Macondo. Eventually José Arcadio Buendía loses his sanity after “he connected the mechanism of the clock to a mechanical ballerina”. Once again Márquez uses hyperbole to emphasize how ridiculous this pursuit of useless discoveries was:

     That discovery excited him much more than any of his other harebrained undertakings. He stopped eating. He stopped sleeping.

                                                                                                                              (43)

Yet other examples are stories of José Arcadio Segundo and Aureliano Babilonia who spend most of their lives deciphering Melquíades’ parchments that are written in Sanskrit, “the private cipher of the Emperor Augustus and <…> a Lacedemonian military code” (200). When Aureliano Babilonia succeeds in understanding that the parchments describe the history of his family, Macondo gets destroyed by the strong wind. It is hard to believe that two men would devote their lives to learning foreign languages, however, this hyperbole emphasizes that “knowledge in itself is useless without action” (Deaver 10). Now I will discuss the artist. Aureliano Buendía writes poetry during the civil wars only to burn the whole trunk filled with it in a fire. He says: ““They’re things that a person writes to himself”” (Márquez 89). Also, since youth, Colonel creates gold fishes. However, in the end of his life they start to be collected as relics, and he stops to manufacture new fishes. In my opinion, Aureliano Buendía’s failure to serve a higher social purpose with his art leads to his death as an artist.

To conclude, in my view, Márquez’ One hundred years of solitude by means of using hyperboles evokes bitter irony about the purposeless confrontation between Conservative and Liberal parties that made Macondo uncapable to resist exploitation by capitalists. Since it is an allegoric description of Colombian history, it also cautions against repeating the absurdity of civil war in the future. Exaggerations also evoke fear of inhumane behaviors, such as banana massacre, propelled by capitalism. The novel laments the fact that Colombia is becoming increasingly Westernized by adopting capitalism, technologies, sciences and does not follow its own path of development. Márquez criticizes atomization of society by ridiculing the acquisition of knowledge that cannot sustain lives and creation of art that does not serve any significant purpose.

 

Works-Cited

Clemente Garavito, William Paul McGreevey and Others. “Conservative-Liberal Struggle, 1840-80.”Encyclopædia Britannica. Web. 13.03.2019 <https://www.britannica.com/place/Colombia/Conservative-Liberal-struggle-1840-80>.

Deaver, William O. “Cien años de soledad: The Critique of Sophism and Pseudo-Science.” Theory in Action 6.1 (2013): 8-28. CrossRef. Web.

Marques, Gabriel Garcia. One hundered years of solitude. A division of The Hearst Corporation 105 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10016: Avon Books, 1967. Print.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “The War of a Thousand Days.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Web. 13.03.2019 <https://www.britannica.com/event/The-War-of-a-Thousand-Days>