Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Love In The Time of Cholera": a 6.3 out of 10
The story focuses on Florentino Ariza's quest on pursuing his one and only love, Fermina Daza for more than 51 years. What seemed to be a budding romance between them in their teenage years was cut short by destiny and societal standards. This left Florentino Ariza devastated yet motivated to win the love of his life back. He remained unmarried, improving himself day by day just in case Fermina Daza would return to his arms. But he also had some intimate affairs to distract him out of his wild passion and longing for Fermina. On the other hand, Fermina married Dr. Juvenal Urbino and had two children. Dr. Urbino died in the first chapter after attempting to catch his beloved parrot. By this time, Fermina and Florentino were already in their 70s. As Fermina mourned over her husband's death, Florentino appeared out of nowhere to declare his undying love for her once again, even when they're worn out and wrinkled.
Writing style and overall structure = 9/10
Marquez never failed to impress his readers with the vivid imagery of his words. Although I'm reading the translated version of his work, I could say that he was trying to convey his message in a clear choice of words. He wanted us to feel the characters and to see through them. I loved the few lines spoken by every character. There weren't much dialogue between characters because Marquez focused on what the character was thinking and doing. Because of this, the novel has become lengthy and dragging to read. It took me almost three months to focus on this novel and finish it. That's the only structural thing I disliked about this book.
I also loved how he created scenes relating to cholera and how he made cholera as a metaphor for love. Love is like a life-threatening disease. It makes you physically sick. It makes you panic. It drives you crazy. And sometimes, you just prefer to be alone and be "quarantined" in order not to affect others with your overflowing emotions. Marquez wanted his readers to realize that love is dangerous yet so many people are affected by it and even embrace it to its core.
Story - 7.5/10
I liked the story, but I didn't really love it. I didn't really have this mind-blowing or jaw-dropping experience after closing the book. The story is just a fine romantic story that is quite impossible to happen in real life. The flow and ending of the story is even predictable.
What's satisfying about the story is how the sequence of events are being narrated, especially when it comes to Florentino's major affairs. I think his affairs were the thrilling part of this book apart from the interaction Florentino has with Fermina.
What I love about Marquez's work is that he always inserts a sense of "home" in the story. We all know that Marquez has Latin American roots and that he was born in Aracataca, Colombia. Love In The Time of Cholera has similar historical and geographical themes as One Hundred Years of Solitude, wherein the Conservatives and the Liberals, the banana plantation massacre, and the Thousand Days War are mentioned in both books.
I loved how he also inserted themes of societal norms and strata in this book. The primary reason that Florentino and Fermina's marriage was not approved by Lorenzo Daza is because he saw no bright future ahead of Fermina if he will marry poor Florentino, who is an illegitimate son of a notions shop owner. Dr. Urbino obviously had the edge since he came from a well off family and studied medicine in Europe. But Lorenzo Daza was shameless to do so when he was in fact, somebody who engaged in smuggling and other illegal business transactions. Dr. Urbino utilized his wealth and power to hush this issue about his father-in-law. This was later revealed when Justice, a reading material intended to destroy the reputation of the rich who were members of the Social Club, attacked Fermina Daza.
Characterization - 7/10
To be honest, the characters were lame. I did not like Florentino Ariza's obsession over Fermina. At first I was like, "What the hell, dude? Leave her alone! Get over it and find someone new from one of your affairs." Obviously, he was a stalker lurking around the corner just to satisfy his own needs. But later on, I understood where Florentino's sadness and longing came from that I began to take interest in the flow of the story. He was indeed a man of pity. He was an illegitimate son. And he had no wealth or fame to boast of. His life was never pleasing to begin with, but he was loved by his mother Transito Ariza very much. All he had was a heart that is capable of loving.
I didn't like Fermina, too. She was just a classy woman who adjusted herself to fit in her husband's social circle. She was unhappy, but she pretended to be. She's impulsive and moody. I mean...if I were a man, what would I be obsessed about her?
I thank Marquez for adding a flaw to Dr. Juvenal Urbino. I mean...Dr. Urbino seems to be really perfect as a husband and as an individual. But when his lust for Miss Lynch was revealed, I felt relieved upon knowing that this man also has his own flaws.
I did love Florentino's women over the years that he waited for Fermina. My favorites were Leona Cassiani, America Vicuna, and Olimpia Zuleta. They really had an impact on me as I read the novel.
Realistic Issues Presented - 2/10
This is a work of fiction, but every work of fiction should also have a realistic side. What I disliked about this novel is that obsession or stalking was sort of validated and became romanticized. In reality, obsession is unhealthy at all levels. Plus, Florentino was not genuinely loyal to Fermina. Yes, he kept his heart only for her. He loved her for all his life. But it seems like he distributed the love and lust he kept for her towards other women he met in his life. This makes the whole novel problematic.
Racism is another issue presented in this novel. Fermina despised Miss Lynch not only for stealing Dr. Juvenal Urbino's love and attention away for only a short period of time in one week, but also for being black. She hated the smell of Black women. She also noticed how Florention went out with Leona, who was also a black lady. In addition, I think Marquez was a bit too harsh on describing the Chinese poet and Chinese people in general in this book. He was making hasty generalizations of the Chinese, when in fact that Chinese poet really had nothing to do with Florentino and Fermina's love affair. If you would just read the book, the Chinese interlude is very racist.
Pedophilia has been glorified and romanticized in this novel. At the age of 74, Florentino had his last affair with America Vicuna, a 14-year old school girl. He was supposed to be the freaking guardian of this teenager, and not a sugar daddy. This is very problematic, especially that Florentino keeps on claiming that he loves Fermina. Eventually, America is the only girl from Florentino's love affairs who discovers about Fermina Daza and she committed suicide without any warning sign or call for help. VERY. VERY. PROBLEMATIC.
Rape was also highlighted in this book, wherein the young Florentino who was saving his virginity for Fermina was pulled by a certain woman in a dark cabin in the riverboat. The woman raped him. The rape incident eventually opened his gates of lust and he started having his sexual affairs after that.
Moral Lessons - 6/10
I think the main moral lesson of this book entails the vast possibilities that love can bring to you in your lifetime. Through this book, we can infer that Marquez had this hypothesis that you only love one particular person in your lifetime and distribute this intense love to all the other romantic interests you meet in life. He also showed in this book that love conquers all. Love, for Marquez, was just like wine. The older it gets, the finer it becomes.
Another thing people should reflect on after reading this book is: Was it really love that Fermina felt for Florentino in their riverboat ride? Or was it just because she was scared to grow old and lonely? Did she do it out of impulse because she believed in what the Justice reported about Dr. Urbino and Lucrecia? For me, I think Fermina just found comfort and solace in Florentino. This book was just all about how Florentino's sorrowful life evolved over time.
In particular, I don't think there is anything huge to learn from this book. It just made me realize the power of love and its indefinite possibilities.
---
Overall, I'm giving this book a 6.3/10. Nothing beats One Hundred Years of Solitude. But it is undeniable that Marquez has an incredible writing prowess.
Comments
Post a Comment