Active Reading Chapter 20

Magical Elements:

The baby boy born to AU and Aureliano has a tail. Obviously magical realism.

Characters:

Aureliano – is at his happiest with AU – they are closer than anyone else – they get freaky, but stay in their comfort levels – he is searching for his true identity, but stops because it would cause too much drama for them – impregnates AU – has a baby with her, but AU bleeds to death and he goes back to his depression – loses his son, but that is all on him since he did not stop to think about his son who had no one to take care of him

Summary:

Pilar dies, buried in her rocking chair, with no marking or age or anything, and buried within her building, as well as jewelry from her students. The death of Pilar was the beginning of the end for Macondo, since it is already in that dead state. Aureliano stays friends with those kids, and teaches them more stuff that he knows. The old store owner goes back home, and writes to them all the time. But then a letter later on comes to Aureliano and AU, which remains unopened, but tells of his death. Aureliano and AU are so happy together, and they get so close and so comfortable being with each other, and they do crazy things that are just plain weird (sexual or not) but they are so damn happy so whatever. Then they have to come back down to reality when Gaston says he is coming back home. AU had never told him anything before, but since they are both unwilling to lose each other, AU tells Gaston about her and Aureliano. He responds that he hopes that they are happy, but that they should not be giving in to temptation. Then they find out that AU is pregnant. They are overjoyed, but also this leads them to search for their real relation to each other. Aureliano is unable to find much, and decided not to look any more to save them from hurt and pain and more sinning. AU goes into labor, and gives birth to a baby boy who they name Aureliano after the Colonel. But when the baby is turned over, they see the tail that the boy has, which means that the baby was a product of some kind incest. But then they realize that AU has not stopped bleeding. They do everything they can to stop the blood, but she knows that she’ll die soon. AU dies of hemorrhage, but at least she dies smiling. This death of his joy, the love of his life, pushes Aureliano into a depression. He gets drunk, and gets completely depressed. Then he remembers his newborn son, but thinks that the midwife was taking care of him, But no, she was not. The ants were taking care of the baby, and the baby was eaten by the ants. Poor baby. Stupid Aureliano. How could he forget about his baby? Then Aureliano finds his history, everything about his family line. He sees how he is conceived, from lust, and how he gave into lust for his aunt, and how this was their downfall for the entire Buendia family. The Buendia family was doomed form the beginning, for a family had to go through all of this, with the incest and the death, for one hundred years, which would separate them from all other families. This is why the book is called One Hundred Years of Solitude. I finally understand that. Good book this was.

Quotes:

“In the afternoon, after 24 hours of desperation, they knew she was dead because … her profile became sharp…and she smiled again.”
At least Amaranta Ursula died happy; she had a son and had been really happy with Aureliano.

“The first of the line was tied to a tree and the last is being eaten by the ants.”
This stood out because it was so true. This statement pretty much sums it all up, the whole life story.

Themes:

Incest – The baby that was born from a nephew and his aunt having relations has been cursed with a tail due to that.

Death – Amaranta Ursula dies, as well as her newborn son.