Journal: Character Analysis

Character Analysis of Ursula Buendia:

Ursula Iguaran marries Jose Arcadio Buendia. She remains a virgin within her first year of marriage, for fear that her child would be a result of incest. This is understandable, since the two were cousins. Yet, out of fear of being raped, she wears a chastity belt made out of metal and that clasps all over her waist. This might be going to the extreme, especially since her husband does force himself on her, as to not succumb to the rumors that he was incompetent. Ursula hopes that her child does not have a tail, or for that matter, any animal features. Her prayers are answered when she gives birth to a son with all human features, Jose Arcadio. She has another son, Aureliano, who, at birth, is as alert as ever to everything in the world.
Ursula Buendia lives being a mother. She notices things that may seem nothing, and keeps her sons’ best interests at heart. This is shown through her dedication to follow her son to bring him back to Macondo after he leaves with the gypsies. She does not succeed, but at least she tried. This shows her love for her kids, wanting the best for them. Yet, when she followed her son, she left her newborn daughter to fend for herself, which shows her not too much in a good light. But she does come back after a while.
Ursula Buendia has her own way of dealing with things. She begins working in her candy making business, and seems to forget about her daughter Amaranta and the other girl who seems to be some kind of distant relative, Rebeca. They are getting older, but she is too busy to notice. This again does not show her to be good mother. But as she realizes that her kids are growing, she wants to enlarge the house for them to all live happily. This does somewhat seem a little selfish, because she wants them to stay with her forever. However, she makes her kids happy by bringing the finest furnishings for them to enjoy, but this also has some selfish qualities to it. She wants to show off the new mansion to everyone in Macondo, and make them jealous. I believe she does succeed, because Ursula makes some townspeople feel inferior to her, since they are not allowed in the new home.
Ursula Buendia is upset when her favorite daughter-in-law dies, and mourns for her death. But then her son comes back and she is overjoyed when she sees Jose Arcadio. Any mother would feel this way at seeing their prodigal son. She was disappointed at his adventures, as he escaped death on different occasions. As a mother and a grandmother, she demonstrates all of the regular feelings, disappointment, happiness, and, more than anything, worry. Yet, she never seems to give up on any of her children or grandchildren. She looks out for them as best as possible, but when they hurt her more than anything, she disowns Jose Arcadio and Rebeca for getting married. This seems to be an overreaction on Ursula’s behalf, since they are really not related despite the fact that Ursula has raised Rebeca like another daughter.
Ursula Buendia is a stubborn mother. She does not understand the ways of her daughter, Amaranta, that she refuses love. A confused Ursula questions her kids’ actions. Therefore, when, Amaranta loses herself to solitude, her mother gives up all hope. That may have been a good idea, since Amaranta does nothing to make herself happy, and Ursula would have not been able to do anything for her either. This unhappiness and disappointment is further felt when she finds out that her grandson has a wife and a daughter. She is upset over that, but when he is in danger, she attempts to protect her. Yet he ends up protecting Ursula when she is put in danger herself. A good grandma protects her kids at all costs, even at the cost of her own life.
Despite all the hardships that her son has put her through, Ursula is very sad at Jose Arcadio’s death. Ursula’s role was not just limited to motherhood, but a wife too. Jose Arcadio Buendia is sill alive but is crazy. Yet when she learns of his prominent death, she takes care of him until his dying day. This shows that despite the fact that she did not get along with her husband any more, she still cared about him enough to care for him in his time of need.
As everyone grows older, and grows apart, Ursula still maintains the home for whoever wants to live there. She suffers still, as more death occurs, but never loses her love for her descendants. She begins to lose her sight, but realizes that everyone does the same routine everyday. This helps her get along through life, and helps her live to a ripe old age. She eventually loses her sense of time and reality. But after a few years, Ursula regains her health. She returns to living the way she used to, taking care of everyone and the house. But, on Good Friday, Ursula Buendia dies of old age.
Ursula Buendia served as a good mother and a good wife. She had two sons and three daughters, who gave her both joy and anger. Her eldest gave her the longest line of descendants, but her middle son gave her many grandchildren, although all were brutally murdered. Her great grandchildren were not as disappointing as others, and she got to see them blossom, and even saw one of them ascended into heaven. Ursula had the opportunity to watch her great-great grandchildren grow as well, before she died. Therefore, Ursula Buendia was the kind of person who wanted what was best for her children, who did everything in her power to keep them happy, and was very stubborn in her ways. Her stubbornness is what drove her to many of her actions and decisions concerning her family of fellow Buendias.