Active Reading for Chapters 14-17

Magical realism in this novel often is a hyperbole of major worldly problems or events. Fernanda sees invisible doctors. This might be symbolic of how much of the underdeveloped world doesn't have health care. Amaranta had to make her "death clothes" and when she finished them, she would die. Death is personified. This could be symbolic of how many people kill themselves by being reckless and not being critical thinkers through their actions (i.e. smoking). Butterflies follow Mauricio (who is in love with Meme) wherever he goes. This is symbolic of how wonderful and perfect he is in Meme's eyes. Jose Arcadio Segundo thought he saw a train full of dead people. This is forshadowing for the eventual demise of Macondo. Another occurance of foreshadowing is when it rained for four years straight and then there was a drough for ten years. People just stayed inside their houses during this rain when they could be doing something to make use of it or make roofs outside, etc. They are the opposite of existentialist. Jose Arcadio Segundo and Aureliano Segundo die at the same time, as they were born at the same time and they put them in the wrong graves.
Even though Mama is happy with Mauricio, she has him shot and sends her daughter away when she's pregnant. It's sort of ironic how Fernanda lets her husband have an affair so that he'll be happy, but she won't let her daughter be with Mauricio, who seems like a really great guy. This shows how authority figures can be wrong.
Amaranta Ursula, the daughter of Fernanda, is very different from Ursula, since she is sick and sly. She isn't a matriarchal figure. She is the first person to have the repeated name of Ursula. When she was young, Ursula was logical and didn't have much magically realistic about her life. However, as she got older and blind she sees her ancestors and she sees JAB under the chestnut tree. However, she still seems to be the most observant and thinking person, since she knows that Meme is getting drunk and is not really sick.
Meme has a really good relationship with her father, but not with her mother. Her harsh relationship with her mother causes her to go from being a good student and musician to an alcoholic who chases after a boy. Fernanda is the archetypeo of a bad mother who loves one child and not the other.
Amaranta is isolated from everyone else. She died suddenly. Fernanda was isolated after she decided to banish Meme without the consent of her husband. Meme is isolated because of her banishment.
The theme is still how history repeats itself, circular history.
"Then she asked Ursula for a mirror and for the first time in more than forty years she saw her face, devastated by age nd martyrdom, and she was surprised at how much she resembled the mental image that she had of herself (282)." Only by looking at yourself and reflecting your life can you change it for the better. Fernanda looks at herself too late in her life and can't change anything she did to create that face for herself.
"It's as if the world were repeating itself (298)." Ursula again sees that history repeats itself in every way. Everyone makes the same mistakes, in their ignorance.
'"You must h ave been dreaming," the officers insisted. "Nothing has happened in Macondo, nothing ever will happen. This is a happy town (310)." This is true because nothing that changed the world or the town for the better ever happened in Macondo. They never had any breakthoughs. All that happened was that people were born, they made mistakes, and they died. This vicious circle continued for about 120 years so far.