The Role of Revolutionary Characters in One Hundred Years of Solitude and The House of Spirit

The Role of Revolutionary Characters in One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marques) and The House of Spirits. (Isabelle Allende)

The history of Latin American is a turbulent one: various European cultures have imposed themselves upon the indigenous civilisations, often warping the identity. Portuguese for example, is the language of Brazil, due to the colonisation that took place. This resulted in perpetual upheaval combined with social disparity which can lead to a heightened revolutionary mentality, where the people are looking for change for the better.

This situation of flux coupled with revolutionary events can be seen reflected in the personal lives of characters seen in both novels; in an attempt to regain some control over their lives, they frequently try to challenge or overthrow the forces that control them, which include tradition, family and the political sphere. An example of this is Pedro Tercero, the young rebel who's willing to speak truth to power, even if it means risking his life. The purpose of these characters representations are to act embodiments of the conflict present in these stories and to be symbols of change and hope to others, whether they themselves feel the same way is unimportant.

Many of the characters in these novels embrace the idea that revolution is a positive force; they inspire others to overthrow what may be perceived as their lot in life, perhaps challenging the old order. The impact of this revolution is that as the situation changes, those different characters have power and can begin to make their own decisions and begin to change their identities, but not always for the better. Both novels allow revolutionaries to alter the beliefs and views of others and become id...

... middle of paper ...

...spire and are symbols of the alternative lives people can lead. The positive benefits of their work may be over turned by their opposition but they still provide hope, and their impact, however small, provides a lasting legacy that can redeem many people.

However in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, there is no sense of hope, the legacy of the Buendia’s is destroyed and they are wiped from history. Their greatest achievements and impacts are forgotten or warped by others for their own gain, they’re journey suggests that their attempts at freeing themselves as a family and trying to bring about good, were always doomed to failure due to the selfish nature of their circumstances and is fulfilled by being forgotten.

Works Cited

The Role of Revolutionary Characters in One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marques) and The House of Spirits. (Isabelle Allende)