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A Reflection on Spirituality and One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel Garcia Marquezs One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel that embodies the

complex simplicity of life in every way. The novel is unique because it follows each character

from start to finish. Life, death, birth, sickness, mental deterioration, love, lustthe cycle of life

in its entirety appears in its pages. Its content can be interpreted multiple ways, and everyone can

take something away from it whether they are from a Latin American background or not. The

most interesting concept of the novel, is its relatability and applicability. The fact that the plot is

split between the town itself, which is viewed by some as a character, and the seven generations

of the Buendia family offers readers countless opportunities to form connections. In attempting

to rationalize and explain the abrupt ending of the novel, I found myself pondering my own

views on spirituality. Though the novel does not necessarily comment on religion, aside from the

occasional references to Christianity, my mind kept shifting to religions like Hinduism, Jainism,

and Buddhism. Each of these religions holds their own beliefs about reincarnation, destiny,

karma, and how to achieve liberation and happiness. Upon further research and reflection, there

are meaningful connections between Buddhism and the novel (though that was likely not

Marquezs goal) that helped me as a reader to feel closely connected to the book and more

certain of my beliefs on life and happiness.

Buddhism is a complex and long-established religion. Its followers, just like those of all

other religions have different interpretations and practices, dependent on who you ask. There are

different branches and styles of Buddhism. This knowledge is important to keep in mind, when

analyzing any text with a religious lens. There are, however, basic principles that define

Buddhism. Buddhists believe in The Four Noble Truths: 1. That suffering is universal, 2. That

attachment and desire are the causes of suffering, 3. That there is an end to said suffering, 4. That
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the end of suffering can be reached through The Noble Eightfold Path (Cutler 7). The Noble

Eightfold Path is a list that when followed, according to Buddhist beliefs, can lead to the final

goal (enlightenment). The Noble Eightfold Path calls for right understanding, right thinking,

right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right

concentration. Failure to follow these guidelines leads to continuation in the cycle of

reincarnation or rebirth (samsara) (Cutler 10). In Buddhist tradition, Karma is not an

accumulation, but a balance. There is good and bad Karma that carries over from past lives and

manifests in good or bad experiences (Karma). The last two steps of the Eighfold Path as

mentioned, are mindfulness and concentration. Mindfulness, in a simplified definition, is being

aware of yourself and of the world around you in the present moment. Concentration deals with

deep reflection (meditation), which can eventually lead to enlightenment (Cutler 15). This final

state is described by Buddhist Monk and author Matthieu Ricard as a state of perfect knowledge

or wisdom, combined with infinite compassion (Ricard). In this context, knowledge is not the

kind that is used to recall facts about a certain subject. It is light that defeats ignorance, defined

as a distorted vision of reality that makes us think that what we see around us is permanent and

solid, or that our self is a real, autonomous entity (Ricard). Enlightenment is lifting the veil of

distortion on our lives and seeing the world as it truly is. Through all of this, with application to

the novel, we can see the value of emotional intelligence, well-intended actions, and true

understanding of self and surroundings. Following steps to be free from suffering might sound

contradictory to the Latin American theme of destiny, but in a sense, it fits. The members of the

Buendia family are trapped in a cyclical state of repetition (samsara) because they are unable to

recognize the detrimental effects of their selfish and emotion driven actions, until they are
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liberated, when Aureliano II finally deciphers Malquiedes writings, becoming aware of their

reality.

One of Buddhisms key focuses is on the importance of mindfulness, which is an idea

that shows up in the novel. One passage from the novel that speaks to this concept is when the

narrator states, Thus they went on living in a reality that was slipping away, momentarily

captured by words, but which would escape irremediably when they forgot the values of the

written letters (Marquez 47). At this point, the characters in the novel are so busy with change

and their own lives, that everything begins to lose meaning. Even though the way that time

passes in the book is not exactly how it does in real life, they are not that different. Sometimes

we live our lives in a blur, forgetting what it is we really live for and when we look up, so much

time has passed that it feels unreal. That is the beauty of this book and magical realism.

Everything seems so extraordinary, yet always relates back to the lives that we live every day.

This is one example, but the characters of the novel constantly neglect mindfulness. In complete

contrast with the Noble Eightfold Path, and the mindful awareness of self and surroundings

encouraged by Buddhism, the characters live with only their own goals and desires in mind; for

this reason, violence, misfortune, and despair follow them. Thus, they are stuck in the endless

cycle of reincarnation and suffering.

The most obvious connection between Buddhism and the novel is the idea of

reincarnation. Though Garcia Marquez does not state that the characters are being reincarnated,

one who has knowledge of the belief can make this connection. Each character comes into the

world with the same dispositions as their parents before them, if not magnified, and with names

that are repeated through the generations. Their decisions, though overreactions most of the time,

can be predicted by their personality traits. For example, all of the Jose Arcadios are impulsive
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men, driven by their physical desires. This relates to Buddhist beliefs because, The Buddhists,

though they deny an enduring self, do posit that the nexus of human pain and suffering (dukha)

resides in the residues of past karmas (Chapple). Different from Hindu or Jain beliefs,

Buddhists do not believe in an eternal soul. Instead, their beliefs state that each living being has a

set of personality traits or characteristics that endure after death, until finding a new body. This is

because Buddhists believe in the impermanence of the world. In the same way, the characters are

not exactly the same, but they are extremely similar. One Jose Arcadio is skinny and smaller, a

ball of energy, while the other is a huge man, who shakes the ground beneath him when he walls.

Both are energetic and passionate men, but in different ways. The impermanence of the world,

though it is all prewritten, is shown in the way that the town is constantly in flux, being swayed

by each person who encounters it. Furthermore, in each generation, the cycle of dysfunction

repeats itself. In a way, one could argue that the characters bad Karma follows them into the

next cycle, keeping them from progressing. At each new generation, the reader expects

something to change, for one character to overcome their destiny, and save the family, but the

cycles continue for what seems like eternity. Then, when it finally does end, and the cycle

breaks, it is just as shocking.

The town of Macondo and the Buendia family reach their end in what seems like an

instant. In reality, that is how life ends. There is a big battle and story behind it, but the firefight

ends in one flash. When Aureliano II rushes to the house to translate the writings of Malquiades,

he finds ultimate wisdom in the scrolls. He knows now that everything that has happened in his

family was predicted by Malquiedes. After suffering the loss of his child, who was eaten by ants,

he was at his lowest point, and when he deciphers the scrolls he learns, he would never leave

that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the
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wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment when Aureliano Babilonia

would finish deciphering the parchmentseverything written on them was unrepeatable since

time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude

did not have a second opportunity on earth (Marquez 417). On the one hand, this ending

connects closely to the idea of a fixed destiny, a common theme in LA Lit. On the other hand,

what was it that Aureliano was searching for? In his despair, could he have been reflecting on his

life, and looking for the truth? In the end, it is possible that he finally found a moment of ability

to live mindfully, and in his search for truth, he found enlightenment, ending the cycle of misery

at last. This does not completely align with Buddhist beliefs, since Enlightenment can only be

reached after years of practice and reflection, and not all the connections are perfect, but there is

some correlation and this perspective offers a fresh take on the novel. Finally, the ending to the

novel might seem depressing to some, but as a reader, I grew frustrated with the Buendia family

and found myself feeling sorry for them. To me, they seemed trapped, and though the death of

the baby, and the fact that they were swept from the Earth without a trace was indeed a little sad,

I was almost relieved. Their disappearance seemed for liberating to me. They were free from

suffering (samsara) and had reached at least some semblance of understanding and wisdom

through Aureliano IIs translations. In one last look at this concept, when considering what it

means to be enlightened, some Buddhists state that one must be empty enough to receive the

knowledge. They need to have let go of all attachments and selfish desires. In the novel,

Aureliano has already lost those things that he was most attached to. His wife and child had just

died, leaving him with nothing to be attached to. In effect, the reader is left with a similar (on a

smaller scale) feeling of emptiness. Thus, they are open to new perspectives and understandings

of self and life.

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Ultimately, though the theme of destiny is strongly conveyed in the novel, Marquez does

make some references to the power of individual action. For example, when Aureliano Jose dies,

the narrator states, he had been destined to find with her the happiness that Amaranta had

denied him, to have seven children, and to die in her arms of old age, but the bullethad been

directed by a wrong interpretation of the cards (Marquez 343). Thus, because of someones

actions, Aureliano Joses destiny is changed, and he dies. Then, Marquez adds more confusion

when the narrator continues, Captain Aquiles Ricardo, who was really the one destined to die

that night, didfour hours before Aureliano Jos. As soon as the shot was heard he was brought

down by two simultaneous bullets whose origin was never established (Marquez 343).

Therefore, destiny plays the final role, but individual action does have some effect. In Buddhism,

this is a topic that is up for debate, though some do believe that destiny does exist and is

important, they also believe that everything is always changing. Obviously, the concept is

complicated, but one thing is for sure. Marquezs novel speaks to the history of Latin America

and shows what happens when people live in solitude, are ruled by worldly possessions and

malicious feelings, and fail to be a part of the change that surrounds them. In Marquezs Nobel

Prize Acceptance Speech, his purpose becomes clear when he states, Latin America neither

wants nor has any reason, to be a pawn without a will of its own; nor is it merely wishful

thinking that its quest for independence and originality should become a Western aspiration

(Marquez). Throughout his speech, he discusses the position of the Latin American people, who

have little control over what happens in their own homes (countries). He argues that they have

been victims to colonialism, but their predisposition toward solitude is another way in which

they lose what little control they have. Latin American people need to take active part in their

own destiny and work together to reclaim their fate, while those who are currently stifling their
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voices need to loosen their grasp. Clearly, the characters in the novel never learn this. They do

not consider their suffering in another light or see their connection to each other. They neglect

the virtues and values laid out by Buddhism, trapping them in an endless cycle, until their entire

world disappears.

Conclusion

As shown through the research and reflection presented, One Hundred Years of Solitude can be

interpreted in multiple ways. It has been a milestone in Latin American Literature, shining light

on beautiful writing that had flown under the radar. Furthermore, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

utilized the style of magical realism wonderfully to exemplify the struggle of Latin American

countries and peoples. His implementation of each of the topics and themes most common to LA

Lit shows his dedication, personal connection to, and love for the people. The vast content of the

novel makes it accessible to many kinds of readers, and allows the freedom for readers like me to

reflect on their spirituality and understanding of life. Finally, by creating such an applicable and

relatable novel, he opened understanding and communication to countries around the world,

giving voice to Latin America, a voice that so often goes unheard.

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