World Literature 1

The Negative Portrayal of War in One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia

Marquez and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

In both The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende and One Hundred Years of

Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, there are many underlying themes in the overall

message that each author is aiming to convey to a target audience. Perhaps one of the

most important of these themes is each novel’s political standing and the way in which

each portrays war. Though Allende’s views are more Liberal and Marquez’s views are

neither Liberal nor Conservative, both novels portray war as being irrational and

unnecessarily violent.

When trying to understand each of these novels’ portrayals of war, it is first

important to consider the presentation and portrayal of political groups in each novel. In

The House of the Spirits, there is a clear bias to a Socialistic government. This political

inclination is best shown through Allende’s characterization of the Conservative party.

One example of this negative portrayal of the Conservative party is shown when

Esteban says “They need someone to do their thinking for them, someone around to

make decisions, someone to help them” (Allende 283).Esteban is a leader in the right-

winged political campaign throughout the novel and portrays Allende’s view of the

Conservative party. Through this quote, Allende shows the controlling attitude of the

Conservatives in the novel by exhibiting Esteban’s condescending attitude toward the

peasants of Tres Marias. Through parallel structure and the repetition of the word

“someone” (Allende 283), Allende shows the Conservative view of a government ruled

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by an individual, but simultaneously discredits this idea through Esteban’s insinuating

that the peasants could not think for themselves. This domineering governmental force

is similarly depicted in One Hundred Years of Solitude when Don Apolinar Moscote tries

to force the people of Macondo to paint their houses blue. Before Moscote arrives,

Macondo had developed as an ideal society. “No one was upset that the government

had not helped them. On the contrary, they were happy that up until then it had let them

grow in peace” (Marquez 61). Through the introduction of organized government into

Macondo, Marquez creates a feeling of unease and distrust toward the future of political

institutions in the future of Macondo. While Allende specifically shows the flaws in a

Conservative government and Marquez shows the flaws in any form of organized

government, both negatively portray superfluous government control.

In addition to describing political affiliations, characterization is also used to

demonstrate the damaging effects of war. The main characters in these novels that best

exemplify the destruction of war are Esteban Trueba in The House of the Spirits and

Colonel Aureliano Buendia in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Esteban Trueba

embodies the mindset of Conservatives as portrayed by Allende and, in the novel, is

described as a leading figure in the conservative political system. He is originally

depicted as a power-hungry and overbearing ruler. At one point, when Allende is

describing his short stature, she says he is “Prepared to ignore the problem of his

height, since all great politicians in history had been small, from Napoleon to Hitler”

(Allende 245). Through this quote, Allende not only ridicules Esteban, but also

juxtaposes him with two of the most hated Fascist dictators. This allusion shows his

despotic nature and even foreshadows the Fascist regime later in the novel. However,

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he becomes actively involved in the military coup and in doing so loses his

granddaughter. After the “plainclothesmen” take Alba away from her home, Esteban is

described as “the pathetic figure of her grandfather, pale as wax, trembling in his

nightshirt and shoeless” (Allende 403). The imagery of a terrified old man shows the

dynamic change in Esteban’s character as well as the overall depravity that so often

follows war. This scenario in its entirety is a clear demonstration by Allende to arouse

negative feelings in regard to war.

Just as in The House of the Spirits, One Hundred Years of Solitude also uses

characterization as a key tool for demonstrating the negative impact of war. In this

novel, Colonel Aureliano Buendia succumbs to the “intoxication of power” (Marquez

181). Colonel Aureliano realizes the heartlessness and predictability behind his military

leadership because of the war. Marquez states “[Colonel Aureliano’s] orders were being

carried out even before they were given, even before he thought of them, and they

always went much beyond what he could have dared have them do” (181). Aureliano

had become emotionless with the progression of the war, but the quote also shows how

the war reverted to uncontrollable violence on its own. Marquez first describes the

hardened Aureliano as being harsh, but then shows a pitying tone toward him further in

the description. Marquez later characterizes him with the statement “Lost in the solitude

of his immense power, he began to lose direction” (Marquez 181). The idea of being lost

shows the loss of purpose that Colonel Aureliano experiences after going through the

war, and it emphasizes the aspect of solitude. In addition to this, Aureliano is portrayed

as having an “inner coldness” (182) that “tortured him” (182) and that he is “more

solitary than ever” (182). The melancholy diction surrounding Aureliano emphasizes

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how he changes as a character and is ultimately a tool used by Marquez to convey the

detrimental impact of war. As in The House of the Spirits, Marquez elaborates the idea

that war envelops the lives of the main characters, and creates a sense of isolation

within them.

In addition to characterization, imagery is a key technique used in these novels to

show the damages of war. In The House of the Spirits, the horror of war is described

best through the military coup. Jaime is captured in the middle of the overthrow, and

reminisces over the fact that “until the day before, he had been convinced that nothing

like this would ever happen in his country and that even the military respected the law”

(Allende 369). This shows how sudden the overthrow was, and how far the military had

gone in attempt to conquer the president. With a tone of terror, the scene was

established as a battlefield; “the whole building was in flames,” (369) “He could only

offer words of comfort and close the eyes of the dead” (370) “They never again saw him

alive” (370). Through these gruesome images, Allende reprimands the act of war, and

through pathos, strives for the reader to concede with this thought process. As in the

scene of the firing squad, the authors’ goals are to daunt their audiences from the terror

of war.

In One Hundred Years of Solitude this is shown at the height of the climax

through the scene of the firing squad as they slaughter thousands of civilians. The

horrors of the scene are well-expressed in the quote: “’Get down! Get down!’ The

people in the front had already done so, swept by the wave of bullets” (Marquez 329).

Marquez portrays this event with a morbid tone to emphasize the state of confusion and

distress in which the civilians are shown. In another instance, Marquez describes “a

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woman kneeling with her arms in the shape of a cross…. Before the colossal troop

wiped out the empty space, the kneeling woman… and the whorish world where Ursula

had sold so many little candy animals” (Marquez 329). The biblical allusion stresses the

anguish of the masses of people who are unjustly murdered. In addition to this,

Marquez draws nostalgic feelings in reference to the candy animals Ursula used to

make. The candy animals here represent the innocence of Macondo’s past. Marquez

also uses vivid detail in the description of the crowd as they are massacred. Through

bitter depiction of the crowd being “penned in” (329) and making the shape of a

“dragon’s tail” (329), a general feeling of agony is constructed toward the people. As a

whole, the entire scene displays the terror and overall senselessness of war.

Overall, Both The House of the Spirits and One Hundred Years of Solitude

portray war as a serious sacrifice, and use methods of fear to gain the support for

peace. Through detailed imagery of violent onslaught and the characterization of those

who have felt the effects of war, these authors illustrate the foolishness behind the need

for armed conflict. The lesson to be learned from this theme is that war is not the

answer.

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Works Cited

Allende, Isabel. The house of the spirits . Trans. Magda Bogin. Bantam ed. New York: Bantam

Books, 1986. Print.

Márquez, Gabriel. One hundred years of solitude  . Trans. Gregory Rabassa. 1st ed. New York:

Harper & Row, 1970. Print.