Review

García Márquez’s fluent use of magical realism in ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ infuses his prose with a captivating enchantment. Through this literary technique, he effortlessly intertwines the fantastical with the ordinary, blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination. This unique approach not only adds a touch of mysticism to the story but also allows the reader to explore the depths of human emotions and experiences in a truly extraordinary manner.

Style of Prose

One of the defining characteristics of Márquez’s writing style is his adept use of magical realism, a literary style that impressively blurs the boundaries between the surreal and the real. In ‘Love in the Time of Cholera,‘ Márquez effortlessly weaves magical elements into an otherwise realistic narrative. By employing a serious tone to depict extraordinary events and characters, he renders the extraordinary ordinary. This infusion of magical realism imparts a dreamlike essence to the novel, thereby intensifying the emotional resonance of the narrative. An example of this technique in action is shown in the character of Jeremiah de Saint-Amour, an eccentric personality who successfully reverses the aging process and experiences rejuvenation. This extraordinary occurrence is presented in a matter-of-fact manner, delineating the boundaries between reality and the realm of magic. It serves as a significant commentary on the elusive essence of time and the relentless pursuit of eternal youth.

Symbolism in Love in the Time of Cholera

By employing symbolism, García Márquez elevates the story to a higher plane, inviting readers to delve into the profound depths of ‘Love in the Time of Cholera.’ The riverboat journey, with its symbolic connotations, adds a layer of complexity to the characters’ experiences, allowing us to grasp the profound emotions and challenges they face in their pursuit of love.

The riverboat journey serves as a powerful metaphor for the ebb and flow of life itself. Just as the riverboat navigates the unpredictable currents, so do the characters navigate the unpredictable tides of love. This symbolism not only enhances our understanding of the characters’ journey but also invites us to reflect on the universal human experience of love and its inherent complexities.

Cholera’s Yellow Flag

The gesture made by the captain when he raises the yellow flag to alert other ports to the presence of cholera on board represents Florentino’s ultimate submission to his plague of desires. He has finally allowed Fermina’s love to consume him, just as a cholera victim would before dying.

The Eggplant

In ‘Love in the Time of Cholera,’ the eggplant serves as a symbol of the absurdity and unpredictable nature of human emotions. As a young woman, Fermina Daza is certain that she despises eggplant, to the extent that she even puts up eating it as a requirement to marry Florentino Ariza. When Fermina marries Dr. Juvenal Urbino, she suffers because his mother, Doña Blanca, cooks eggplant frequently. Nevertheless, after trying eggplant for the first time without realizing what she was eating, Fermina realizes that she actually enjoys the vegetable, and at the end of the book, she cooks it for Florentino on their river trip, signifying her newly discovered happiness and affection.

Fermina’s sudden change of heart about eggplant is reminiscent of some of her other abrupt emotional shifts, such as the time she declared she had no feelings for Florentino despite their shared declarations of love. Her emotional swings from hatred to resignation to uncontrollable passion underscore the enigmatic nature of personal preferences and the unpredictable nature of human emotions, suggesting that love (and hate) may fluctuate throughout a person’s life, bringing joy and suffering in unpredictable ways. This underscores the absurdity of human inner life, which can change from one opinion to another without apparent reason.

Disasters in Love in the Time of Cholera

‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ is replete with disasters, which stand in for invisible barriers to happiness. Whether the disasters stem from human activity (deforestation, hunting, adultery, and murder), animal behavior (the German mastiff’s killing rampage at the Urbinos’ villa), or a combination of human and animal forces, the events cause personal, local, and universal tragedies for the characters.

A Camellia Flower

As a symbol of his unwavering love for her, Florentino sends Fermina white camellias in many of his letters; however, in Chapter 1, Fermina returns the ones he sends her after she refuses the first one he hands her from his lapel. By refusing the camellias, Fermina expresses her rejection of Florentino and his offer of love; she does not want to be tied to him. By refusing the “flowers of promise,” Fermina not only resists any obligation to her lover but also, in her eyes, aids in dashing Florentino’s thoughts of marriage.

Critical Reception of Love in the Time of Cholera

‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ was met with rave reviews when it was first published in 1985. Readers commended Márquez for his rich prose, complex storytelling, and examination of enduring love. The novel was also well-received for its deep characterizations, the author’s distinctive fusion of magical realism, and its moving portrayal of human relationships.

In an assessment for The New York Times, literary critic Michiko Kakutani gave the book high marks, writing: “Mr. García Márquez has revealed how the extraordinary is contained in the ordinary… The result is a rich, commodious novel, a novel whose narrative power is matched only by its generosity of vision. Rather than drawing on myths and dreams to illuminate the imaginative life of a people, as he has done so often in the past.”

Writing for The New York Times as well, Thomas Pynchon contended that “this novel is also revolutionary in daring to suggest that vows of love made under a presumption of immortality—young idiocy, to some—may yet be honored, much later in life, when we ought to know better, in the face of the undeniable. There is nothing I have read quite like this astonishing final chapter, symphonic, sure in its dynamics and tempo, moving like a riverboat too, and at the very best, it results in works that can even return our worn souls to us.”