REFLECTIVE 2/28/2007

So far I think that "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is hard to keep up with. In the sense that everyone has the same name. In chapter one the reader is introduced to Jose Arcadio Buendia. He is quite a character. He believes and is fascinated by everything the gypsies tell him. I don't think he is dumb for believing everything they say, he simply wants to learn and explore. He is the only one in Macondo that wants to progress in life. Well at least that is the way I see it. His wife Ursula is not very supportive of her husband’s actions. She sees it as moving backward instead of progressing. She always just ends up complying with what her husband does. Since she is so caught up with what her husband does I feel as though she has no time for her children. For example, Jose jr. is already having sex with an older woman, and has gone as far as getting her pregnant! I think they need to pay more attention to their kids. When Jose Jr. left with the gypsies Jose Sr. didn't even care. The way Jose Jr. is feeling is reflective of the name of the book. He is feeling lonely and therefore he leaves with the gypsies. All in all, I think that the book so far is interesting, although I didn't understand who founded what or when Macondo was established. I don't understand how everyone is younger than thirty years of age. If Jose Sr. is not even thirty, and Jose Jr. is already fourteen then does that mean that Ursula had him when she was in her early teen years? If so, it is quite disturbing to know that she had sex with her own cousin at such a young age. In conclusion, I look forward to the rest of this book.