Active Reading: Chapter Twenty

ACTIVE READING: CHAPTER TWENTY

Quotes
"Many years ago there used to be a street here with that name and in those days people had the custom of naming their children after streets."
This is a priest's response to the idea of the Buendia family.
"...Colonel Aureliano Buendia fought thirty-two cili wars and lost them all...the army hemmed in and machine-gunned three thousand workers and that their bodies were carried off to be thrown into the sea on a train with two hundred cars."
This is Aureliano II trying to convince the priest of the past, but he doesn't buy it: "Oh, my son. It's enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment."
This is a great example of how the once ever so important Buendia family now means absolutely nothing.

Magical Realism
The deciphering of Melquiade's prophecies to be the history of the Buendia family, as well as everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen with the family.

Themes
The ending of an era. Finally the Buendia family will end altogether, much of which has to do with bad decisions made by the family as a whole through all of the generations. Most of the pain is self inflicted.

Character Development
Aureliano II and Amaranta Ursula have a child named Aureliano III. Just was warned, it has a pig tail because it was born from an incestuous relationship. Amaranta Ursula dies.

Summary
Aureliano II and Amaranta Ursula have a child named Aureliano III. As predicted by Ursula, it has a big tail because it is a product of incest. Soon after giving birth, Amaranta dies from bleeding. He flees to drink with his former hooker girlfriend, and forgets the child. At this point, he knows the family is over. He isolates himself, determined to understand what Melquiade's prophecies mean. Finally, he realizes that it is the Buendia family history. Melquiades tells of what will happen, and everything is totally accurate. He even writes about Aureliano II reading the prophecies. While this goes on, the town is washed away into nothing but a memory.