Active Reading: Chapter Two

ACTIVE READING: CHAPTER TWO

Quotes
"You go home and get a weapon, because I'm going to kill you."
Jose Arcadio Buendia is talking to Prudencio Aguilar, who was talking smack to Jose after losing a cockfight. Aguilar made an insulting remark regarding Jose and Ursula by saying, "Congratulations! Maybe that rooster of yours can do your wife a favor."
This infuriated Jose, and he followed up on his word and killed Aguilar with a spear.

Magical Realism
An example of magical realism in chapter two is the uncle being born with the tail of a pig because he was born out of an incestuous romantic experience.

Themes
Anger and death. In the situation I am using, both are going on simultaneously. Jose Arcadio Buendia and Prudencio Aguilar are angry with each other after Jose defeats Prudencio in a cock fight (well, Jose's rooster does...whatever), Prudencio gets wise, and Jose take's Prudencio's life as a result.

Character Development
We start to think that maybe Jose is a hard-ass (for lack of a better term), but we see that maybe he is just insecure with himself and his relationship with his wife. He keeps Prudencio's corpse for some reason, and Ursula is hallucinating, thinking that she see's Prudencio at random moments. Jose again is defensive towards Prudencio (this time, his dead body) and tells him to "go to hell." I don't see what he is gaining from threatening a dead man.

Summary
Chapter two is probably highlighted by Jose murdering Prudencio and then the events that follow it. Ursula has hallucinations about Prudencio, and Jose becomes highly annoyed, to the point where Prudencio haunts him as well. People in their town begin to talk behind their backs about their incestuous relationship (Jose and Ursula are cousins), and some even make comments to their faces regarding it. This bothers them, but they love each other so they are able to let it go, for the most part. After the murder, Jose again wants to put the majority of his focus on his scientific studies.