Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Blog Post #7

"So that she finally deserved, as much as the others, the name of Rebeca Buendia, the only one that she ever had and that she bore with dignity until her death" (43)
"...she baptized the girl with the name Remedios...the twins were named Jose Arcadio Segundo and Aureliano Segundo. Amaranta took care of them all." (130-131)

Something that I've noticed during my reading is the importance of both family and names, and how familial bond is expressed through name. The Buendia family grows and develops throughout the book, through marriages, children (legitimate and illegitimate, adoptions), and friends. Even though there are falling outs, for the most part there is a general sense of love and connection. I think this is especially apparent when Rebeca gets her name, and when Arcadio's children are named. Rebeca shows up with only a letter and a bag of bones and she is immediately taken in, and after a while, to symbolize her being accepted into the family, she is finally given a name that she is proud of. When Arcadio's kids were named, all of them were given names of relatives (which isn't the first time this was done). This was done to honor those who the children were named after. I think the Buendia family uses names to enhance their relationships, as well as to demonstrate them. This explains why the family tree at the beginning of the book is so confusing and repetetive; the family names hold meaning beyond just a single person's identity.

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