The harsh nature in which loves consumes us can also contain our heart and soul for an eternity. Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera confronts what is held to be the most sacred of human emotions as its primary theme and source of conflict. This emotion, of course, is love but Marquez's take on it in is anything but simple. Marquez seems to be acknowledging throughout the the novel that love does indeed exist. He presents love in so many different ways that it makes it tough to come to a conclusion on the nature of love, but through careful analysis of the work one can build a strong case for the existence of love. In addition to dealing with love in all its countless faces, the reader must also be willing to deal with those things which are an intangible part of love and passion: human institutions such as marriage and courtship, and both the trivial and major problems that are the unavoidable burdens of love. These accompanying factors of love are what, in the case of this novel; allow one to argue for its existence. The family unit must certainly be counted as one of the aforementioned institutions. When the results of the interactions within the numerous families in the novel, especially the Daza's, are summed up, the result appears to leave no doubt at the existence of love. The second major theme in the novel is that of death and aging. Florentino experiences terrible anxiety and dread whenever he contemplates his approaching demise. It is clear that it is only through the power of love that Florentino is able to overcome these fears. Another telling testament to love's existence is the fact that Florentino and Fermina finally find happiness after they have found the strength to follow their heart whereas nearly every other relationship whose foundation is less ideal does not flourish. Perhaps the most firm ground on which one can base a defense or argument for the existence ...