Marquez, Solitude and Imperialism
             Imperialism is a policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations, Whereas solitude is the state or quality of being alone or remote from others (dictionary.com). Having this in mind and true to the book's title, One Hundred Years of Solitude examines and analyzes the effect of foreign invasions on society. In this novel, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the brilliant magical realistic novelist, constitutes the concept of solitude through combining two different worlds - the joyous world of fantasy and the world of despair and violence. In this masterfully written novel, the political and social incidents confining the Latin America, the biographical details of his early life and his family, and the cultural aspects of the Spanish traditions contribute to the creation of a response of suppression and a sense of solitary powerlessness against the foreign imperialism of nineteenth century of Colombia.
             One Hundred years of Solitude is a narrative that celebrates the historical facts of Colombia since it won its independence from Spain. However, the kind of democracy that was earned did not contribute much to the formation of peace, justice, and equal right in the colony of Colombia. In 1849, the country of Colombia experienced a great dispute between the two political parties: the conservative part and Liberals. As a result of this, the government laid the foundation to a rebellious Civil War during the nineteenth century. On of the consequences of this endless war was the effects it had on isolating Colombia, which reveals one of the major elements that Marquez points out in his work. One of the other elements that influenced his writing was his semi-personal experience that he had about the war. For instance, the author's grandfather, the old Colonel, was a wartime hero who fo...