The Pivotal Role of Melquiades in The Magical Realism of One Hundred Years of Solitude

Abstract

Melquiades is a complex and enigmatic character in One Hundred Years of Solitude.  His suspension between fact and fantasy marks him as the signature contributor to the magical realism for which the novel is widely acclaimed. This study aims to examine the nature of his role in the interaction between reality and unreality which seems to portend the fortunes of the Buendia family and the fate of their town Macondo. Since his character is marked by a recurring ebb and flow between verity and illusion, it is expedient to deploy the lens of a theory or theories which deal with the symbiotic relationship between these two polar opposites which, in their various perspectives and permutations, coalesce to form the unique depiction of magical realism in this novel. To this purpose, two theoretical works are utilized in this study. The first is Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community (1995) by Roh, F. et. al., and the second is A Short Melquiades is a complex and enigmatic character in One Hundred Years of Solitude.  His suspension between fact and fantasy marks him as the signature contributor to the magical realism for which the novel is widely acclaimed. This study aims to examine the nature of his role in the interaction between reality and unreality which seems to portend the fortunes of the Buendia family and the fate of their town Macondo. Since his character is marked by a recurring ebb and flow between verity and illusion, it is expedient to deploy the lens of a theory or theories which deal with the symbiotic relationship between these two polar opposites which, in their various perspectives and permutations, coalesce to form the unique depiction of magical realism in this novel. To this purpose, two theoretical works are utilized in this study. The first is Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community (1995) by Roh, F. et. al., and the second is A Short History of Myth (2000) by Armstrong, K. The conclusion reached is that Melquiades is to be perceived, not as a human character, but as a metaphorical representation of various abstract values as are identified and discussed in this study.