Ah, symbols! themes! and motifs!!
They all get mixed up, so here you go. YOU get to decide what is what.
Passion does not equal Love-
I believe I've mentioned this one before. The whole Buendia family either eschew love and find passion in a different place, or have wild nights of passion all through their youth or something. Actually, a common figure that awaken most of the men in the Buendia family to their passionate nature is Pilar Ternera. Weirdly enough, she serves as sort of an oracle of sorts to the Buendia men. Not only does she give them confidence to approach the other women in their lives or simply pour out their suffering lonliness for one of their women in an improper place, but she is also a fortune-teller, and a pretty accurate one at that. She is also, ironically enough, serves more than a mother than Ursula does. All the Buendia men open up to her and she comforts them. She is driven by compassion, which is a little strange. Another thing which I also mentioned earlier: The child that is born at the end of the novel, which immediately meets a disastrous end, is said to be the only Buendia child born with a heart.
Fate-
A community lives and dies in one hundred years. Pilar Ternera said, "'Sit down... I don't need the cards to tell the future of a Buendia.'" Ursula: "'Just like Aureliano!...It's as if the world were repeating itself.'" The whole book is full of prophecy, from the trite card readings of Pilar Ternera, to the mad, incomprehensible scribblings of Melquiades the Mysterious Gypsy that it was prophesied could not be understood until the "Fall of the House of Buendia". Actually, does bear certain resemblance. It is rather gloomy how the family does not seem able to escape. It seems rather Naturalist. How nature is pitted against humanity (and nature is certain to win). Anyway, you see the point.
Language-
There are tons of language and literature in this book. They clearly speak Spanish as their native tongue, but English (an encyclopedia), Latin (crazy Patriarch), Sanskrit (prophetic writings), and several languages unknown (in the form of a sailorish tattoo on a Jose Arcadio) all weasel themselves into the picture. Also literature plays a major part in one Aureliano's life as he is allowed to be social and finds himself in a literary debate circle (more historical than Oprah's book club) which opens him up to a world of friendship and...um...passion again and eventually his aunt which he (after going crazy from lust) indulges in an incestuous relationship with. At the end the final character (which ends up being an Aureliano) is referred to as "Aureliano Babilonia" which suggests Babylon which represents chaos and downfall of all humans and miscommunication.
Good vs. Evil-
Of course! The signature of a good book, though not necessarily necessary, is tackling the problem of good and evil. A lot of characters perform wicked deeds. Actually the ones who perform the most wicked are the most intelligent. Like the genius of languages. Or the war colonel. The colonel is fascinating. He really longs for a quiet life, but feels called to the cause of revolution. A very decent man, actually. One more thing. We've got a supposed "and he walked with God" instance. Twice, if you wanna see it. And it's always someone called Remedios (which is, of course "Remedy", a very pure term). Remedios the first was a child bride. Charming and amazing. She brought vitality, life, and joy into the family. And the relationship wasn't incestuous! Prize. She died. Very early. It seems like she was still a child, a very mature child when she died. She died, while not a virgin, still pure. Remedios the Beauty was an idiot, to some. In fact, she was pretty intelligent, but very simple. Her simplicity gave her more charm which added to her wonderful looks. Several men died - rather insensibly to her - for her love. She was not given passion. She prefered to walk around naked because it was liberating, but resigned herself to a sackcloth instead. And she shaved herself bald for comfort. She bathed amongst scorpions but wasn't bitten. Yeah, you say, she's pretty immaculate, but not holy. Well, she was taken up ito heaven. So apparently she was. What Marquez seems to be saying is that both good and evil can be found within us, but also the amount of good and evil you have doesn't seem to affect your fate. Ach, back to fate.
The Elements/Primality-
Ok, we've already gotten a reference to Babylon, but also elements consume this text: Water (rain, river, the sea, flooding and lack thereof), earth (Rebeca ate earth), Wind (you'll find out. It's at the end), not so much fire, but ice!(presented as very mysterious). The Buendias also seem to have a very base, primal feelings and instinct. GEt my Woman and get to my CAve. Which I guess is because they...
Represent the World-
They seem to represent the world and it's fatality and it's stupidity and it's violence, but also it's pure joy and it's vitality and it's fierce loyalty. It's good/bad, pure/evil, destructive/restoring. Ok, the book tends to lean more toward the destructive side. But you get the picture.
There's more. But I won't get into it. I've waxed long.
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