3 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
3 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
#hs/lit
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The unsatisfying resolution of the conflict between workers and the banana company they work at in the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude represents the increased control of the government and large companies in the novel and emphasizes the changes to Macondo that have resulted from the incursion of capitalism. One of the overarching plot points in this novel is the incursion of capitalism into the initially ideal communist town of Macondo. This starts with “gypsies” coming to the town and bringing new inventions and innovation to the town. Eventually, a railroad was built to Macondo connecting it to the rest of the world and bringing large changes to the now city. One of these changes is the introduction of a large banana company that has a large cultural impact on the town. After some time, the workers at this company go on strike due to the “lack of sanitary facilities in their living quarters, the nonexistence of medical services, and terrible working conditions” (pg. 323). This conflict between the workers at the company and the people who run it along with the government represents the negative effects of capitalism in Macondo. Jose Arcadio Segundo, who is part of the Buendia line, “had taken part in a meeting of union leaders and had been commissioned, along with Colonel Gavilan, to mingle in the crowd and orient it according to how things went” (pg. 326). This novel revolves around the Buendia line and as we have previously seen with characters such as Colonel Aureliano Buendia who successfully led a rebellion against the conservative government, they seem to find success in places where most would not. The conflict with the workers comes to a head when they gather in a square and are massacred by the military Arcadio Segundo is the only survivor and when making it back to the town learns that “The official version ... was finally accepted: there were no dead, the satisfied workers had gone back to their families, and the banana company was suspending all activity until the rains stopped” (pg. 333). The outcome of this conflict is much different than that of previous conflicts and its unsatisfying nature is used to convey the changes that have been brought by big business and capitalism. Instead of the workers successfully striking and getting what they want, the massacre of those standing up is covered up by the government and companies that claim to have their best interests in mind. When compared with earlier in the novel where everyone living in Macondo had equal status Garcia Marquez’s criticism of capitalism and the problems it brings is clear. The ideal nature of Macondo in the start of the book is represented by the town not needing a graveyard since no one had died there yet. After this conflict thousands of people had died and no one even realized due to the cover-up by the government. |