Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
"Love in the Time of Cholera," a novel by Gabriel García Márquez, explores a complex narrative centered on the lives of Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza, whose love story unfolds over more than fifty years. The tale begins with a dramatic event—the suicide of Fermina's former suitor, which sets the stage for the intertwined fates of the characters. Florentino falls in love with Fermina at a young age, but their romance is thwarted when she marries Dr. Juvenal Urbino, a man of social standing and commitment to combating cholera.
As time passes, both Florentino and Fermina navigate their separate lives filled with passion, disillusionment, and loss. Despite his numerous affairs and the passage of decades, Florentino remains devoted to Fermina, expressing his love anew after Urbino's death. The novel delves into themes of love, desire, and the impact of time, as well as the harsh realities of societal expectations and personal fulfillment. Ultimately, it is a story of enduring love, where the characters confront their feelings against the backdrop of life's inevitable changes, leading to a poignant reunion that encapsulates their lifelong journey. This richly layered narrative invites readers to reflect on the nature of love and the complexities of human relationships.
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
First published:El amor en los tiempos del cólera, 1985 (English translation, 1988)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Psychological realism
Time of plot: Late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Locale: Colombia
Principal Characters
Florentino Ariza , who is in love with FerminaFermina Daza , a strong-willed womanDr. Juvenal Urbino , her husbandLorenzo Daza , her fatherDon Leo Loayza XII , Florentino’s uncleJeremiah de Saint-Amour , a friend of Dr. Juvenal UrbinoHildebranda Sanchez , Fermina’s cousin
The Story
Dr. Juvenal Urbino has been called to the residence of his friend Jeremiah de Saint-Amour, who had taken his own life the previous evening. From a letter that his friend left him, Urbino learns that Saint-Amour spent his final night with a female companion and that he was actually a fugitive who had indulged in cannibalism. Devastated by this knowledge, Urbino finds his whole day unsettled. Late that afternoon, he falls to his death while trying to retrieve his parrot from a tree. Dr. Urbino’s funeral takes place the next day, and after the funeral, and after years of waiting, one of the guests, Florentino Ariza, tells Dr. Urbino’s widow, Fermina Daza, that he loves her.
The relationship between Florentino and Fermina begins more than fifty years earlier, when Florentino, then working at a telegraph office, delivers a message to Lorenzo Daza at his home and immediately falls in love with Fermina, whom he sees in the sewing room. After this, Florentino sits daily on a bench in the park across from the Daza house, reading poetry but mostly waiting to see Fermina. After a brief correspondence between them, Fermina agrees to marry him and, after two years of secret courtship, they begin to plan the wedding.
When Fermina’s father discovers their plan, however, he takes his daughter to Valledupar, the home of his relatives, where she finds a sympathetic friend in her cousin Hildebranda Sanchez. With Hildebranda’s help, Fermina continues to correspond with Florentino over the telegraph. Lorenzo finally realizes that he cannot control his daughter and gives her her freedom. In the midst of preparing for her wedding, however, Fermina, in an abrupt about-face, calls off the engagement.
Eventually, Fermina meets Dr. Juvenal Urbino, a new doctor in the city who has just returned from his studies in Paris. He is committed to fighting cholera, and when Fermina is diagnosed as possibly having the disease, Urbino visits her house. Although he finds her in perfect health, he returns repeatedly to the Daza household to see her. Initially, Fermina resists the doctor’s suit, but her cousin Hildebranda finally persuades Fermina to marry Urbino.
When he learns that Fermina is to marry Dr. Urbino, Florentino is devastated, especially because he realizes that the two do not love each other. To escape this painful situation, Florentino takes a voyage down the Magdalena River. During the journey, he loses his virginity and realizes that sexual passion can temporarily block out his pain over losing Fermina. When he returns to the city, he has an affair with the Widow Nazaret, and after that he goes from one woman to another.
Florentino’s behavior at this point becomes enigmatic. On one hand, he decides to devote his life to winning back Fermina, and with this in mind he goes to work for his uncle Leo, president of the board of directors and manager of the River Company of the Caribbean, and advances steadily. On the other hand, to cope with having lost Fermina, Florentino becomes obsessed with other women.
At the same time, Fermina becomes disillusioned with her marriage. She sees that there is no passion between her and Urbino and that her husband falls far short of what a real man should be. Urbino is at heart a weak person whose social success depends largely on his family’s name. Moreover, Fermina discovers that her husband is having an affair with Barbara Lynch, the wife of a Presbyterian minister. Urbino’s full confession of the affair infuriates her, and she is further outraged when she learns that Juvenal has confessed his affair to the priest, whereas a real man—as she sees it—would have denied everything. She leaves her husband and lives for two years with her cousin Hildebranda, but when Juvenal finally comes for her she rejoices, for she sees this act as that of a real man.
After his uncle Leo’s retirement, Florentino becomes president of the board of directors and general manager of the navigation company. The promotion certainly elevates his social status, but it also frightens him because it means that he, like his uncle, must grow old and die. He therefore begins a final affair, this time with América Vicuña, a fourteen-year-old girl for whom he acts as guardian and who reminds him of Fermina.
This affair ends when Florentino hears the bells tolling the death of an important citizen in the city. He learns that Dr. Juvenal Urbino has died, and he tells Fermina that he still loves her and that she is the only woman he has ever loved. At first she maintains the distance that the years have put between them. Only when she loses her will to live does she allow Florentino back into her life, telling him that she wants to escape everything associated with her marriage. He arranges a boat trip for the two of them, which allows him to be alone with Fermina. On the journey, Fermina realizes that she loves Florentino. Florentino for his part not only sees his lifelong quest fulfilled but also overcomes his fear of mortality. He realizes that only through love has he been able to transcend the final obstacles that remained between him and Fermina—time and the inevitability of death.
Bibliography
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