Love, Death, and Time in “Love in the Time of Cholera”
Narrative Structure and Content of “Love in the Time of Cholera”
The central theme of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera” is love, explored through the complex relationship between Fermina Daza, Florentino Ariza, and Juvenal Urbino. Florentino and Fermina meet when he is 13, but after a brief courtship, she rejects him. At age 21, she marries Dr. Juvenal Urbino, remaining with him until his death. Florentino resumes his pursuit of Fermina when she is 72 and he is 76.
The novel examines love in its various forms: romantic love, passionate love, carnal love, all intertwined with themes of death, anger, and loneliness.
External and Internal Structure
The external structure of the book is divided into six chapters that complement and expand upon each other, forming a circular narrative. The first chapter recounts the last days of Juvenal Urbino’s life, a thread that is picked up again in the final chapter, closing the story. The central chapters detail the love story between Fermina and Florentino. This creates temporal jumps and a breakdown of the linear storyline. The internal structure of the chapters is organized around the different types of love experienced by the characters: youthful infatuation, conjugal love, and love in old age.
Time and Setting
Time is marked by the characters’ experiences. It expands and contracts with descriptive passages that slow the narrative. The omniscient narrator allows us to anticipate events, such as the bird that foreshadows Juvenal’s death. The actual time period is suggested through allusions to real-world events, such as the advent of cinema. The novel draws on the author’s biography, particularly the love story of his parents. Time is portrayed as a carrier of the future and hope, a path to liberation through love.
The city in which the events take place is unnamed, but the descriptions suggest it is Barranquilla, where Gabriel Garcia Marquez spent much of his childhood. The characters’ travels to Europe reflect their changing states of mind.
The Significance of Travel
The trips undertaken by the characters can be differentiated by type, nature, and narrative function. They can be divided into three categories:
Honeymoon
A two-year journey across Europe, including Paris, represents a period of falling in love for Fermina and Juvenal, a departure from their familiar surroundings. Fermina becomes pregnant during this trip.
Travels of Oblivion
There are two such journeys, both related to Fermina’s emotional state. The first occurs when her father forces her to leave the village, though she maintains contact with Florentino through her cousin Hildebranda. Upon her return, she rejects Florentino, believing that the time for their love has passed. The second trip takes place when Fermina discovers her husband’s affair with the teacher Lynch and seeks refuge with Hildebranda. After two years, she returns to her husband. These trips serve as a form of escape from heartache.
Final Journey
The journey on the Magdalena River is significant. The river, where the timber industry thrives, becomes almost a character in itself. This final journey of Fermina and Florentino is portrayed as an endless voyage, symbolizing their renewed love and a new life together.
The Omniscient Narrator
The novel features little dialogue. The omniscient narrator, speaking in the third person, carries the weight of the narrative. The narrator confirms, prosecutes, corrects, and reflects on the characters’ actions, serving as an eyewitness. At times, the narrator leaves events unexplained, such as when Florentino and Fermina are asked if they committed adultery. The narrator is also selective, presenting the story from the perspectives of Fermina, Juvenal, and Florentino. This omniscience adds complexity to the narrative.