An examination of the theme of love in “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
This paper discusses how love clearly exists within “Love in the Time of Cholera”, a novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and how it is ultimately a book that celebrates the idea of an everlasting, true love. It looks at how love is shown in many forms in the novel, from the romantic professions of the young Florentino to the more mature love of Fermina and Florentino that comes with age. It also examines how, in between, Garcia Marquez writes masterfully of love within the concept of family and marriage and the ideas of fidelity, both sexual and emotional.
“Love in the Time of Cholera is a story about the love of Florentino Ariza, a young man who falls passionately for the beautiful girl Fermina Daza. The novel opens with the memorable opening line told by Dr. Juvenal Urbino “It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love” (p. 01). The story takes place over about 50 years, spanning the beginning of the 20th century. Florentino, a humble riverboat worker, falls in love with the graceful Fermina who saunters with a “doe’s gait making her seem immune to gravity, and almond shaped eyes (p.05). Fermina’s family opposes their union, but the passionate young pair carry on their romance through secret letters and coded telegrams.