Active Reading Journal #20

I. Elements of Magical Realism
-“It was the pigtail” Pg. 412 This is magical realism because Amaranta Ursula and Aureliano’s child has a pig’s tail.
Characters
1. Gaston- stays in Belgian and forgets about Amaranta
2. Amaranta Ursula- heartbreaker, breaks Gaston’s heart and continues the affair without feeling bad
3. Aureliano – an abandoner to leave his son.



II. Plot Summary
- Gaston goes back to Belgium to do his airmail business. Then he hears about the affair and does not return to Macondo. The affair between Amaranta and Aureliano continues happily. People continue you die in Macondo day after day. Amaranta Ursula gives birth to a boy who is called Aureliano Bailonia. He was born with a pig’s tail. Amaranta dies after giving birth because of excessive bleeding. The baby later dies because Aureliano leaves him to go and drink. Aureliano returns home and reads Melquiades prophecies and as he reads them he finds one that reflects his own life at that moment in time.

III. Quotes
- “What hurts me most is all the time that we wasted.” Pg. 405 I like this quote because I can relate to it in the sense that there are times that I have really wasted in my life and I can’t get that time back.
- “Friends are a bunch of bastards.” Pg. 413 this quote had really jumped out at me because in some ways I agree and in some ways I think it is a harsh saying.

IV. Themes
1. Natural Disaster- The rain has destroyed people’s properties and people’s fortune.
2. Sickness- Fernanda has a disease that effects the Uterus.

3. Instability- Aureliano Segundo loses his temper and breaks all the valuable items in the house because of the lose of his wealth due to the rain.