“Forever” (Marquez, 1988: 352). With this simple word -- Florentino Ariza's response to the riverboat captain's question when asked how long he plans to operate the boat -- it is not difficult to understand why many critics would call Love in the Time of Cholera amazing love story. power. Ariza's response as the last line of the book and its placement as the tale's conclusion make it, for less romantically inclined readers, all the more cringe-worthy. Even the main plot points seem to have been taken directly from a superficial romantic novel or even its film adaptation - a love triangle that survives the test of time, a protagonist who does his life's work to surrender worthy of his beloved, an ending that is ultimately happy. The brevity of the novel in no way discredits these accusations of frivolity either. Yet, if one were to examine the novel closely, one would find that Gabriel Garcia Marquez's acclaimed masterpiece is exactly that, a masterpiece. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Thus, this essay will attempt to prove the credibility of the novel as a work of postmodernism. This will be done by examining various excerpts from the book and identifying the use of magical realism within them. Particular attention will also be paid to the main characters of the novel and how they represent much more than just models placed in romantic scenes. Additionally, an explanation of the novel's context and how Latin American literature differs from its North American counterpart will be explored. Garcia Marquez's penchant for magical realism is visible throughout the novel and elevates the story above the common romantic tale. Regarding the definition, Stephen Slemon highlights the oxymoronic nature of the term and the fact that it is itself a conflict between two forces (Slemon, 1988: 11). When magical realism is employed in fiction, the two opposing natures of the fantastical and the realistic prevent each other from being fully realized. Although the very concept of a force that stands the test of more than half a century (Ariza's supposed eternal love for Fermina Daza) is already an anomalous concept, the magical realism of the writing of Marquez finds himself in his characters' reactions to this concept. This is seen at the beginning of the novel, following Dr. Urbino. Florentino Ariza arrives and, after many guests have left, approaches Fermina Daza and once again declares his eternal love for her. Daza, without emotion, simply tells Ariza to go away and not come back. This alludes to the heavy use of magical realism in the rest of the novel. What could have been a sincere reaction to the power of love (magic) is brought down to earth through a very realistic reaction (realism). If the novel had been another romantic story, the episode would have had a much more positive outcome. Magical realism once again makes itself known through one of the central themes of the novel: love as illness. During his first experience with love and Fermina Daza, Ariza experiences severe physical pain and is taken to the doctor by his mother, Transito Ariza, for treatment. Due to the ongoing epidemic at the time, the doctor mistakes Ariza's illnesses for cholera, not heartache. Once again, an abnormal force is met with a very realistic reaction. Yet these moments are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in the case of the novel's use of magical realism. The questof Ariza to make herself worthy of Fermina Daza can be considered the greatest example of real-world magic in history. Although his belief that he will remain sexually pure until he makes Fermina Daza his own is admirable, this is not achievable in everyday life. People change, including him. His meeting with Rosalba aboard the riverboat is the catalyst for this change: this first encounter with sex is brief and far from intimate, but nevertheless manages to plant in his mind that sex is a feasible way of expressing one's desire of Daza. This single encounter might be excusable as a small hiccup in his quest for love, but Ariza goes on to have sexual relations with over six hundred women, including a domestic relationship. Ariza's reliance on the "healing" power of sex shows that the purity of lasting love is impossible in the real world. It also shows that Marquez's novel is much more (or in this case less) than just a stunning love story. It is a study of the nature of humanity and the fickleness of man. Ariza's quest itself is peppered with moments full of magical realism. His quest to find a submerged wreck full of gold seems to be taken directly from the pages of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Christo (Dumas, 1844). Unfortunately, Ariza's quest does not meet with the same positive result as that of Edmond Dantès. The search for gold does not end with fortune, danger or death in the oven. Instead, it ends with Ariza realizing that he has been guided by his guide, Euclid, the whole time. His betrayal by a boy demonstrates once again how any fantasy element, including sunken ships filled with treasure, will be met with a very rational and frightening reaction. Garcia Marquez's use of magical realism outside the confines of love demonstrates how love in the Cholera Time is much more than just a love story. The episode of Doctor Urbino's death and his relationship with his precious parrot show how magical realism can be used in all spheres of life. The event of Urbino's death is full of metaphors, as his precious parrot also represents his wife. The parrot, like Fermina, comes from a poor background but was raised by the aristocracy to become a subject to behold. The doctor's words may seem enigmatic at first when he tells the parrot that he “finally understands” (Marquez, 1988). However, his words can be interpreted as if they were addressed to his wife instead. Urbino finally understands that his time with Fermina is over; although his love for her has been good and honorable (for the most part), it is time for him to free her and allow her to experience the love of a man who has cradled her for all of her fifty-one years. The exit of the bird also testifies to the character of Urbino and his fervent follower of the church. His parrot leaves the earth in the same way as his savior. Moments of such dramatic magnitude do not seem appropriate, or even necessary, in a conventional love story. Rather, it is Garcia Marquez's subtle writing of the three main characters that speaks to the novel's depth as a romance. Florentino Ariza's determination to do anything to win Fermina's hand is admirable, but ultimately twisted. But this strange determination is thinly veiled by Marquez who imagines Ariza as a shy and sickly outsider. Indeed, he performs all the movements that a young man in love would do to prove his love, but these movements turn him into a madman. In his quest for love, he becomes a rapist, a murderer, a pedophile as well as a man who passively longs for the death of his wife's husband.. 2015.