Active Reading Chapter 3

Now that the village has contact with the outside world, people from other villages start to visit Macondo. With all the new visitors, the town starts to become more vibrant and alive. Pilar brings her child to Ursula, seeking refuse, and Ursula accepts the child and names him Jose Arcadio. At this time the gypsies return, however Jose II is not with them so they are not welcomed. Aureliano, now in charge of the Laboratory, becomes adept in his studies. Suddenly, a little girl comes wandering to town dressed in a striped dress and carrying a bag of bones. She looks like an animal, but the Arcadios accept her into their family. They name her Rebeca, supposedly it was her mother's name. Rebeca is a strange girl, she likes to eat dirt and is obsessed with clocks.

With the arrival of Rebeca, an insomnia epidemic starts to spread. Everyone in the town becomes very forgetful and disoriented. Aureliano, soon figures out a way for the townspeople to keep their memory from day to day. The insomnia epidemic suddenly disappears with the return of Melquiades. Melquiades brings with him a new invention, the photograph or daguerreotype. JAB and Melquiades talk for a little and it is revealed that Melquiades rose from the dead.

Ursula starts expanding the household because all the children are becoming older and bigger. Don Apolinar Moscote, the magistrate of the governing party, soon arrives and sets up office two blocks away from JAB's house. His first order was for all the houses to be painted blue. JAB is highly upset by this, even going so far as to pick the magistrate by his lapels and throwing him out of town. He returns soon with six soldiers and his family. The magistrate wants to settle the situation peacefully so they come the an agreement; the citizens can paint their house any color and that the soldiers must live immediately. They both agree to the terms and they the magistrate is given a home for his family to stay in. The only person who is not happy is Aureliano, he has fallen in love with the magistrate's nine year old daughter!

Theme: the theme of this chapter seems to be integration. There are a lot of new characters introduced in this chapter and the town has expanded greatly.

Magical Realism: Melquiades raising himself from the dead because he was lonely is a very good example.

Character Development: Aureliano has become the male leader of the village and is the head alchemist. JAB has a new obsession, finding the image of God. Ursula has a very productive pastry shop and has become a mother to many.

Quotes: "He really had been through death, but he had returned because he could not bear the solitude." Melquiades states that he returned from the dead because he was lonely.
"It was a physical sensation that almost bothered him when he walked, like a pebble in his shoe." Aureliano is so infatuated with the magistrate's daughter that it makes him aroused constantly.