“Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is a twilight love story spanning over half a century
In 1982, Gabriel Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his masterpiece “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”
Three years later, his novel “Love in the Time of Cholera” once again sparked a literary craze.
The initial print run was 150 times that of “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” earning it the reputation of being an encyclopedia of love.
Marquez once commented that it was his best work, born from the depths of his heart.
The novel tells the story of a love that spans over half a century, where lovers finally unite after a long wait.
It explores all facets of love: unrequited love, first love, love at first sight, heartbreak, adultery, extramarital affairs, serendipitous encounters, and twilight love.
Consequently, the book is hailed as one of the greatest love stories in human history.
The story takes place in a city in Colombia in the 1880s, where there is constant civil war, rampant cholera, and a backdrop filled with disease and hardship.
It is in this context that love appears especially precious.
The novel begins with a funeral. Dr. Urbino, a well-known doctor in the city, dies unexpectedly from falling while trying to catch a parrot in a tree.
His wife, Fermina, who is advanced in years but still dignified and noble, organizes a solemn funeral for him.
After the funeral, as guests bid their farewells one by one, an elderly man, dignified and helpful in demeanor, lingers behind.
Alone in the living room with Fermina, he trembles as he solemnly places his hat over his chest and expresses his unwavering love and loyalty to her, a love that has remained unchanged for over fifty years.
Thus begins a love story that had been buried for over half a century.
This slightly eccentric old man is Florentino Ariza, the protagonist of the book, who is now the President of the Caribbean River Shipping Company.
However, in his youth, he was just a poor boy living in the lower strata of society, dropping out of school early to become an apprentice at the post office.
An opportunity to deliver a telegram brings him to the house of the wealthy merchant, Lorenzo, where, as he prepares to leave, he accidentally glimpses Fermina reading a book.
Fermina happens to look up at the same moment, and it is this chance encounter that irreversibly leads Ariza to fall in love with Fermina.
He himself did not anticipate that this love would never cease.
Fermina is Lorenzo’s only daughter, attending a prestigious school for the nobility, and is cared for in her daily life by her aunt, who is always by her side.
Her father is hot-tempered and strict with her upbringing, allowing her no leisure activities apart from studying.
Although these are barriers that Ariza finds difficult to overcome, they do not hinder the development of this secret love.
In order to catch a glimpse of Fermina, he sits alone on a bench in the garden every day pretending to read poetry, allowing him to see her four times a day.
Eventually, Ariza decides to write letters to Fermina, starting with a single sheet of paper and gradually expanding into a book of love poems.
However, it takes him a long time to muster the courage to hand one of these letters, a simple declaration of love, to Fermina.
Alisa fell victim to lovesickness.
He became taciturn, lost his appetite, and struggled to sleep at night while waiting for a response.
The anxiety worsened his health, causing his mother to fear he had contracted cholera, with heavy breathing, a weak pulse, and a pale complexion.
No medicine seemed to help until Fermina responded to his love, and Alisa’s illness began to fade.
Under Alisa’s ardent pursuit, Fermina, in her budding infatuation, perhaps out of sympathy or curiosity, was nevertheless touched, and the flames of love ignited between them.
It was a year of passionate love, filled with yearning during the day, dreams at night, and anxious anticipation for letters.
They had never even spoken directly, communicating solely through letters.
Romantic Alisa would even play the violin for Fermina under the moonlight, carefully selecting suitable locations for his music to be carried by the wind to where it should reach.
Unexpectedly, this landed him in prison for three days, accused of espionage for using musical notes to signal the nearby Liberal Party across the waters.
After two years of fervent correspondence, Alisa finally mustered the courage to propose to Fermina in a letter.
Turmoil filled Fermina’s heart, and after months of consideration, she eventually accepted the proposal.
The seemingly perfect love story was far from over; the test of fate had only just begun.
When Fermina’s father learned of her relationship, he vehemently opposed it, refusing to let his daughter marry a penniless man.
Despite his failed attempts to dissuade them, he resorted to taking Fermina away on a difficult journey, hoping time would make her forget her first love.
However, as a telegraph operator, Alisa always found a way to know their whereabouts.
Thus, he and Fermina continued their Platonic love affair through clandestine correspondence.
A year and a half later, Fermina and her father returned home.
Seeing Fermina again in the square, Alisa was overwhelmed with excitement.
He discreetly followed her, observing the woman he had longed for day and night, her graceful figure captivating him.
He looked forward to surprising her when she turned around. But when Fermina did, she was met not with joy but immense disappointment at Alisa’s cold gaze and nervous demeanor.
Like a disillusioned internet lover meeting face-to-face, she realized that the person she loved existed only as an idealized figure in her mind, not the tangible reality before her.
With a wave, she bid farewell to Alisa, telling him to forget everything between them. She even doubted if their three years of tender affection were merely a self-induced illusion.
Thus, Fermina ended the love affair herself. However, for Alisa, his love was intense, fiery, and enduring, beyond even his own expectations.
Rejected by Fermina, Alisa continued his quiet life, never seeing her again or entertaining other suitors.
That is until she fell ill with what was misdiagnosed as cholera. Dr. Urbino, the most renowned doctor in town, entered her life.
Urbino was dignified, charming, of noble birth, and had studied in Paris.
During a cholera outbreak, his profound knowledge quickly brought the situation under control, earning him admiration and adoration from the people.
Urbino fell in love with Fermina at first sight. His prestigious social status and immense wealth pleased Fermina’s father, who eagerly wished for his daughter to marry Urbino.
Initially hesitant, Fermina gradually developed feelings for Urbino, especially with the encouragement of her cousin and father, and considering her age, she accepted Urbino’s proposal.
Upon hearing this news, Alisa plunged into despair, especially upon learning of Urbino’s noble status, which only intensified his feelings of inferiority.
Although Alisa’s father was the renowned shipowner Pio Quinto, one of the founders of the Caribbean Shipping Company, Alisa was a bastard child whom his father never legally acknowledged, providing only a monthly allowance.
After Pio Quinto’s death, Alisa and his mother relied on each other.
Seeing her son sinking into sadness and despair, Alisa’s mother sought help from Pio Quinto’s brother, the chairman of the Caribbean Shipping Company, begging him to arrange for Alisa to work elsewhere, far from Fermina.
Thus, Alisa boarded a ferry, embarking on a life at sea.
Yet, even then, he never stopped yearning for Fermina, turning his longing into heart-wrenching letters, tearing them into pieces, and scattering them into the rolling river.
On a sailing trip, where a strange woman crazily took his virginity, he realized that the pleasure with other women could alleviate the longing for Fermina.
From then on, he seemed to transform, starting to replace one love with another, and his longing for Fermina faded amidst these confusing emotions.
He thought his emotions had been liberated, and believed he had successfully erased Fermina from his heart.
However, when Fermina returned from her two-year honeymoon, Alirsa felt an unbearable pain as he laid eyes on her beauty once more.
He realized nothing had changed; he still loved her deeply like the sea, yet still couldn’t have her.
Therefore, he set himself an unattainable goal: to wait until Fermina’s husband died and win her back.
At the same time, he resolved to strive for success in his career, waiting for the day when his reputation and wealth would be worthy of his goddess.
He sought his uncle’s help and secured a clerk position in a shipping company, working hard, getting along well with colleagues, and successfully integrating into this new environment.
With the rise in status and position, Alirsa had more and more opportunities to see Fermina.
Although always in public, with Fermina clinging to her husband’s arm, it was enough.
As long as he could see her living healthily and beautifully, Alirsa had the courage to continue.
Even in her marriage, Fermina occasionally thought of Alirsa, wondering if rejecting him was a mistake.
Urbino lacked Alirsa’s romance and passion. Ultimately, she chose him because he could provide her with peace and a stable life.
Their marriage, like many ordinary couples, went through the sweetness of the honeymoon period, then started to clash and adjust to the trivialities of daily life.
They argued constantly, and faced various tests, but ultimately reached the other side of mutual support. Nothing could separate them, except death.
Over the years, Alirsa steadily climbed the ladder of success.
Meanwhile, he still wandered among numerous women, among the countless lovers, some loved him, and some he loved.
He once asked himself, which state was true love, and his lover lying on the bed calmly told him, “Love of the soul is above the waist, love of the body is below the waist.”
Despite all his experiences, nobody could replace Fermina.
The longer the time passed, the stronger his love and longing for her became.
His only goal now is to live healthily, at least longer than Dr. Urbino.
Finally, on the first night after fifty-three years, seven months, and eleven days of Fermina becoming a widow, Alirsa reiterated to her his eternal loyalty and unwavering love.
Fermina was infuriated by Alirsa’s untimely declaration, commanding him never to appear before her again.
She wrote him an extremely angry letter, yet it was within this letter that Alirsa found hope.
He began writing letters to Fermina, one after another, expressing his broad reflections on life, love, aging, and death, without mentioning their past love.
Although Fermina did not reply, she was grateful for the many letters he had written to her over the past year.
Those letters accompanied her through the most difficult times, giving her courage and strength, and helping her regain mental tranquility.
Through these letters, filled with profound insights, Fermina discovered a completely new, mature, and wise Alirsa.
When Fermina wanted to go out for some fresh air, Alirsa invited her to board a cruise ship, where their time together brought them closer, and eventually, Fermina fully accepted Alirsa.
For this moment, Alirsa waited for half a century. They were not like newlyweds, nor like lovers who had reunited after a long separation.
They seemed to have transcended the traps of passion and the long, arduous life of marriage, unabashedly reaching the core of love.
Fermina naturally administered enemas for him and cleaned his dentures, while Alirsa cupped her back to relieve her pain.
Neither of them realized how perfectly they complemented each other as if they had been together for a lifetime.
With this, the long love story comes to an end.
As Neruda said in “One Hundred Years of Solitude”: “Only when the beautiful leaves fall / can the veins of life be clearly seen / Is it that our love / must also wait until our hair turns gray / until time passes / like the branches of a northern winter / clear/brave / strong.”
The love that permeates Alirsa’s entire life is both heart-wrenching and addictive, fortunately, in the end, the love did not disappoint the devoted lover.
