Characterization, symbolism, and repetition in One Hundred Years of Solitude Characters' names often suggest something about their personalities, either directly or ironically. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Garcia Márquez, Prudencio Aguilar is neither "prudent" nor "Aquilano" (aguila means "eagle" in Spanish). Repetition of names and behaviors is another characterization technique. Certain character types, for example the contemplative and stubborn man, or the impetuous and energetic man, the patient and caring woman, and so on, are represented by more than one individual in different generations of the Buendia family. All José Arcadios, for example, are assumed to have at least some of the traits of the original José Arcadio Buendia (impetuous and energetic), and all Aurelianos have something in common with Colonel Aureliano Buendia (tendency towards solitude and contemplation). The repetitions aren't exact, but using similar names is a way to suggest more about a character than is actually being said. There are also repetitions of particular behaviors, for example locking oneself in a room for experiments or study. Some characters have characteristic markings to identify them. Examples include Pilar Ternera's laughter, Colonel Aureliano Buendia's lonely gaze, Aureliano Segundo's extravagance, Fernanda's continuous humming, and so on. Physical descriptions are used sparingly, letting the reader fill in the details beyond generalities like "thin" or "fat," "handsome," "huge." The exception is Colonel Aureliano Buendia, who seems to have been taken from a particularly clear mental image of the author, as if copied from a photograph. Some of the most spectacular characters are... in the center of the card... ... wears down the axis", until the entire system, including both the continuous attempts to renew Macondo and the reproduction of the Buendia clan, collapses. Works Cited Bell-Villada, Gene H. Garcia Marquez: The Man and His Work Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 81 -94.James, Regina. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Revolutions in Wonderland Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1981.McGuirk, Bernard and Richard Cardwell, ed. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: New Readings Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,. Raymond L. Gabriel Garcia Marquez Boston: Twayne, 1984.Wood, Michael “Review of One Hundred Years of Solitude.” McMurray, George R., ed. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1987.