Marquez is a master of weaving fantasy into a novel of realism to hold the reader’s interest, allow him to accept or interpret, yet at the same time, doubt the credibility of our narrator. Is he speaking metaphorically? Is he telling us a story thinly veiled in parables? Is he an out-and-out liar?
One of the magical forces in 100 Years of Solitude that permeates the book long after his physical absence is the gypsy, Melquiades. He had a strong influence on Jose Arcadio Buendia, bringing him the wonders of the progressing world beyond Macondo in its early days. It may have been more than just inventions and technology, it may in fact have been the symbolic "future."
(Oops! Gotta go look up the reference excerpts. I’ll be right back…)
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology