In the Shadow of the Rose
"It's good to be with someone when you're alone." Senator Sanchez couldn't extricate himself from the solitude until he died. Although it seems that death and love are themes of this short story, Marquez gave it a strong sense of solitude by creating a hypocritical senator, who has been surrounded by solitude all the time. As compared with it, the death and love were just two tiny elements, which deepened his solitude. It was a constant solitude, a solitude constant beyond everything.
Since the moment that he stepped out of the car, the senator's solitude was revealed. The crowds, the music, the rockets, and the color of strawberry soda, almost everything made him feel "many years older and more alone than ever." After all, Sanchez had been a senator for twelve years, and every time he came to Rosal del Virrey in the electoral campaign, he had to experience the same all the time. The ready-made audience and the promise that would never be achieved, all of those things made the electoral train like a performance. He was surrounded by falsehood, which separated him from reality, but he enjoyed the power it brought him. However, it seems that life likes surprising us.
I think that sudden changes could always enlighten people. To the senator, it seemed that the news of his death made him think a lot. "No one loves us," he said to Laura. The death news deepened his feeling of solitude. He felt relieved by also feared to die and be alone. After all these years, he knew that he lived in falsehood and was isolated from the reality. Moreover, "he's worse than the rest." He was like a machine and felt nothing for those things that surrounded him. So the death probably allowed him to feel. He might feel tired of the current life, so he thought the death could save him. But he feared and felt ashamed. He didn't tell others that he was going to die. Because if others knew, he would be truly alone; no one would expect him to bring them improvement of their lives.
"Remember," he remembered, "that whether it's you or someone else, it won't be long before you'll be dead and it won't be long before your name won't even be left." His solitude was constant beyond everything; he knew that he would be truly solitary after he died. I've always been afraid of being forgotten and alone. Most of the time I feel loneliness because I thought my families and friends should understand me, but they don't. And then I would think like what the senator said above. Solitude is one's nature. Each person is an individual with his or her thoughts that no one else could know, and we can not depend on others because they have their business to take care of. People you meet could not always be with you. I think that's why we would feel alone. The feeling would be strengthened when not being understood. But most of the time, we fear solitude. I cannot imagine my reaction if I know I would die in half of a year. I probably would hold a funeral in advance to make sure that people love me and I'm not alone.
However, the senator's case was different. He lived as a puppet without feelings, only if the master needed him, he could be alive. Otherwise, he stayed alone in the shadow. Speaking to the shadow, I noticed an important thing in the story, which is the only rose in Rosal Del Virrey. Rose is a symbol of romance. So as the beginning of the story wrote, "the only rose in that village was being worn by Senator Onesimo Sanchez himself on the same afternoon when he met Laura Farina." The beautiful Laura brought him something different, which made him feel alive, made him fear to die. However, it seemed that his constant solitude was destined. He couldn't have Laura. So he said, "it's good to be with someone when you are alone." After all, he was a human being. He feared death and solitude. When I read the story, I wondered why Marquez mentioned the rose, and repeated "in the shadow of the rose" twice. I didn't understand how much of the shadow the only rose could have. But I think I know the reason now. The only rose implied the solitude, which was a constant solitude beyond everything, and the senator could only stay in the shadow of the only rose until he died.
(Note: I wrote this reflection on the short story "Death Constant Beyond Love" by Marquez last year when I took an English class. My thoughts and writing seemed very immature at that time when I read it again. But it could remind me that I'm becoming better. It's a good thing, isn't it?)
Since the moment that he stepped out of the car, the senator's solitude was revealed. The crowds, the music, the rockets, and the color of strawberry soda, almost everything made him feel "many years older and more alone than ever." After all, Sanchez had been a senator for twelve years, and every time he came to Rosal del Virrey in the electoral campaign, he had to experience the same all the time. The ready-made audience and the promise that would never be achieved, all of those things made the electoral train like a performance. He was surrounded by falsehood, which separated him from reality, but he enjoyed the power it brought him. However, it seems that life likes surprising us.
I think that sudden changes could always enlighten people. To the senator, it seemed that the news of his death made him think a lot. "No one loves us," he said to Laura. The death news deepened his feeling of solitude. He felt relieved by also feared to die and be alone. After all these years, he knew that he lived in falsehood and was isolated from the reality. Moreover, "he's worse than the rest." He was like a machine and felt nothing for those things that surrounded him. So the death probably allowed him to feel. He might feel tired of the current life, so he thought the death could save him. But he feared and felt ashamed. He didn't tell others that he was going to die. Because if others knew, he would be truly alone; no one would expect him to bring them improvement of their lives.
"Remember," he remembered, "that whether it's you or someone else, it won't be long before you'll be dead and it won't be long before your name won't even be left." His solitude was constant beyond everything; he knew that he would be truly solitary after he died. I've always been afraid of being forgotten and alone. Most of the time I feel loneliness because I thought my families and friends should understand me, but they don't. And then I would think like what the senator said above. Solitude is one's nature. Each person is an individual with his or her thoughts that no one else could know, and we can not depend on others because they have their business to take care of. People you meet could not always be with you. I think that's why we would feel alone. The feeling would be strengthened when not being understood. But most of the time, we fear solitude. I cannot imagine my reaction if I know I would die in half of a year. I probably would hold a funeral in advance to make sure that people love me and I'm not alone.
However, the senator's case was different. He lived as a puppet without feelings, only if the master needed him, he could be alive. Otherwise, he stayed alone in the shadow. Speaking to the shadow, I noticed an important thing in the story, which is the only rose in Rosal Del Virrey. Rose is a symbol of romance. So as the beginning of the story wrote, "the only rose in that village was being worn by Senator Onesimo Sanchez himself on the same afternoon when he met Laura Farina." The beautiful Laura brought him something different, which made him feel alive, made him fear to die. However, it seemed that his constant solitude was destined. He couldn't have Laura. So he said, "it's good to be with someone when you are alone." After all, he was a human being. He feared death and solitude. When I read the story, I wondered why Marquez mentioned the rose, and repeated "in the shadow of the rose" twice. I didn't understand how much of the shadow the only rose could have. But I think I know the reason now. The only rose implied the solitude, which was a constant solitude beyond everything, and the senator could only stay in the shadow of the only rose until he died.
(Note: I wrote this reflection on the short story "Death Constant Beyond Love" by Marquez last year when I took an English class. My thoughts and writing seemed very immature at that time when I read it again. But it could remind me that I'm becoming better. It's a good thing, isn't it?)
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