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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Gabriel García Márquez:
Cummins makes an allusion to Gabriel García Marquez's 1985 novel Love in the Time of Cholera in Chapter 5, when Lydia and Luca are staying in the hotel after the massacre. In order to secure her anonymity, Lydia has checked into the hotel under the name Fermina Daza—a central character in Love in the Time of Cholera. Then, Javier has a copy of the novel delivered to her hotel room, showing that he sees through her ruse and knows where she is.
In addition to adding a sense of suspense and surveillance to the novel, this allusion highlights the literary connection between Lydia and Javier. Javier was one of her customers at her bookstore. The fact that the threatening omen from Javier is a critically acclaimed piece of literature emphasizes how jarring it was for Lydia to discover that her bookish friend was running the cartel.
Additionally, this allusion is thematically resonant. Javier highlights this resonance:
She looks down at the book in her hand. A passage is highlighted there, the moment when the widowed heroine, Fermina Daza, reeling in the aftermath of her husband’s death, encounters the man, Florentino Ariza, whom she rejected fifty years earlier: “Fermina,” he said, “I have waited for this opportunity for more than half a century, to repeat to you once again my vow of eternal fidelity and everlasting love.”
In Love in the Time of Cholera, Fermina has a secret relationship with Florentino before turning to her husband. Javier is explicitly drawing the parallel between the secret connection in the novel and his secret connection with Lydia. By highlighting the moment in which Florentino reintroduces himself after Fermina's husband's death, Javier hints that he is trying to reignite his connection with Lydia in the wake of her husband's death.
Related Themes:
