Span 312 "The General in his Labyrinth"

Marquez's "The General in his Labyrinth" is a book that is all about conclusions. We have read books about certain Latin American dictators during their reigns but this novel starts at the end of the dictator's rule. Simone Bolivar's later life is presented and the wall of a strong and successful dictator comes down. Bolivar is portrayed as sickly, weak, and escaping from the large cities in Columbia. Many of Marquez's novels start with what would usually be the conclusion of the book. "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" starts with the statement that the central character Santiago will die. The rest of the story describes the events leading up to his death. The reader is drawn in by hearing about the final climax and wants to uncover the past as it leads up to Santiago's death. "Love in the Time of Cholera" also starts with an ending. The central characters of Fermina and Florentino are reunited at the end of their lives and the rest of the novel tells of their love which started half a century earlier. "The General in his Labyrinth" also seems to be told in this manner. We first learn about the general as an old man at the end of his life and following are glimpses into his earlier life as a public general and as a private man. Marquez's way of beginning his story really drew me in. When he began to describe the condition of the General I wanted to read more to find out who he was when he was stronger in life. Marquez even writes that "for six years they had said he was dying..." (16). Particularly when Marquez described his health conditions I wondered how he became so weak. Unlike the other novels we've read this one is not about a dictator's power but about his ending.