Florentino and Juvenal: an analysis on the effects of juxtaposition
on characterization in Marquez’s Love In The Time Of Cholera
Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, a nobel prize winning author, has a prowess when it
comes to developing characters using unique methods. He best
demonstrates this in his novel Love In The Time Of Cholera
where he presents two main characters, Juvenal and Florentino, using
juxtaposition which highlights key elements in their characterization
that would not be noticeable without it. One such element is the
distinction between the love expressed from both characters which
becomes clearer as you compare the characters. Moreover the theme of
class awareness and the effects social status have on the storyline can
also be identified through the use of juxtaposition.
After
Juvenal Urbino’s death, and the revealment that Fermina still has
subtle feelings toward Florentino; a time-shift occurs in the next
chapter where the reader is taken from a very old Florentino to a very
young one. In here one gains a bit of insight of Florentino’s natural
way of being before Fermina Daza. According to the text Florentino was, “
the most sought-after young man in his social circle... the girls in
his circle held secret lotteries to determine who would spend time with
him, and he gambled on spending time with them until the day he met
Fermina Daza and his innocence came to an end” (Marquez 54). This
depiction of Florentino is symmetrical to the description of Juvenal
Urbino in a later chapter. This is the beginning of the parallel drawn
between Florentino and Juvenal.
However
taking a more microscopic look at the text around these passages can
show one the first differences between Juvenal and Florentino through
the vehicles of imagery and diction.The diction used around the selected
passage involving Florentino could be described as euphonious,
figurative, and connotative. Marquez uses words such as “somber”,
“innocence”, and “sentimental” which gives Florentino a sense of
weakness and negativity. Moreover, this type of diction depicts an
emotionally fragile young man, thus explaining the zealous love
Florentino expresses to Fermina. This image of Florentino would connect
to the theme of love as both an emotional and physical ailment because a
character with such volatile emotions would have a very strong
interpretation of love, and the rejection of their love would become a
cataclysm of emotional unrest. The text also expresses that Florentino
was very popular among his peers, and the reason for this is a very
figurative one. The text states the Florentino, “ knew how to dance the
latest dances... recite sentimental poetry... [and] was always willing
to play violin serenades”(54). All of these activities are of an
artistic nature, which adds on a poetic element to the characterization
of Florentino.
Shifting
the attention to Juvenal, the story arrives at a point where Fermina
rejects Florentino’s love in the most callous of ways. This catalyzes
madness in Florentino, which fortifies the theme of love as a physical
ailment as the novel portrays Florentino’s madness as fatal. However
after endless letters and even a visit by Transito Ariza, Florentino’s
mother, Florentino will not see Fermina for fifty-one years. The story
exercises yet another time-shift leading to a twenty-eight years old
Juvenal, who has returned to Colombia from a long stay in Paris, France.
On his return he brings with him all the knowledge he gains while
studying in France. Using this knowledge Juvenal sets out in a quest to
ameliorate the medical ailments present in his home country. In his
quest he meets Fermina Daza who he, “[succumbs to] without resistance”
(105). This chapter makes firm the premise that juxtaposition is used
between the characters of Juvenal and Florentino by using the same
description of Florentino to describe Juvenal pre-Fermina which can be
best seen in the following line, “ the girls in his circle held secret
lotteries to determine who would spend time with him, and he gambled,
too, on being with them,..., until he succumbed without resistance to
the plebeian charms of Fermina Daza” (105).
As
similar as these two descriptions seem there are still difference
between the characters due to diction and imagery. Through closer
inspection one can see that specific word choices made by Marquez gives
Juvenal an aura of reservedness and charm, which reflects brilliantly
with Urbino’s style of love which is more stable than that of
Florentino.Words such as “clinical”, “grace”, and “fastidious” makes
Juvenal seem like a very strong and composed young man, who is
emotionally healthy. These attributes accentuate the zealous love
Florentino poses, thus making Juvenal the character foil for Florentino.
In the other hand, Florentino can also be seen as the character foil
for Juvenal, for the role of protagonist is ambiguous. However the two
characters do accentuate each other contradicting attributes, showing
that juxtaposition is taking place in the book.
Furthermore,
differences between characters can be seen more clearly by analyzing
how other characters in the novel interact with them. One character in
the book highlights the premise expressed in the previous sentence, and
that character is Lorenzo Daza. Lorenzo Daza is Fermina Daza’s father,
and the character that behaves distinctly different between Florentino
and Juvenal.
Firstly,
lets take Florentino’s interaction with Lorenzo, when Lorenzo finds out
that Florentino is the secret lover Fermina has been hiding he goes to
talk to him, “man to man” (78). In this confrontation Lorenzo is
sorrowful and sincere towards Florentino; he tells Florentino with a
firm voice to, “ Get out of our way” (81). This section also reveals
that Lorenzo has one objective in his life, “ to turn his daughter into a
great lady” (81). These components lead to the conclusion that
Florentino will not help in Fermina’s climbing of the social ladder,
which hinders Florentino’s chances with Fermina later in the novel.
Furthermore, after Florentino expresses his unmovable resolve to be with
Fermina to Lorenzo, Lorenzo threatens to shoot him and takes Fermina
away until she returns and no longer adores Florentino. Taking this
fact, we look at Juvenal’s experience with Lorenzo which begins when
Fermina rudely slams the window on Juvenal’s face after his attempt at
talking to her. Witnessing this Lorenzo comes, with anger to Fermina, to
remedy the situation and maintain the interest Juvenal has towards her
because as mentioned before Lorenzo’s primary objective is to, “ to turn
his daughter into a great lady” and Juvenal will be able to assist in
it. Therefore, Lorenzo becomes overly courteous and kind when dealing
with Juvenal. This is highly contrary to the attitude Lorenzo shows
towards Florentino. This comparison highlights the effect social status
has on Florentino and Juvenal’s storyline in the novel, while Florentino
fails to be with Fermina Juvenal succeeds. This becomes more noticeable
with the use of juxtaposition.
Themes
such as love and class awareness while evident in the novel become
clearer after the use of juxtaposition. Marquez puts Juvenal and
Florentino in a parallel to accentuate these themes, and show the reader
two sides of a tale. As one compares and analyses the differences of
the characters subtle characteristics become visible, which adds on to
the story itself and the characterization of the character too. To
exemplify, Juvenal is a composed yet charming character which becomes
more evident when compared to Florentino who is zealous and volatile.
While Juvenal appears solid and strong emotionally, Florentino seems
emotionally fragile and weak.
(Word Count:1207)
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