After finishing the third section of Love in the Time of Cholera, there are many similarities that can be pointed out between Dr. Juvenal Urbino and Florentino Ariza. First, the most obvious, they both fall in love with Fermina Daza. They both succumb to her spell, which makes them do things they don’t normally do. Florentino finds himself drinking cologne and eating flowers, making himself very sick. The doctor says that he, “did not drink coffee except for a cup first thing in the morning [and that he] did not drink alcohol (119).” However, after coming back to Fermina’s house for a second time, even though he said that he would not visit again unless something changed in her health, he gladly accepts multiple cups of coffee and anisette from Lorenzo Daza in hopes to see Fermina again making him sick.
The second similarity between Florentino and Urbino is their appearance and how they are looked at by those around them. Gabrial Marquez Garcia uses very similar passages to describe the two men in different parts of the novel. Both are regarded by women as this sort of heartthrob where the girls have lotteries to see whose turn it is to spend time with him, etc. The only difference is that Florentino does not come from as wealthy a background as Dr. Urbino does.
The third similarity is that both men attempt to serenade Ms. Daza through music. Florentino played a waltz on his violin in the middle of the night over and over again. Urbino has a renowned pianist, Romeo Lussich play various Mozart sonatas for Fermina, once again in the middle of the night.
The fourth similarity is that both men write letters to her; however, the content of the letters seem to differ a little bit. While those of Florentino continuously talk about his love for Fermina and how she is the “Crowned Goddess,” Dr. Urbino’s are less intimate and only talk about wanting to meet her and her father again. Nonetheless, Fermina refers to both of the men as a ‘poor man.’ The first time was when Florentino sees her in the market after she came back from her trip with her father. Florentino says this is no place for a crowned goddess. The second time is when Fermina is holding the doctor’s letter and is burning it.
Both men fall for Fermina Daza; however, so far, I don’t think that she really loves either of them. I think the primary reason that her love grew for Florentino was because she was young and felt as though she needed someone to be dependent on. You could see in her letters that she never had any deep feelings for Florentino like he did for her. In the end, Florentino ends up living his life waiting for a woman that doesn’t love him. Although Fermina marries Dr. Urbino, I have yet to see any passage that really shows the deep passion she should have for him. She accepts his hand in marriage very passively. It says that she, “wrote the letter as quickly as possible….it was one of her typical letters, not a syllable too many or too few, in which she told the Doctor yes, he could speak to her father (137).” This is one of the biggest moments of her life, where she is accepting a hand in marriage and she is ‘quickly’ writing a response. The way the passage is written shows no emotion in her; it’s as if this is just another task that she has to do that day. I’m not exactly sure why Dr. Urbino and Fermina get married. Towards the very end of the section it says that Dr. Urbino realizes that, “he...did not love her….[but that he was sure] there would be no obstacle to their inventing true love (159). Neither of them are completely in love with the other, so why would they decide to make a life-long commitment to each other? (667)
2 comments:
Michele Barnhill, I particularly enjoyed your comparison of Florentino and Dr. Urbino's love. Though they show their love in somewhat different ways, in effect it all leads back to the same thing. In addition, your analysis of Fermina was accurately portrayed as well. As you get further on in the book, I think you will get a better understanding of her character.
Sue--once again, Navdeep has beaten me to the punch and said nearly everything I wanted to say. I may have to hire him as my official blog comment writer. But you're right about the many ways in which the narrator tells the story so as to point out the similarities between the two courtships, yet always manages to emphasize the differences in style and temperament between the two suitors. The serenades, for example: one pours his heart into his playing, the other hires his and stands by watching.
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