Role of language?

The novel presents a complex interplay of language and meaning. Within the novel several languages are mentioned—Spanish, of course, but also Sanskrit, English, and Guajira. Some of the characters learn Guajira before Spanish, the early gypsy's native tongue is stated to be Sanskrit, and some characters learn English by self-study. The narrative suggests that language defines meaning but this is a fairly subtle and minor theme. This is somewhat complicated by the fact that the original text is written in Spanish; the text considered in this summary is the masterful English-language translation performed by Gregory Rabassa. Since the novel's original publication it has been translated into numerous additional languages.

Meaning within the novel simultaneously presents both an obstacle to, and an opportunity for, serious academic study. Most notable events in the novel are given a multiplicity of meanings which defy conventional analysis. For example, consider the actions of Jose Arcadio when he intervenes to prevent the execution by firing squad of Colonel Aureliano Buendia, his brother. Jose Arcadio walks into the street with a double shotgun and menaces a squad of soldiers armed with magazine rifles. They not only acquiesce to his demands to free their prisoner, but they subsequently join with Colonel Aureliano Buendia's revolutionary forces. Colonel Aureliano Buendia is thus spared to go on and start and lose another dozen or so wars. A few days later Jose Arcadio falls dead; in the next room his wife Rebeca hears a shot ring out. But Jose Arcadio's body has no injury. And yet a ribbon of blood issues from his ear. His body bears the stench of powder. Allegorically, he has been shot with a non-existent bullet intended for his brother; his act of interference was actually an act of self-sacrifice. To further complicate the situation, his corpse is treated as a sort of food item, being boiled and treated with herbs in a futile attempt to remove the stench of assassination. Years later the corpse is still so pungent that the groundwater of the town is contaminated.