One Hundred Years of Solitude Lesson Plan

What is the effect of the repetition of names throughout the novel?

The repetition of names throughout the novel contributes to this idea that the Buendía family is insulated somehow. Solitude is a significant theme throughout, and the repetition of names reinforces that the Buendías are in solitude individually, at times, but also collectively. Even when people outside the family marry in or have affairs that result in children, the children tend to take on names already existing within the Buendía family, especially the men. This also may speak to a tradition of naming men after male predecessors. The repeating names also represent the way history repeats itself on...