Mechanic
“He had a dignity and presence that spared him from humiliation and a genuine elegance that was defeated only by tarnished hands and nails that had been shattered by rough work” p. 284
Bore the rash of the banana company: possibly a sign of his downfall?
Followed by the yellow butterflies
Represent that he is peaceful but the yellow represents death
“All my life they told me that butterflies at night bring bad luck” p.291
Because Meme loved him, when he dies she is forced to go to the same convent and live the same life her mother did
Continues the cycle
Pushes Meme into her solitude
Causes her to disregard everything even her father
Yellow butterflies begin to follow her representing the death of her former self as she is sent to the convent
Represents rebellion against social structure
Breaking down the formality of the town
Represents the future and cultural change that Meme becomes a part of until she is pulled back by Fernanda
Without progression forward the town will never change and progress
Hint: this is why they have a downfall
Mr. Herbert
First representative of the banana company to enter the town
Ironic that he has never seen a banana before and inspects it with great detail
Doesn’t “know” anything about bananas yet starts the entire company
Represents mass production/ exploitation of cheap labor
One of the primary factors in the massacre of 3000 workers
Brings into Macondo surveyors, engineers, agronomists and others to start the banana company
With his arrival comes a huge wave of new gringos that bring with them a completely different culture and change to the town
“No one knew yet what they were after or whether they were nothing but philanthropists and they had already caused a colossal disturbance…they changed the patterns of the rains, accelerated the cycle of harvests, and moved the river from where it had always been.” P. 227
“Look at the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into just because we invited a