Love in the Time of Cholera

The non-linear structure of the novel enables the reader to begin to understand the events and the characters, but much is left to later in the novel. For example, as Urbino struggles to come to terms with the lies of his friend Jeremiah de Saint-Amour and his act of suicide, inspired by gerontophobia, or, fear of old age, Urbino reveals that he has grown as a character, though the reader does not yet understand how far Urbino has come. Saint-Amour was a criminal who lied about a valiant history as a veteran, and in his death is treated like a hero; this crisis of faith causes Urbino pain, because it speaks to the eternal mystery of each person’s internal life, a phenomenon that Urbino appreciates most as an elderly man, when it is nearly too late for him to show empathy to the people who matter to him the most.

In the first section of the novel, death and love compete as major themes that are interlinked by expressions of suffering. For Urbino, death is an overbearing concern—the end of life troubles his thoughts, and he feels the inevitability of death as an ongoing pressure that forces him to examine his spirituality. In a moment of symbolic significance, Urbino dies trying to rescue his precious parrot; killed by his devotion to his parrot, Urbino leaves behind his grieving widow. In these early pages, love is equated with foolishness and suffering, as Fermina Daza grieves the loss of her husband, whose death was unnecessary. Fermina’s suffering is foreshadowed by Urbino’s visit to the grieving lover of his friend Saint-Amour, who suffers perhaps more than Fermina despite her unmarried status.

Before Urbino’s death, Urbino and Fermina Daza struggle to understand whether love characterizes their nearly fifty years of marriage, or if their bond is a matter of comfort and convenience. The definition of love is important to the development of both of the characters of Urbino and Fermina Daza. Both are willing to accept convenience, stability, and the façade of occasional romance in their marriage. This superficial love is contrasted with Florentino Ariza’s passion for Fermina, revealed when he makes his “vow of eternal fidelity and everlasting love” (48) to Fermina at the end of this section of the novel.