Love in the Time of Cholera is a famous novel written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1985. The story takes place in a Caribbean seaport and spans over fifty years, focusing on the complex love triangle between Fermina Daza, Florentino Ariza, and Dr. Juvenal Urbino. Florentino falls deeply in love with Fermina, but she marries the wealthy and socially prominent Dr. Urbino.
Despite the marriage, Florentino remains devoted to Fermina and waits for over five decades for an opportunity to rekindle their romance. The novel explores themes of love, aging, and the passage of time, blending elements of magical realism with rich, lyrical prose. It is considered one of Marquez’s masterpieces and a significant work in Latin American literature.
Summary Of Love in the Time of Cholera
Love in the Time of Cholera begins with Dr. Juvenal Urbino, a respected doctor in the city of Viceroy, being sent to examine the body of his close friend and chess rival, Jeremiah Saint-Amour. Saint-Amour has committed suicide to avoid growing old past sixty. Upon returning home, Dr. Urbino discovers that his pet parrot has escaped from its cage and climbed a mango tree. While attempting to retrieve the parrot with a ladder, Dr. Urbino falls to his death.
Florentino Ariza seizes the opportunity presented by Dr. Urbino’s death to once again declare his undying love for Fermina Daza. However, Fermina is horrified by his insensitivity and reflects on the magnitude of the “drama” she initiated at eighteen. Although Fermina might have erased Florentino from her memory, not a day has passed in the fifty-one years, nine months, and four days since their long, troubled love affair ended without her thinking of him.
The story then delves into the past, recounting how Florentino and Fermina met when he delivered a telegram to Fermina’s father, Lorenzo Daza. Despite obstacles, Florentino and Fermina engage in a passionate correspondence. However, Lorenzo discovers the love letters and sends Fermina away with her aunt on a long journey to make her forget Florentino.
During the journey, Fermina meets her cousin Hildebranda Sánchez, who helps her communicate with Florentino through telegrams. When Fermina returns, she, now a mature woman, shocks Florentino by failing to recognize her former lover. Upon seeing him, Fermina suddenly detests him and the audacity of her past affection. She coldly tells him to “forget.”
Florentino tries to win Fermina over once more but fails. For the next fifty-one years, nine months, and four days, Florentino never has the chance to speak privately or see Fermina. Initially, he vows to keep his virginity for her, but after an encounter with Rosalba on a distant city-bound ship, he turns to sexuality to ease the pain of losing Fermina. Upon returning home, he remains determined to win her back. Over time, Florentino has secret relationships with various women, despite rumors suggesting he might be homosexual.
Dr. Urbino courts Fermina despite her resistance. Lorenzo Daza imposes the doctor on his daughter, and Fermina reluctantly agrees. To make himself worthy of Fermina, Florentino works diligently at his uncle Don Leo XII Loayza’s Caribbean River Company and eventually becomes its president. After their wedding, Fermina and Dr. Urbino spend three months honeymooning in Europe. Upon returning, Fermina is pregnant with their first child. Despite his determination to win Fermina back, Florentino continues his affairs with other women, including an encounter with Leona Cassiani, whom he initially mistakes for a prostitute but later employs.
Florentino understands he must wait patiently for Dr. Urbino to die to win Fermina. Publicly, Dr. Urbino greets Florentino with genuine kindness, but Fermina only acknowledges him with a polite glance or smile, not recalling their past. Although they appear to be a happy couple, Fermina and Dr. Urbino are often dissatisfied in their marriage. Their seemingly stable marriage is shaken when Dr. Urbino has a four-month affair with Barbara Lynch, which ends when Fermina discovers it. Angered by her husband’s infidelity, Fermina goes to live with Hildebranda. Dr. Urbino unexpectedly arrives at the farm to bring her back, much to Fermina’s delight.
After Dr. Urbino’s accidental death, the elderly Florentino ends his relationship with fourteen-year-old América Vicuña and declares his “eternal fidelity and infinite love” to Fermina at the doctor’s funeral. Despite initially driving him away, Fermina sends Florentino a hate-filled letter. He responds with a letter on life and love that helps her move past her grief. Over time, their correspondence rekindles their relationship, and they begin spending time together at Fermina’s home.
Florentino invites Fermina on a riverboat trip, which she accepts. During the journey, Florentino and Fermina finally consummate their love. When the boat reaches its final port, Fermina sees familiar people and worries about the scandal their relationship might cause. She orders Florentino to fly the ship’s quarantine flag, deciding to remain on the river in perpetual exile from society.