No One Writes to the Colonel (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Gabriel García Márquez
- First Published: 1961
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Ironic
- Time of Work: October to December, 1956
- Setting: An unnamed village in Colombia
- Genres: Long fiction, Magical Realism
- Subjects: 1950’s, Poverty or poor people, Small-town life, Military life or service, South America or South Americans, Retirement
- Locales: Colombia
Characters Discussed
The colonel, an extremely poor retiree who has waited fifteen years for his military pension. He is rather anorexic, and the only thing that makes him look like he has not been kept in formaldehyde is the vitality of his eyes. He is extremely careful, respectful, and formal, and his hair is metallic, like his joints. His lack of a name in the novel fits perfectly with his wish to remain anonymous, which to him is a way of keeping his dignity. His pride makes every one of his actions appear transcendental, and thus his meager possessions are displaced by a...
[The entire page is 763 words long]
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