Which Love in the Time of Cholera?

Set in a romantic, quasi-mystical South American town, Love in the Time of Cholera is about the dramatic love triangle involving Florentino Ariza, Fermina Daza, and Dr. Juvenal Urbina. Throughout the novel, however, the reader is left wondering as to which one is the central love affair, the relationship that is supposed to be highlighted by the other. Is it the disturbing and unexpected love between Florentino and Fermina, or the socially-correct courtship and eventual long-lasting marriage of Dr. Urbina and Fermina? I will attempt to answer this question by dissecting the two relationships and therefore seeing which couple Marquez wants us to side with.
Florentino Ariza is an anomaly, an apparently unattractive man who attracts many women; a normally reserved, chaste person who falls passionately in love with Fermina with only a single glance: “… and that casual glance was the beginning of a cataclysm of love that still had not ended half a century later”(55). At first, this lead me to believe that it was merely a fleeting obsession, the melodramatic well-I-can’t-have-her-might-as-well-stalk-her reaction typical of soap operas and television movies. However, as time passes (and Florentino writes a 60-page love letter), it appears more and more likely that Florentino may actually be in love. Even stranger still, Fermina Daza is returning these emotions. At first glance, it appears to the reader that Fermina merely returns Florentino’s affections out of a mixture of sympathy and childish innocence. However, we can see that her affections do not wane over the three years she is away, despite the fact that her returns seems to have disillusioned her. Fifty-one years, nine months, and four days afterwards, it is painfully obvious that she still has feelings for Florentino: “while she slept, sobbing, she had thought more about Florentino Ariza than about her dead husband”(51).
The relationship between Dr. Urbina and Fermina comes as a surprise, mostly because it begins in a “lull” between Florentino and Fermina. After the passionate, immature love of Florentino, the abrupt, socially-correct courtship of Fermina by Dr. Urbino stuns the reader. Although both men are similar in their fervent desire for Fermina, Urbino’s money and eminent position seems to win Fermina over. At the beginning of the novel, however, it appears as if the long years have not withered their love, despite the fact that their relationship has become almost that of a mother and son: “After bathing him, Fermina Daza helped him to dress: she sprinkled talcum powder between his legs, she smoother cocoa butter on his rashed, she helped him put on his undershorts”(31). After falling out of the tree, his last words to her dispel all doubt that he has loved her for these many years: “Only God knows how much I loved you” (43). However, as previously noted, Fermina’s thoughts turn to Florentino after he returns to her and declares his love. Love in the Time of Cholera can be seen in two different lights: the first, a tale of a young, passionate love interrupted during a moment of confusion by a charming, sophisticated man; the desolate Florentino then must suffer for fifty-one long years before being reunited with his long lost love. The second, that Florentino developed an obscure, unfounded love for Fermina akin to stalking that was only returned due to childish innocence and stupidity. The rich, intelligent Dr. Urbino saves her from an unhappy, unhealthy relationship, and the true sadness of the book is found in the first several chapters, when he suddenly dies. The widowed Fermina is now prey, in her weakened state, to the advances of her former stalker. In my opinion, the novel tells the tale of the former option, about a young love broken by a richer, more sophisticated suitor. Florentino’s love during the time of cholera withstands the tests of time and heartbreak, and stands as a testament to the power true love has over one’s soul. (660)