74 pages 2 hours read

Gabriel García Márquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1967

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 4 Summary

Úrsula decides to inaugurate the new house additions with a dance. She purchases a pianola (a player piano) for the occasion. The company sends an Italian expert, Pietro Crespi, to show them how to place paper rolls inside it to play tunes. José Arcadio takes apart the pianola to see how it works and does not put it back together right, so on the night of the party, the music plays off-key and arrhythmically.

Pietro returns to Macondo to repair the pianola, and Rebeca develops a crush on him. Her crush is so intense that she begins to eat handfuls of dirt again; she looks out the window every day waiting for the mailman to bring her a letter from him.

Aureliano continues his crush on Remedios, even though she is still a child. He writes a great deal of poetry about her. One night, he gets very drunk with friends, blacks out, and wakes up in Pilar’s bed. He tells her all about his feelings for Remedios, and she comforts him. He tells his parents that he plans to marry her.

José Arcadio consents, as long as Rebeca can marry Pietro.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 74 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,450+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools