What does Marquez reveal about the war when Colonel Gerineldo Marquez stands up to Aureliano, who then orders his execution?

Question

This is a question about the novel 100 Years of Solitude.

Answer 1

When Colonel Gerineldo Márquez finally stands up to Aureliano, Márquez reveals that the war has essentially lost the ideals that once justified it. The Liberal leaders are willing to abandon principles they supposedly fought for, and Aureliano accepts their terms because he has come to see the conflict as a struggle for power rather than meaningful political change. Gerineldo recognizes this as a betrayal and refuses to quietly accept it.

Aureliano’s response makes the point even harsher. Instead of listening to one of his closest and most loyal friends, he has Gerineldo arrested for treason and sentenced to death. Márquez therefore exposes what years of war have done to Aureliano: he has become authoritarian, isolated, and willing to destroy personal relationships in the name of a cause he barely believes in anymore. The scene shows Márquez’s larger argument about war in the novel: prolonged conflict can become self-perpetuating, until winning and maintaining power matter more than the principles that started the fighting in the first place.