Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ focuses on the chaos and drama in the Buendia family over the course of a century. One of the major themes of the story is the thread of incest that runs through the family, becoming a curse unto itself that cannot be shaken off, no matter what. Forbidden romance ruins the lives of quite a few Buendias, but that is not the only trope that the story relies upon. The love triangle is another romance trope that appears in the show, and the push and pull within this triangle decide the fates of the concerned parties. At the center is an Italian named Pietro Crespi, and the other two ends are the Buendia sisters, Amaranta and Rebeca. SPOILERS AHEAD
Rebeca and Pietro’s Romance is Ruined by Amaranta’s Jealousy
When Pietro Crespi comes to the Buendia household to set up the piano, Amaranta and Rebeca immediately fall in love with him. They keep their feelings a secret from everyone, including each other, and secretly pine for him, even when he leaves. Sometime later, Rebeca gets a letter, and it turns out that Pietro has fallen for her. When Amaranta discovers this, her jealousy knows no bounds, but still, she keeps it to herself because she thinks that her parents would never allow Rebeca to marry the Italian. But then, the tides change when Aureliano decides to get married, and it is decided that Rebeca will get married on the same day as Pietro.
It is after the announcement of the engagement that Amaranta’s true feelings come to light. To her credit, she makes no show of hiding her jealousy and resentment for her sister. She tells Rebeca to her face that she will do whatever it takes to stop the wedding, even if it means she has to kill her. She also confesses her feelings to Pietro, telling him that he will marry Rebeca over her dead body. Amaranta doesn’t just stop at words. She actually creates hindrances to delay the wedding. A few days before they are supposed to wed, Pietro gets a letter revealing that his mother has passed away. He quickly rides away from Macondo, completely unaware that, at the same time, his mother, who is very much alive, is coming to town for the wedding.
It is never revealed who sent the letter, but clearly, Amaranta had something to do with it. Following this, fate intervenes, and just as Pietro Crespi comes back, his mother leaves, and he refuses to wed without his mother. Then, the building of the church comes into the picture, and Amaranta proposes that Rebeca’s wedding should be what inaugurates the church, and everyone agrees to it. Of course, the construction of the church takes years. At one point, it is projected that it might take a decade. But then, eventually, Ursula decides that she is done with Rebeca’s frustration, which has started to take different forms, and a day is decided.
Even then, Amaranta is ready. She wishes for something bad to happen to ruin the wedding day, but more importantly, she wishes something devastating to happen so that she doesn’t have to poison Rebeca. In a cruel twist of fate, her prayers are heard, and Aureliano’s wife, Remedios, dies. This throws the entire house in mourning, with Ursula declaring a year of mourning period. Her sister’s ruined wedding makes Amaranta happy, but she feels guilty for Remedios’ death, which she feels was a much higher price to pay to ruin Rebeca’s happiness.
Pietro Doesn’t Get a Happy Ending with Amaranta Either
Remedios’ death hits Rebeca hard, not just for the loss of a beloved family member but also because, with another hurdle, she is convinced that she will never get married to Pietro, at least as long as Amaranta is alive. And then, Jose Arcadio returns home. He had left Macondo with the gypsies before Rebeca came to the Buendias, which is why they were never introduced. But the moment they see each other, they are attracted, and this attraction grows with each day despite their being told that they are practically siblings.
As Rebeca’s passions turn towards Jose Arcadio, who is nothing like Pietro, especially when it comes to expressing his desires and acting upon them, the idea of the wedding is completely dropped. When Rebeca marries Jose Arcadio, Pietor is crestfallen, and Amaranta is the one he turns to for comfort. Considering how desperately she had been in love with him, everyone thinks that now, there is nothing stopping Amaranta from wedding Pietro. But when he proposes to her, she refuses his hand. What has happened is that Remedios’ sudden death has left Amaranta with such guilt that she has decided to punish herself for wanting a thing like that to happen. Moreover, she has decided to take care of Aureliano Jose, who has been left motherless with Remedios’ death.
Another thing that may have turned off Amaranta is Rebeca’s sudden change of heart. It is possible that her own feelings for Pietro may have been influenced by her sister falling in love with the same man. It almost seems as if Amaranta enjoyed the competition more than actually wanting Pietro for herself. Once Rebeca’s attention turns to Jose Arcadio, Amaranta loses the competition, and this strips her of the feelings she thought she had for Pietro. Poor Pietro fails to keep up with the sudden change of heart of the women who had been fighting over him for so long. He is so dejected in the end that he kills himself, and this puts a complete stop to the love triangle that went on for far too long and ruined the lives of the people who didn’t even have anything to do with it.
