Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ presents a diverse palette of characters as we follow the story of the Buendia family over the course of several generations. While there are enough Buendias to stir trouble on their own, the family is also joined by outsiders who slowly become a part of them and join in the chaos that defines the bunch. One of those people is Rebeca. She arrives in Macondo following the death of her parents and is taken in by the Buendias, who raise her like their own daughter. But there are things about Rebeca they don’t know. Some of her actions are completely out of their understanding, one of which is her habit of eating dirt. SPOILERS AHEAD
Rebeca’s Habit Hints Towards a Deeper Problem That Goes Unacknowledged
Nothing much is known about Rebeca when she comes to the doorstep of José Arcadio Buendía and Úrsula Iguarán. They are told that the girl is related to Úrsula as her second cousin and her parents are named Nicanor Ulloa and Rebeca Montiel, but neither José Arcadio Buendía nor Úrsula knows of them. The girl’s origins remain so unknown that they don’t even know her name, and eventually, it is Úrsula who names the girl Rebeca after her mother. Of the many strange things about the girl, one is the fact that she prefers eating dirt to food. According to the book, Rebeca is also prone to eating the chippings off the wall.
At first, it is ignored as a child’s habit, especially after Úrsula forces Rebeca to eat food, and the girl stops eating dirt, at least in front of others. However, the habit never really goes away, and it becomes especially prominent as she gets older and witnesses all sorts of troubles. The reason behind Rebeca’s habit is never explained, but there is a good chance that it hints at an underlying trauma that she left behind in the place she was born. It could have been a result of the untimely death of her parents, the nature of which remains entirely mysterious. This also explains the resurgence of the habit during particularly stressful times for Rebeca.
Another reason behind the habit could be physical problems. When Rebeca comes to Macondo, she doesn’t seem in good shape. Because she doesn’t eat anything, it leads to problems of anemia and malnutrition, which is considered one of the reasons, among others, behind the condition known as pica. Instead of being taken to a doctor, Rebeca is subjected to Úrsula’s home remedy, which seems to control the problem but doesn’t quite solve it. Once Rebeca starts to eat food, her habit of eating dirt doesn’t receive as much attention, which is why she never receives medical help for it, and the habit stays with her.
Rebeca’s Habit of Eating Dirt is Exacerbated by Her Emotions
One of the things that we see throughout Rebeca’s story is that her habit of eating dirt is driven by her emotions. When she comes to Macondo, she doesn’t know anyone. She is thrown into a family that she’s never met before and doesn’t know anything about. It is a foreign endeavor for her, and she doesn’t know how to cope with it. In this situation, dirt feels like the only familiar thing she has. She is nervous and scared while also grieving for her parents, and all these emotions lead her towards it.
After Úrsula forces a concoction down her throat to cure her condition, Rebeca starts eating food, and we don’t see her eat dirt anymore. However, without anyone’s knowing, she keeps doing it in secret. Her problem is revisited again when a crisis arrives, for example, during the insomnia plague when the entire Macondo loses its grip on reality and loses their minds until Melquiades comes around and gives them the cure. The next time we see Rebeca devouring dirt in the garden is when she falls in love with Pietro Crespi. He leaves a week after fixing the piano and giving the girls dance lessons, but by the time of his departure, Rebeca has hopelessly fallen in love with him. The absence of her beloved causes Rebeca to resort to dirt eating not just as an expression of her emotions but also because she sees it as the only way to feel connected to him.
Even after she is engaged to Pietro, the tension of not being able to marry him keeps eating away at her, and every time the wedding is delayed, Rebeca’s frustration comes out through eating dirt. Eventually, she breaks free of Pietro’s love when she meets Jose Arcadio and falls for him. This time, when she eats dirt, she is tormented by her desire for the man who is supposed to be her brother, like Aureliano. She is also troubled by her engagement with Pietro and worries that it will keep her from being with Jose Arcadio. Of course, things turn out very differently, and interestingly, once Rebeca marries Jose Arcadio and leaves the Buendia house, her habit of eating dirt does not come into the picture again.
Read More: Who is the Narrator of One Hundred Years of Solitude?
