OHYOS: Immortality & The Written Word

Throughout OHYOS the themes of death and the written word have occurred again and again. More specifically, however, they have been united and related multiple times. First, with Melquíades who says that the sanskrit writings ought to be translated after his death. Then with Fernanda, who decided that while she waited for death to take her that she would write letters to her children. And lastly with one other person Amaranta Ursula? not quite sure also write letters. I think that immortality THROUGH the written word is the theme trying to be portrayed by Garbiel Garciá Marquez. For example as José Arcadio Segundo tries to decipher Melquíades sanskrit writings, Melquíades literally reappears. Whether or not this is real or fantastical it furthers the idea that Melquíades is immortal as a result of his writing. Another theme seen within OHYOS is memory (or lack thereof) and its relation to history. Therefore I think that when Marquez relates the written word to immortality he might be alluding to the fact that many things are only known now because others have recorded them at some point in history. Thereby through it being written down, the past can live on and be remembered.