Love in the Time of Cholera is about Florentino Ariza’s life and his wait to be loved by the one he loves, Fermina Daza. The story is somewhere in the Caribbean Sea, but the city in which most of the story takes place is never named throughout the story. Florentino Ariza’s life is a life of waiting and trying to achieve everlasting happiness.
The story opens with Dr. Juvenal Urbino embarking to the house of one of his friends, Jeramiah de Saint-Amour. Dr. Urbino once at the house, he goes inside and finds a young man for the police taking pictures of the now dead Jeramiah de Saint-Amour. Dr. Urbino was called because the police found an envelope with Dr. Urbino’s name on it inside was a letter from Jeramiah de Saint-Amour telling Dr. Urbino to go to a house in the city. Dr. Urbino went to the house and to his surprise, Dr. Urbino found a women there who was a lover of Jeramiah de Saint-Amour. After talking with the women Dr. Urbino left the house with a feeling of perplexity. Upon arriving at home Dr. Urbino finds that his prized pet parrot has escaped from its cage. When the parrot lands on a branch of the bush that is coming down from the roof of the house Dr. Urbino takes his chance at capturing the bird. Dr. Urbino sets up a ladder and climbs up and reaches for the bird, but as he is reaching he slips and falls to his death. His wife, Fermina Daza, and the children of Dr. Urbino have him buried. When Fermina Daza arrives home she finds that Florentino Ariza is there and he again confesses his love for her.
Florentino Ariza in his youth was sent to deliver a telegram to the household of a new resident of the city. While Florentino is leaving the house he catches his first glance of Fermina Daza and is immediately in love with her as he will be for the rest of his life. Florentino decides to watch his love from a far while he figures out how to tell Fermina about his love for her. Florentino watches Fermina and her Aunt Escolástica walk home from Fermina’s school every day when they walk through the park of Evangels. Florentino finally finds the courage to approach Fermina with a letter but she doesn’t accept the letter because she needs to get her father’s approval. Fermina later decides that she is going to accept the letter in secret without telling her father. Florentino and Fermina begin to send love letters in secret to each other through Aunt Escolástica. Finally Fermina’s father, Lorenzo Daza, finds out about the letters and demands that Fermina and Florentino stop all communication. Lorenzo Daza decides that he wants to meet Florentino to tell him personally that he wants Florentino to stop talking with his daughter. Florentino is unaffected by the talk and continues to do as he pleases. Lorenzo Daza then goes to drastic measures and decides to leave the city with his daughter and to send Aunt Escolástica back to her home country. Lorenzo Daza and Fermina go to live with some relatives of Fermina’s deceased mother. Even though Lorenzo thought that he had separated his daughter from all communications with Florentino, Lorenzo was wrong. Florentino and Fermina kept in touch through telegrams that Fermina’s cousin would give to Fermina. When Lorenzo Daza eventually decided to move back to the city he believed that Fermina had forgotten about Florentino which was almost the truth.
Upon Fermina’s return to the city, she had grown tired of Florentino. Florentino could not believe that Fermina no longer wanted to talk to him or acknowledge his existence. Fermina asked for everything that she had sent to him but Florentino wouldn’t send back the pony tail of her own hair she sent him. Although Fermina did everything in her power to forget about Florentino, Florentino did the opposite he always remembered Fermina and longed for her. In the years to follow Fermina would get married to Dr. Juvenal Urbino, the most respected man in the city. Florentino would have many mistresses but would remain committed to the idea that Fermina would eventually love him again. Floretino had relationships with many women but was never able to fill the void in his heart left by Fermina. Florentino went as far as to have a relationship with a fifty-five year old woman when he was young and then when he was older he had a relationship with a minor. Florentino even got a woman killed by her husband because the woman and Florentino having an affair. Fermina and Dr. Urbino raised a family together and Florentino was climbing up the ranks of the River Company. Along Florentino’s climb to the top of the River Company his mother died, she was the only person that knew about his intense love for Fermina. Florentino would later almost share his feelings for Fermina with Leona Cassiani, a woman that Florentino helped to get a job at the River Company. On occasion Florentino and Fermina would greet each other at various events that were usually put on by Dr. Urbino. After years of waiting Florentino is finally granted his chance to profess his love for Fermina when Dr. Urbino dies trying to get his parrot. Fermina accepts Florentino’s love for her again and once again they are together. Florentino and Fermina embark on a voyage on the river, but the trip goes south when Fermina sees some people she knows at a port. Due to Fermina seeing people and not wanting to be thought of unfaithful she asks Florentino to talk with the Captain. Florentino asks the Captain to raise the cholera flag so that nobody gets on the boat but this decision comes at a cost, the ship is now not allowed into any ports and is forced to forever sail the river.
The story opens with Dr. Juvenal Urbino embarking to the house of one of his friends, Jeramiah de Saint-Amour. Dr. Urbino once at the house, he goes inside and finds a young man for the police taking pictures of the now dead Jeramiah de Saint-Amour. Dr. Urbino was called because the police found an envelope with Dr. Urbino’s name on it inside was a letter from Jeramiah de Saint-Amour telling Dr. Urbino to go to a house in the city. Dr. Urbino went to the house and to his surprise, Dr. Urbino found a women there who was a lover of Jeramiah de Saint-Amour. After talking with the women Dr. Urbino left the house with a feeling of perplexity. Upon arriving at home Dr. Urbino finds that his prized pet parrot has escaped from its cage. When the parrot lands on a branch of the bush that is coming down from the roof of the house Dr. Urbino takes his chance at capturing the bird. Dr. Urbino sets up a ladder and climbs up and reaches for the bird, but as he is reaching he slips and falls to his death. His wife, Fermina Daza, and the children of Dr. Urbino have him buried. When Fermina Daza arrives home she finds that Florentino Ariza is there and he again confesses his love for her.
Florentino Ariza in his youth was sent to deliver a telegram to the household of a new resident of the city. While Florentino is leaving the house he catches his first glance of Fermina Daza and is immediately in love with her as he will be for the rest of his life. Florentino decides to watch his love from a far while he figures out how to tell Fermina about his love for her. Florentino watches Fermina and her Aunt Escolástica walk home from Fermina’s school every day when they walk through the park of Evangels. Florentino finally finds the courage to approach Fermina with a letter but she doesn’t accept the letter because she needs to get her father’s approval. Fermina later decides that she is going to accept the letter in secret without telling her father. Florentino and Fermina begin to send love letters in secret to each other through Aunt Escolástica. Finally Fermina’s father, Lorenzo Daza, finds out about the letters and demands that Fermina and Florentino stop all communication. Lorenzo Daza decides that he wants to meet Florentino to tell him personally that he wants Florentino to stop talking with his daughter. Florentino is unaffected by the talk and continues to do as he pleases. Lorenzo Daza then goes to drastic measures and decides to leave the city with his daughter and to send Aunt Escolástica back to her home country. Lorenzo Daza and Fermina go to live with some relatives of Fermina’s deceased mother. Even though Lorenzo thought that he had separated his daughter from all communications with Florentino, Lorenzo was wrong. Florentino and Fermina kept in touch through telegrams that Fermina’s cousin would give to Fermina. When Lorenzo Daza eventually decided to move back to the city he believed that Fermina had forgotten about Florentino which was almost the truth.
Upon Fermina’s return to the city, she had grown tired of Florentino. Florentino could not believe that Fermina no longer wanted to talk to him or acknowledge his existence. Fermina asked for everything that she had sent to him but Florentino wouldn’t send back the pony tail of her own hair she sent him. Although Fermina did everything in her power to forget about Florentino, Florentino did the opposite he always remembered Fermina and longed for her. In the years to follow Fermina would get married to Dr. Juvenal Urbino, the most respected man in the city. Florentino would have many mistresses but would remain committed to the idea that Fermina would eventually love him again. Floretino had relationships with many women but was never able to fill the void in his heart left by Fermina. Florentino went as far as to have a relationship with a fifty-five year old woman when he was young and then when he was older he had a relationship with a minor. Florentino even got a woman killed by her husband because the woman and Florentino having an affair. Fermina and Dr. Urbino raised a family together and Florentino was climbing up the ranks of the River Company. Along Florentino’s climb to the top of the River Company his mother died, she was the only person that knew about his intense love for Fermina. Florentino would later almost share his feelings for Fermina with Leona Cassiani, a woman that Florentino helped to get a job at the River Company. On occasion Florentino and Fermina would greet each other at various events that were usually put on by Dr. Urbino. After years of waiting Florentino is finally granted his chance to profess his love for Fermina when Dr. Urbino dies trying to get his parrot. Fermina accepts Florentino’s love for her again and once again they are together. Florentino and Fermina embark on a voyage on the river, but the trip goes south when Fermina sees some people she knows at a port. Due to Fermina seeing people and not wanting to be thought of unfaithful she asks Florentino to talk with the Captain. Florentino asks the Captain to raise the cholera flag so that nobody gets on the boat but this decision comes at a cost, the ship is now not allowed into any ports and is forced to forever sail the river.