A giddy school girl, to become a reserved woman. Fermina Daza has led a turbulent life, receiving the unbridled affection of an excited youth, only to have this relationship forcefully pushed away by her father. She meets what she considers to be the perfect “husband”, a man who fulfills her needs and wishes, only to have this gift snatched away by death. With both Florentino Ariza and Dr. Juvenal Urbino, Fermina is able to find happiness and pleasure, despite the many differences in regards to their character, personality, and even appearance. In fact, it is through these differences that the many different aspects of Fermina are nurtured and expressed. In Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Marquez employs the contrasting static traits between Florentino Ariza and Dr. Juvenal Urbino in developing Fermina Daza as a dynamic and round character. Florentino, the first of her lovers, is essential to the development of her character as a youthful girl.
Fermina is subject to the affections of a young man who is “desperate to infect her with his own madness.”(69) Florentino’s emotive actions towards Fermina succeed in altering her own emotional state and indirectly evokes certain aspects of her character. She becomes ensnared by his impassioned letters and professions of love, and in response, develops the characteristics of an infatuated lover. The first of these is her impulsiveness, caused by the overwhelming intensity of Florentino’s love, a love that moves him to the