Cruelty In A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

In a small town by a wintry sea, an ancient, decrepit man is found entrenched in the mud of a courtyard. This man, however, is not quite a man, for he happens to be in possession of a large pair of wings. In his pitiful condition how do the people of this town treat this possibly angelic creature? "... They found the whole neighborhood in front of the chicken coup having fun with the angel, without the slightest reverence, tossing him things to eat through the openings in the wire as if he weren't a supernatural creature, but a circus animal" (218-219). As is quite apparent, the villagers do not pay him any kindnesses. In fact, the driving force in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is the callous, cruel, and fickle nature of humanity.

When faced with a frail old man locked away in a cage, something that seems defenseless and vulnerable, what was the pilgrims response? "The only time they succeeded in arousing him was when they burned his side with an iron meant for branding steers..." (221). Of course, they choose cruelty. As shown by this, if there are no consequences for acts of savagery, then it is in the nature of most people to enact them. Subsequently, when the old man flapped his wings in pain, bringing about a fearsome gale and causing otherworldly panic, they reined in their behavior. Unfortunately, the old man's mistreatment does not end there. Even after he is forgotten by the masses, he is left in his rotting cell. "The chicken coop was the only thing that didn't receive any attention. If they washed it down with creolin and burned tears of myrrh inside it every so often, it was not homage to the angel but to drive away the dungheap stench..." (223). It is obvious that the captors of the old man felt no obligation towards him, as is evident by their blatant neglect of the one thing that brought them their prosperity. Unless there are consequences for actions, like with the flapping of the mans wings, then people will opt for the most convenient option,

However, the instant something more interesting shows up in town, his cell is left barren of visitors, showing the fickle nature of humanity. "Pelayo's courtyard went back to being as empty as during the time it had rained three days and crabs walked through the bedrooms" (223). The creature of interest that replaced him, was a woman who had been turned into a spider. Her story is easy to understand, she can speak clearly, and visitors are permitted to ask her all manner of questions. These factors combine to make her a more interesting spectacle than the old man, so he is immediately forgotten. The quickly changing interests of people, are most revealed here, where all the people that once came to gawp at him, now do so at the new attraction. Leaving him in the rot of his cell. In essence, it is the nastier side of humanity that powers "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings". The callousness, fickleness, and cruelty are the very drive behind how the old man is abused, forgotten, and otherwise treated unfairly. After all, Pelayo ignores the old mans suffering as soon as profit can be sought, the pilgrims burn him with a branding iron when they can get away with it, and all but his captors forget him for a new curiosity. The forces at play here are clear, and the only thing I ask upon closing, is that you limit their influence on your