Deciphering Humanity in 'A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings'

Enormous wings, an old man, a struggling family. All of which seem quite strange to be considered together, but when considering the world as it seems, it truly is not entirely that strange. There are many elements in this world that are hidden from the natural eye because what we see on the outside is not always what is on the inside. Not everyone who is unattractive on the outside is ugly and cruel on the inside and not all who are attractive on the outside are the same on the inside, they may hide within them an evil that is only discovered when an opportunity to make a better life presents itself. In “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, we see both sides of this story, of how the world is and what it may seem to be. Often times what is seen on the outside determines what is initially seen on the inside which is what society judges. The old man with enormous wings is seen as “…a lonely castaway from some foreign ship wrecked by the storm.” (354); this description is what one would call unnatural and unusual. The man and his wife only saw the ugly on the outside; the part that was unnatural and
The world is a cruel place. There is nothing that can truly be done to change what is and what has already happened; however, the lesson here is that the world ought to be kind and caring towards those whose lives are not as pleasant and whose time in the world has not been all roses and sunshine. The very old man has obviously lived a long life that has been full of good and trying times. He has not given up on humanity though. Even through his own misfortune, he is trying to make those who he knows need help, live better and make their life worth living. Therefore Marquez is, through the story, saying that the people of the world should be more compassionate towards others, instead of trying to only make their situation