Reality and A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

630 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Supernaturalism in literature

Reality and A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

Literally, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is a story about a Colombian family visited by a mysterious man with wings. The townspeople pay to visit this man who is encaged in a chicken coop. Once the townsfolk loose interest, the chicken coop collapses and the man flies away. A closer reading of the text reveals underlying themes. The supernatural being is a representation of the unknown. He stands out from the rest of civilization. Society likes to think of itself as being open-minded. The people in the story did not want to believe that the man was an angel because then they would have to reconsider everything they believe in.

Angels are commonly thought of to be elegant, beautiful creatures usually wearing white with a spiritual presence, not disease infested beings who wallow in their own filth. This allegory makes you question your own perception of what angels look like. We do not know for sure that all angles are not old men with few teeth who reek of squalor. We do not have any tried and true methods of determining the validity of an angel. The priest tested the man by speaking to him in Latin, the language of God, and by looking for a navel or a miracle. Even though the “angel” did not pass any of the tests, the people in the story believe that the old man must be a celestial being because there are no other feasible possibilities to his identity. The author stresses the fact that humans thought this man with wings was an odd creature that should be on display for the world to see and abuse like a caged animal. Human ignorance causes uncivilized behavior. Many people would be reluctant to place a being that fit into our definition of an angel into a chicken coop. If this in all actuality had been a real angel, then the townsfolk approached the situation inappropriately.

Another important point that this story addresses is how we treat other people, especially those who are different from us. This demonstrates just how ignorant and cruel some people can be. When the old man was first seen, Peyalo ran away from the man, leaving him lying in the mud instead of helping him. Not a one cared where he came from or why he was there for any other reason than to acquire money off of him.

Show More
Related

  • Mary's Angelic Encounter in the Bible

    1652 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Bible contains many stories of people having an encounter with angels. An encounter alludes to an unexpected meeting. The word “angel” is a transliteration from the Hebrew word “mal’ak” in the Old Testament (Strong’s H4397) and the Greek word “angelos” in the New Testament (Strong’s G32). Both words mean “messenger” and describes one who executes the plan and will of the person whom they serve.

    Read More

  • Greed In A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” exposes the greed and selfishness of humans. Marquez expresses Elisenda and Pelayo’s hatred for people on their land who want to catch a glimpse of the angel when he says “Her spine twisted from sweeping up so much market trash, then got the idea of fencing in the yard and charging five cents admission to see the angel.” The inconveniences that the angel has caused drove them to use him and make money off of him by turning him into a giant spectacle. Despite the fact that the angel is not unusual the townspeople treat him as if he was a zoo animal as they “Burned his side with a hot iron.” This sends a message that people often ignore the fact that their actions have the power to create miserable situations for others.

    Read More

  • The Imaginary Comparison of A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings and The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    The general theme of “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” is “Let things run their natural course; don’t bring conflict upon yourself by trying to defy nature”. When the angel comes, the very wise old woman tells them that he must be here to take their child but they don’t listen to her intelligent advice. “Against the judgment of the wise neighbor woman, for whom angels in those times were the fugitive survivors of spiritual conspiracy, they did not have the heart to club him to death. Pelayo watched over him all afternoon from the kitchen, armed with his bailiff’s club, and before going to bed he dragged him out of the mud and locked him up with the hens in the wire chicken coop”. Pelayo defies nature by not letting the Angel go, and hence the Angel is locked up “as if he weren’t a supernatural creature but a circus animal”. At the end of the story the wife watches the angel fly away and realizes that now he is now longer an annoyance in her life. If the...

    Read More

  • “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia- Marque

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”:Gabriel Garcia- Marquez story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”, written in 1955, is about a family harboring what is thought to be a fallen old “angel man”, initially thought to be on his way to take their ailing child away. The angel must have been coming for the child, but the poor fellow is so old that the rain knocked him down (Marquez, 1955). The family not knowing how to treat the situation embarks on a journey of mixed emotions of whether the man is good or evil, strange creature or angel. We will journey down the road of evaluation of the magical realism within this story.

    Read More

  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings: Religious Symbolism

    1626 Words  | 4 Pages

    The old man with enormous wings is a representation of an archetypical Christ Figure. Even though the man with enormous wings is neither classified as man nor angel, he is a Christ figure. Similar to Jesus, the man with enormous wings comes to Earth in an unexpected form. The Old Testament claims that the Messiah will live as...

    Read More

  • A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    Story: "A very old man with enormous wings" 1955. Author: Gabriel García Márquez (1928- ) Central Character: A very old man with enormous wings that they call an angel and that was found on a stormy night in the rear of Pelayo's courtyard. Other characters: Pelayo, Elisenda, a neighbor woman who knew everything about life and death, Father Gonzaga, a woman that had turned into a spider, the whole neighborhood and other people that came from everywhere to watch the angel.

    Read More

  • The Function of Symbolism in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the very outset, civilized society is shown to be unenlightened and uncharitable towards the unfamiliar. Instead of offering a helping hand, Pelayo, a representative of the civilized society, runs away in terror from the angel who "is an old man, a very old man, lying face down in the mud" (487) and totally helpless. The angel is falsely accused of being a "fugitive survivor of a celestial conspiracy" (488). Later, when the chicken coop collapses, the angel is not welcome in the house. The people fear what they do not understand and belittle the angel instead of attempting to understand him to gain insight and enlightenment, and when he has a temperature, or can barely see and eat, they show him no charity. Instead, Elisenda shouts out that "it is awful living in that hell full of angels"(491) when in reality it is awful for the angel living in the hell of uncivilized society.

    Read More

  • A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

    1465 Words  | 3 Pages

    When they first find the old man, the villagers claim that “he’s an angel” (Marquez 1). There is no denying the man’s divinity but he seems to represents much more than your average angel. In fact, the old man doesn’t resemble the typical image of an angel at all. Rather than being a young and pure angel, he is “much too human” with his “unbearable smell”. His angelic wings are even “strewn with parasites” with mistreated feathers (2). This contrasting imagery, however, doesn’t completely undermine the old man’s divinity; rather it draws attention to his lackluster appearance. The disappointments we feel towards the old man along with his particular characteristics make him remarkably similar to the one of bible’s tragic heroes; he is th...

    Read More

  • Environmental Movements in the United States

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States’ origin of environmentalism can be found in nineteenth century literature. The preservation era began with the newfound appreciation of nature that derived from transcendentalism. Ralph Waldo Emerson, author of the 1836 essay “Nature,” mentored and greatly influenced Henry David Thoreau, who went on to publish Walden in 1854 (“Ralph Waldo Emerson”). Thoreau’s studies of nature demonstrated the necessity of preserving the wild habitat, claiming “We need the tonic of wilderness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable…We can never have enough of nature” (Thoreau 187). Although Thoreau regarded nature in a manner of spiritual development, countless environmentalists and naturalists were inspired by his revelations; one of which, was John Muir. Through his various travels and occupations throug...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is an elaborate short story based on an old man most people believe is an angel. The story is about a Colombian family visited by an aged winged man who has fallen to earth. Though the story revolves mostly around this character, the story's true focus is not on the angel, but on the actions of the curious people that involve themselves with this man. The author illustrates in the story how humans can be abusive, ignorant and cruel to individuals who are different than others. The story describes how the mysterious Old Man is judged, sold, and mistreated until he is finally strong enough to fly away.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history, many people have witnessed events that they cannot explain. People want to believe the supernatural and the unknown but perhaps they have never encountered something odd or strange themselves. The old man with wings, the main character in "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, was a misunderstood individual throughout his time on earth. The author uses details of the old man's persona and describes several strange events that occur to demonstrate the difference between natural and supernatural.

    Read More

  • Theme Of A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many similarities between “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel García Mȧrquez and “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka. Both show many negative aspects of human nature through the use of magic realism, while also demonstrating many valuable lessons. Some of these lessons are help showing up in unforeseen and unrecognized places and how easily humans are distracted by superficial components of life.

    Read More

  • Workplace Bullying in Adulthood and in the Workplace

    1979 Words  | 4 Pages

    The phenomenon of workplace bullying refers to a gradually evolving process, whereby an individual ends up in an inferior position and becomes the target of systematic negative social acts by one or more perpetrators (Brodsky, 1976). Workplace bullying consists of repeated and prolonged exposure to predominantly psychological mistreatment, directed at a target who is typically teased, badgered and insulted, and who perceives himself or herself as not having the opportunity to retaliate in kind (Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf, & Copper 2003). After investigating three research studies related to workplace bullying, it is quite evident that bullying can have serious consequences on employees; therefore, it is important for employees and employers to know how to recognize it within their working environment. According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (2013), “bullying presents a threat to the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of a worker and is dealt with under t...

    Read More

  • The Oedipus Complex - Sigmund Freud vs. Jacques Lacan

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus has been interpreted by innumerable writers, philosophers, and critics in countless ways; the methods of interpreting Oedipus vary from mad rages and blind accusations to ignorantly perverse acts ranging from basic sexual desire to pre-destined fate ordained by the gods. Perhaps the most famous psychoanalyst in history Sigmund Freud theorized that Oedipus' story was applicable to all. French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan translated Freud into French and, though Lacan claimed to agree completely with Freud's ideas, he substantially changed Freud's theories. As Jurgen Braungardt says, "Lacan performs a renovation: he replaces the foundation of the theory, but retains the surface." The irony of this is that Lacan's interpretations solve the main problems of Freud's theories.

    Read More

  • What makes a Hero?

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    The greatest power for a human to have, not just a hero is the ability to act quickly in the midst of a dangerous and traumatic situation. It takes a certain type of person to keep a level head, a calm enough mind to keep enough control in a situation that has so much chaos happening. It is often seen that the type of person that has that kind of control will usually seek out a career that continues to give them some sort of adrenaline rush on a daily basis, such as a firefighter, police officer, or even a nurse or doctor in an emergency room. They are referred to as “adrenaline junkies” but...

    Read More

More about Reality and A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

Open Document