Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

A very Old Man With Enormous Wings

 

            "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is a short fiction story written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1955. There is much to be interpreted in such a short story with a quick beginning and quick ending. There is more than one way to interpret this story I choose the more spiritual and biblical way. .
             Marquez starts it out with "On the third day of rain." That one line can be thought about in many different ways. I see it as that angel is of God, and on the third day God's son rose form the grave, as said in the bible. It was the third day that Pelayo came upon this very old man who appeared to be an angle. Once Jesus rose from the grave the people were much happier and this also made the town not "sad" anymore, which brought excitement and talk to it also. .
             I also see an oxymoron when in everyday life we see angels as beautiful, clean, and miraculous in many ways. This angel though was infested with parasites, its wings were very dirty, and he didn't come across at the stereotypical angel. Marquez said "he was dressed like a rag picker. There were only a few faded hairs left on his bald skull and very few teeth in his mouth. Since he did look like this and was not very pleasant the people of the town treated him awful. They would throw things at him and treat him like a circus animal. This once again is very similar to the bible. People treated God's son the say way right before he was hung on the cross. The people of the town and the people in biblical times both felt bad and guilty after realizing who they were tormenting and ridiculing. Most people who came to see the angel would come to laugh and throw things or come to him just for a miracle, and then have nothing more to go with him. .
             What kind of made me mad was when Elisenda described the "angel" as an annoyance after all the money she made off of him. As Marquez described "With the money they saved they built a two-story mansion with balconies and gardens and high netting so that crabs wouldn't get in during the winter, and with iron bars on the windows so that angels wouldn't get in.


Essays Related to A very Old Man With Enormous Wings