Category: A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

Summary

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is a fantasy story written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez about a person found abandoned in a farm backyard. Pelayo and Elisenda decide to take and offer him shelter. His unique appearance attracts villagers and a priest. Later, he becomes an object of admiration and people think that he can perform miracles. However, they realize that he is incapable of helping them to solve their problems.

The villagers are attracted to a traveling freak show that was spreading the story of a spider woman that had been transformed because of disobeying her parents. One night, the old man regained his health and flew away, but Pelayo and his wife had benefited a lot from charging fees to anyone interested in seeing him.

Dragon World is a story written by Zhang Xinxin and it describes a scene where people have been transformed into dragons. They devour all buildings and anything made from concrete and soon a whole town is converted into a land filled with fine sand. This author shows the similarities between peoples’ greed for wealth and dragons’ appetite for food.

Themes

These two stories explore various themes that make people behave in different ways. The authors use fantasy to amplify the behavior of people and explain how they are unable to control their appetites for wealth and power. The first story by Marquez explains how Pelayo and his wife are desperate and want to make money through all means available to them. They use the old man’s unique appearance to collect money from people that want to see him. The local community believes in witchcraft and hopes that the old man will solve their problems. This makes them pay a lot of money to Pelayo so that their problems could be solved by the perceived magician.

Secondly, this story explores the theme of superstition and explains that most people believe that the old man is an angel but others think that he is evil because angels are supposed to be neat and presentable. In addition, the church is torn between superstition and religion and Father Gonzaga is unable to make a decision without seeking advice from the church. The theme of superstition is used to explain why the ‘Spider Girl’ was converted into a tarantula for failing to respect her parents.

The second story explores the theme of greed and desire for material wealth. The author describes a Chinese society that has concentrated on generating money and spending it on material things. She explains that modern Chinese society has forgotten the values that guided it and has embraced western practices that focus on capitalism. In addition, the story portrays the theme of desperation that has influenced the conduct of people and made them forget their cultural practices that promote ethical behavior in society.

The Absence of Fantasy

It is necessary to explain that the use of various stylistic techniques makes literature interesting (Eynat-Confino 56). Therefore, audiences become glued to pieces of art that use fantasy to explain themes and describe the personalities of the characters used in a story. These authors would not have explained to their audiences the dangers of greed, superstition, and desire for material wealth if they had not used fantasies in their stories. The use of fantasy makes it easy for these authors to make their stories simple yet meaningful to their audiences. It is important to explain that these authors have succeeded in ensuring that they entertain and educate the audiences in unique ways by using fantastical characters. The use of fantasies in these stories breaks the monotony of narration; therefore, it makes these works interesting.

Use of Fantasy

These authors have used fantasy, in the same way, to make their stories interesting. In addition, they have used fantasy in a way that differs from ordinary stories about magic events and characters. The use of a man with enormous wings and dragons devouring a city makes these stories interesting and ensures audiences are attracted to them. These authors use this form of creativity to attract the attention of people that may not be interested in reading stories about the need for changes in how people behave.

Marquez and Xinxin have managed to ensure their audiences focus on the storyline and at the same time understand what they want to portray to them. Secondly, the use of fantasy enables authors to describe and show how people have problems they believe cannot be solved by science, but through magic (Eynat-Confino 63). The authors’ tones do not change as they move from the real to the fantastical world to enable the audience to follow the story without getting confused along the way.

Similarities

The main similarities between these two stories include how the authors present and explain the themes of greed, desperation, and desire for material wealth. In addition, these stories use imaginary creatures that amplify the behavior of people in society. These similarities make these stories present themes in simple yet descriptive ways. Therefore, the audience can recognize the similarities in terms of the themes and plots of these stories and this makes them unique.

Works Cited

Eynat-Confino, Irene. On the Uses of the Fantastic in Modern Theatre: Cocteau, Oedipus, and the Monster (Palgrave Studies in Theatre and Performance History). Basingstoke: Palgrave McMillan, 2008. Print.

This response is to the short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Pelayo, a man who hunts crabs, finds a weak and decrepit angel on the beach and rescues it. The news spreads far and quickly, but the creature fails to live up to the expectations of the curious crowd and is soon forgotten. Nevertheless, the family earns a considerable amount of money that allows it to escape poverty and begin living decently. It still treats the angel poorly, considering him a nuisance, and is relieved when the visitor recovers from his plight and flies away.

The story has an ironic quality, as the angel can be considered the family’s savior yet receives neglect. It can be inferred that he was sent to Pelayo by God to help him, but the superstitious crowd gives the arrival the meaning that he intended to claim the man’s sick child. It is likely that the angel’s stay was exactly as he planned and that he achieved his objective. However, since he did not perform his miracle with pomp that is usually associated with Christian miracles, his help went unrecognized. The most significant hint that reinforces this view is the angel’s treatment of the child, whose chickenpox he shares, presumably to ease the boy’s burden.

Introduction

Gabriel Garcia’s short tale A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is about a couple named Elisenda and Pelayo who interact with an elderly man in their backyard. The old man had wings, and it was difficult for the couple to communicate with him. After talking with their neighbor, the couple learned that the elderly was an angel sent to heal their sick kid. Due to this and their belief, they placed the youngster in the henhouse whenever their kid got a fever. The next morning, everyone in that community came to see the so-called angel and the story progressed to demonstrate the reality of otherness.

Discussion

Nonetheless, others of the locals, like Father Gonzaga, asserted that the angel was not infallible and pledged that the church’s highest court would assist him in discovering the real truth. Elisenda, an opportunist, decided to charge five cents to every person to get wealthy due to the influx of people from various regions. One day, a Spider-Woman arrived in the hamlet to parade at the carnival, and all the spectators departed. After numerous questions, she persuaded the interested onlookers that her disobedience to her parents converted her into a tarantula. The community’s focus changed from the older man to the Spider Woman as a result of the Spider Woman’s narrative (Alhawamdeh et al. 46).

Elisenda and Pelayo used the money they had saved to construct a home and caution their kid not to visit the chicken coop. Eventually, they disregarded the angel. The couple no longer feared the angel once he became a source of calm in their lives. The child was permitted to come and watch the angel on a regular basis, and subsequently, they let him walk freely around their house, despite Elisenda’s objections. Finally, the elder person flew away in Elisenda’s presence. The entire tale speaks about the locals.

Numerous themes have accompanied the narrative. According to the neighbor lady and the throng, they all think the old man is an angel, but the local priests do not believe them, and he needs more time to consult his church. Village prices are not expected to dispel tales of supernaturalism, mysticism, and eerieness. The elderly’s poor health and confinement were indicative of his anguish. The pair only underlined how they might gain from the elderly by charging the onlookers and did not think about how to assist him. This demonstrates the character of the locals (Moradi and Mohammad 70). They may exploit other people’s weaknesses to improve their own lives and live wonderful lives.

The pair did not value the angle’s recuperative effects on their kid. They are merely emphasizing material concerns. After collecting sufficient finances and locking the doors, they decided to set the guy free. This demonstrates how the citizens of a community will only assist a person for a certain amount of time before releasing them.

The narrative has emphasized several topics. The topic of religious faith is one of the key issues. According to the onlookers and the neighbor lady, the person resembled an angel with several wings. The aged man is thus closer to God than the peasants as if he were an angel. He had to have descended from heaven. Due to the lack of angles in the elderly’s look, the people do not adore him. As a sort of insult, Elisenda and Pelayo imprison the angel in a chicken coop, and the audience that comes to view him does not see him as a divine being but as a show (Farsi and Roghayeh 80). This is a fantastic example of situational irony since the majority of viewers pay to see him due to their religious beliefs.

When the older man offers no explanation for his apparition, the onlookers feel humiliated and turn their attention to another mysterious figure known as the Spider Woman. According to this background, religious beliefs are constantly unstable and only make sense if they align with the ideology that individuals hold.

Moreover, it may imply that individuals will only accept what they desire, regardless of evidence to the contrary. The locals did not trust the elderly man’s miracles of curing the kid because they did not want to accept that he was an angel from heaven. Also, Father Gonzaga’s doubt demonstrates that there is a gap between the religious views of the minute’s teachings and those of church authorities (Foka and Mariia). As the aged man does not speak the language of God, Father Gonzaga disputes with the throng that he is an angel. He cautions the throng by claiming that the man may be the devil’s work. He chooses to refer to the bureaucratic higher church official’s evidence that they will never accept the elderly because he does not meet their celestials or divine criteria.

Conclusion

In conclusion, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings emphasizes various supernatural themes. It emphasizes how individuals may use the weakest members of society to improve themselves. Under this, a chaotic society is born that will only believe in what it desires.

Works Cited

Alhawamdeh, Hussein A., Haitham M. Talafha, and Marwan Jarrah. “Stylistic Narrative of “Otherness”: A Study of Power Relations in John Steinbeck’s “The Murder” and Gabriel García Márquez’s “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” Dirasat, Human and Social Sciences 46.4 (2019).

Farsi, Roghayeh. “Proximization and literature: Marquez’s “a very old man with enormous wings.” Journal of Literary Semantics 47.1 (2018): 67-83.

Foka, Mariia Volodymyrivna. “Implicit Meanings in the Magical Realism Works by G. García Márquez (based on the analysis of the short story and fairy tale” A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”).” The First International Congress on Social Sciences and Humanities” Ukraine-Europe.” 2017.

Moradi, Mohammad. “Investigating similar and distinct manifestations of magical realism in” Heaven” by Bahram Sadeghi and” A very old man with enormous wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.” Comparative Literature Research 5.2 (2017): 49-74.

Gabriel Garcia Marque was a re-known Colombian writer considered one of the best Latin American writers. Gabo, as he was commonly known, wrote a magical realism short story in 1968 about a scruffy old angel with massive wings who falls in the courtyard of a man called Pelayo. He and his wife decide to keep the man in the chicken cage. To their surprise, Pelato’s son, who lay dying in the bed, starts feeling well and even consumes food. Pelayo’s Elisenda says that the man is an angel coming for the child but was too old to fly on a stormy day (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007). Neighbors and persons from far areas swamped the home to see the old man. A priest tries to calm them down, saying he is not an angel (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007). After months in Pelayo’s place, people eventually lose interest, and the angel manages to fly, much to the relief of Pelayo’s wife. This essay will dig into the nitty-gritty of this short story.

This story describes a society that does not have much aim and ambition. “They found the whole neighborhood in front of the chicken coop having fun with the angel” is a statement that shows it as a frivolous community (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007, p. 159). The society also seems poor and uneducated. The level of unemployment and under-employment is high. There is also a sense of bureaucracy portrayed by the priest when he sends letters to the bishop (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007). Therefore, the bureaucratic structure is slow and their later seems to have no urgency.

Marquez’s story is full of ambiguity, and some of the phenomena cannot be explained. The story has aspects of magic realism such as being the man’s wings, his ability to fly, his fall, and the child’s healing, as well as the incidence of the woman who is converted into a spider. The theme of cruelty and compassion also runs supreme in this story. Pelayo and his wife put the man in a chicken coop which is cruel (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007). The people also hit the older man with stones to see and burn him, showing no compassion. The short story is fascinating, catching, and easy to read.

Reference

Marquez, G. G., & Tornaritis, N. (2007). A very old man with enormous wings. GradeSaver LLC.

The two of the most prominent magical elements in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” are unimaginable creatures of the old man with angel wings and a woman with a spider body. Even though both magical creatures are so alienated from reality, the author blends fantasy and reality by locating them in settings that seem authentic to reality. The old man rests in the chicken coop with other feathered creatures, and the woman travels with the circus, the only place where extraordinary things become a daily source of income.

Although magical and fantastical creatures are often used in fiction or films, this story is different as the author utilizes an approach that does not embellish the creatures’ magical origins. Moreover, the author adds an unusual sense of realism to the fantasy aspect with a detailed description of the visual flaws and the “pitiful condition” of the old man (Marquez, 1999, p. 218). Additionally, the author provides an element of frustration and uncertainty by describing the villagers’ confusion in their efforts to understand the old man’s origin as an angel.

The uncertainty element is very different from the standard approach to fantasy and results in the feeling of melancholy in the story. The melancholy emphasizes the slow progression of the old man’s life, as the whole village becomes disappointed in his magical powers that the old man cannot showcase due to his age and poor condition. The melancholy also emphasizes Pelayo and Elisenda’s frustration in not knowing what to do with the non-functional angel for years after he landed in their courtyard. Thus, magical elements in Marquez’s work are significantly different from ones frequently used in films and fiction as the author approaches them with an intent to emphasize their flaws rather than embellish their features.

References

Marquez, G. G. (1999). Collected stories. HarperCollins.

The short story ‘A very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ is basically a complicated narrative focused on a subject that is familiar to many people. It explores human nature where different issues such as indifference, greed and jealousy which are common in human beings are tackled. Marquez uses various literary techniques to narrate the story.

For instance, the fact that it is not easy to identify the actual main character in the story is a literary technique. While the old man with enormous wings seems to be the central character in the short story, he does not clearly appear to be the protagonist in the story. The author does not only try to invoke the thinking of the readers about their nature but also shows them how they should handle the seemingly small miracles that occur in their lives (Gradesaver 5).

The short story effectively brings out the theme of magical realism. The qualities of characters like Elisenda and Pelayo are combined with interesting qualities of the spider woman and the flying man to explain the major themes in the story. In addition, the author uses a unique way to describe the continuous rain that pounds the earth.

An ordinary setting where the homes of Pelayo and Elisenda are invaded by crabs and the muddy scenes of the beach brings out the message in story well. This dream like setting is important since it introduces the old man with enormous wings who is covered with tattered clothes and looks like a mythical creature.

At some point in the story, the angel is prodded since he is considered to be a funny creature. Marquez takes this instance in the short story to write powerfully about the angel by saying that he is the only one participating actively in his action. The only quality he possesses that could be described as supernatural is patience (Marquez 4). The author uses only two sentences to sum up the angel’s condition and the crowds of people. He compares the angel with the rest of the people to show how different he is.

His indifference causes disappointment in the crowd but he remains patient instead of condemning them. The story repeatedly makes allusion to the biblical story of Job who is compared with the angel. The angel and biblical Job are similar in that they both go through many tribulations but they can do nothing about their suffering. However, they exercise patience until they win their battles. Marquez tries to pass across the message that patience is itself a miracle.

“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is a short story full of satire. It generally satirizes the human nature and also criticizes the Catholic Church. Father Gonzaga seems unconcerned about discovering the mysterious nature of the angel although he is a religious leader. Contrary to what is expected, he is told to investigate whether the language the angel speaks has any connection with Aramaic language.

He is also told to determine the number of times the old man can be forced to go through the opening of a pin. The absurdity of the Catholic Church is depicted when the followers come to a conclusion that the old man with enormous wings might probably be a fisherman from Norway who got stranded. This conclusion serves to detach the Catholic Church from reality. However, the church seems to succeed in its tactics after the old man finally flies away (McDougall 59).

The criticism leveled against the Catholic Church in the short story is a reflection of the criticism that is leveled against all human beings in general because they do not value life. Human beings are presented as lacking in vision as evidenced by the wise woman who thinks that she knows everything.

Elisenda concentrates on looking for a procedure to follow and bothers herself with the selfish pilgrims instead of paying attention to the unusual beauty of the angel. However, she regrets her actions towards the end of the story after the disappearance of the old man. The message Marquez is passing across is that most human beings never realize their significance in the world.

Reading the short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” the reader cannot fail to notice the half-spider which is characterized by strangeness. Marquez uses imagery to expound on the most important needs of human beings. The spider is presented as giving attention to all those who need it and teaches them some lessons.

This quality combined with fear is typical of human beings. The implication from this scenario is that indifference is an undesirable quality among human beings. Marquez employs two distinct miracles to show the quality of human beings of ignoring what they consider inappropriate (Reinholtz 134).

When the angel goes outside the house, this is the period that Marquez writes some of the most interesting things about him. He says that she cannot stop looking at him even after she has finished her work and she continues watching until she cannot see any more. This is because he has ceased being a disturbance to her and has become a figure of imagination in her life.

Despite the fact that the angel has brought Elisenda many things such as security, good life and money, she cannot hide her joy when he leaves. Naturally, human beings might be expected to express ungratefulness and Marquez brings out one of the most important themes in the story, the failure of human beings to see what comes their way.

Though it might not be possible for human beings to have angels near them or experience miracles, they hardly appreciate things that are regarded as normal for them. Human beings may spend all their lives looking for something only to realize that what they are looking for disappeared from them without their knowledge.

The short story effectively brings out a disheartening mood and a sense of inspiration. The human beings involved in the story do not care about the suffering of their fellow human beings. The story is also inspiring in the sense that the old man with enormous wings is patient enough and battles with the difficulties he experiences until he finally attains freedom.

Most of the characters in the story possess qualities that many people would not want to be associated with. It is only the priest who is concerned about the old man with enormous wings and tries to find out his nature although he does not achieve much success.

The people from the town and those who come to visit are interested in finding out the nature of the old man but the theories they advance concerning his nature only portray insensitivity. Majority of the town residents including father Gonzaga view the old man as a creature that is not created by God.

Though Elisenda and Pelayo at first take some time to stare at the old man, their treatment towards him is careless and does not show any genuine curiosity. He is viewed as an unnecessary burden and though he brings them some money, they do not understand or assist him.

Works Cited

Gradesaver. A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Summary and Analysis. 2011. Web.

Marquez, Gabriel. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. New York: Longman, 2010. Print.

McDougal, Littel. The Language of Literature. New York: McDougal Littell Publishers, 2002. Print.

Reinholtz, Eric. Bloom’s How to Write about Gabriel García Márquez. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. Print.