Psychological Criticism of “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”
The short story, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, mostly talks of the psychological ways of a human being and how they should be treated. The old man who appears at Pelayo and his wife, Elisenda’s courtyard, is harshly treated because of his looks and state. Moreover, people from the neighborhood went to Pelayo’s compound to see the old man due to his strange features and wings.
Concerning the short story, when Pelayo finds the old man in the rear of his courtyard, he calls his wife and they gaze at the man for a long time. Pelayo drags the old man out of the mad and locks him in the wired chicken coop where his hens are kept (Gabriel, 1). Instead of giving the old man proper care and letting him stay in one of their rooms in the main house, Pelayo prefers locking him in the chickens’ coop even after one neighbor woman says the man might be an angel. An individual’s appearance, communication, income capacity and society affect how they are cared for in a given environment (Dorr, 1). Due to the possession of wings, old age and dirty wings, the old man was not treated well by Pelayo and his wife. Besides, the neighbors who came to see him even threw things at him as if he was not a person but an animal.
Apart from keeping him in the courtyard with the hens, Pelayo and Elisenda used the presence of the old man in their compound as a source of income. Pelayo and his wife started charging people who wanted to see the old man. Through the fees, they became rich and Pelayo even left his job since he had enough money from the money charged. The audiences go to see the people with special features like the old man see them as carnivals and circus shows for entertainment (Dorr, 6). Besides, they built a big story-building mansion with balconies and iron frames on the windows. Elisenda bought new fashionable clothes from the money and even designed their house in a way that the crabs would not disturb them again during the winter season. The chicken coop in the courtyard was the only thing that received no attention (Gabriel, 3). Pelayo refurnished everything in his compound and left the chicken coop where the old man spent his time. Also, they did not care about the man even though they gained from his presence in their compound.
After some time, the chicken coop where the old man lived collapsed due to heavy rains and he had to seek shelter inside the mansion. However, Pelayo and his wife chased him from the bedroom and their kitchen. Pelayo had some mercy and covered him with a blanket in the shed where he had moved to. Besides, when they realized that the old man had a temperature during the nights, they never cared about treating the man. Pelayo and Elisenda were instead worried that the neighbor woman had not told them what to do with the dead angel. Apart from the old man’s story, other people with special features are also present in the short story. For instance, the girl who was changed to a spider and the leper who had sunflowers in his sores did not receive affection and care from the people around them but were instead used as sources of wealth.
From the discussions above, humanity is an important aspect of life and should be received equally by everyone irrespective of their looks. Pelayo and Elisenda mistreated the old man due to his looks and possession of wings, which is wrong. Humanity has an ordering of religions with numerous judgments worldwide, in the past and presently (Dorr, 4). Religion supports humanity and equal treatment of all people. Also, special people should be cared for other than being used for personal gains by the able in any society.
Works Cited
Dorr, Summer. The perimeters of familial affection: examples with the metamorphosis, the Sooterkin, and” A very old man with enormous wings”. Diss 2017.
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. “A very old man with enormous wings: A tale for children.” Leaf storm and other stories (1972).