A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is a short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is a short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The setting of the story is in a courtyard. The courtyard belongs to the main characters in the story; Pelayo and Elisenda. As he’s out to throw the crabs, Pelayo discovers an older man with wings in the yard whom they later learn is an angel. The angel is weak and sickly, but he draws a lot of attention, and the family cashes in by charging a fee to those wishing to see him. The crowds’ charges bring about wealth to Pelayo and his family though the angels’ fame is short-lived as there are appearances of other supernatural creatures. Eventually, the angel recovers, and he flies away much to the relief of Elisenda, who saw him as a bother in her home. This essay will look at the significant contrasts present in the story and the theme of abuse and cruelty.
The first instance of contrast in the story is the appearance of the angel, he is a bald toothless creature, and his wings are the only evidence of him being an angel. In a typical representation of angels in texts, they have huge and strong and white wings, but the man has half plucked dirty wings. This contrast symbolizes how reality is quite far from expectations and beliefs.
Though both are supernatural creatures, there exists a considerable contrast between the angel and the Spiderwoman. The Spiderwoman came to town as part of a circus, and she could talk while the storm brought the angel, and nobody could understand his language. The people are more inclined to watch the Spiderwoman as they can understand her, and they know they have less interest in the angel. This is a symbol of how the human mind is weak, and most people are way more comfortable around what they can understand.
The storm drags out the crabs from the sea and other deadly animals while the rain brings down an angel. Throughout the night, the child was sick, but after the angel’s arrival, he gets better, and the angel receives somewhat some proper care. But after time, he’s placed in a coop where he know serves as an attraction and a source of income. This symbolizes how at different circumstances, something good can be brought in our lives though, in most instances, we misuse it and treat it poorly once its usefulness is over.
The man with old wings is seen as a source of amusement, much like a circus animal. Though he is bald, has few teeth, and sickly, he’s locked in a cage where people pay a fee to watch him. Instead of taking him to the hospital, he’s poked, and there is an instance where he’s even branded with a hot iron. Though he faces much abuse and he makes a fortune for the family, we get to see that once the crowds stop visiting the house, he is seen as a sort of a nuisance to them. Were it not for him, the family would probably still be poor, and therefore he should be treated better, which is not the case.