A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Analysis
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Gabriel Marquez tells the story of a blessing in disguise send to help a small, struggling family through their hardest time yet. The story follows a mysterious man who appears in their yard through an odd journey, resulting in the good fortune of Pelayo’s family. The ‘angel’ becomes an unsung hero, underestimated and abused by those had the opportunity to meet him. Even though he does not appear as what normally would be expected from a conventional angel, he is just as effective in changing their lives. Through the uncaring judgements and scrutinizing audiences the ‘angel’ remains a mystery through the end of the story, adding to the intrigue of his character. In Marquez’s, “A Very Old Man with Enormous …show more content…
The father, “noticed that seen up close he was much too human: he had an unbearable smell of the outdoors, the back side of his wings was strewn with parasites and his main feathers had been mistreated by terrestrial winds, and nothing about him measured up to the proud dignity of angels.” (447). The irony in this conclusion stems from the fundamentals of christianity. The main reason the very old man is proclaimed an angel is his physical appearance. This disregards some of the main teachings of the Bible, instead of looking for the good in everything the ‘angel’ has done for the family they all decide since he is not well kept he could not possible have come from God. Even through all the abuse the spectators put the ‘angel’ through, “his only supernatural virtue seemed to be patience.” (448). This statement parallels the suffering Christ went through to save everyone from their sins, implying the very old man indeed was an angel. Regardless of whether or not he was a legitimate angel sent from heaven, he carried out the actions expected from any guardian
Gabriel Marquez tells the story of a blessing in disguise send to help a small, struggling family through their hardest time yet. The story follows a mysterious man who appears in their yard through an odd journey, resulting in the good fortune of Pelayo’s family. The ‘angel’ becomes an unsung hero, underestimated and abused by those had the opportunity to meet him. Even though he does not appear as what normally would be expected from a conventional angel, he is just as effective in changing their lives. Through the uncaring judgements and scrutinizing audiences the ‘angel’ remains a mystery through the end of the story, adding to the intrigue of his character. In Marquez’s, “A Very Old Man with Enormous …show more content…
The father, “noticed that seen up close he was much too human: he had an unbearable smell of the outdoors, the back side of his wings was strewn with parasites and his main feathers had been mistreated by terrestrial winds, and nothing about him measured up to the proud dignity of angels.” (447). The irony in this conclusion stems from the fundamentals of christianity. The main reason the very old man is proclaimed an angel is his physical appearance. This disregards some of the main teachings of the Bible, instead of looking for the good in everything the ‘angel’ has done for the family they all decide since he is not well kept he could not possible have come from God. Even through all the abuse the spectators put the ‘angel’ through, “his only supernatural virtue seemed to be patience.” (448). This statement parallels the suffering Christ went through to save everyone from their sins, implying the very old man indeed was an angel. Regardless of whether or not he was a legitimate angel sent from heaven, he carried out the actions expected from any guardian