Symbolism In A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

In “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses the literary symbolism of the old man to show that one can never know the full truth of that which is different, because they either do not want to question the truth, or they actively deny it. So between the differing opinion of the people within the narrative and the lack of the old man’s speech, it is never definitely known if he is an angel. The people of Pelayo and Elisenda’s village, Believe that the decrepit old man with mangy wings was an Angel. They do very little to investigate who and what the “angle” are, the fact that he has the wings of a bird must symbolize that he is a “flesh and blood angel”. The old angel’s mediocre miracles, such as the blind man growing