A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Analysis

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Society can be a smooth talker, it can slyly belittle someone until they fit the stereotype society has placed upon them. Some people are willing to break past the constant bigotry and persevere towards the person they want to become, but others get stuck and fall into the trap called the pigeonhole. The line separating those who ignore what society has to say and those who listen is classified directly with how the targets react to discrimination. Ifemelu, the main character from Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie, was a Nigerian women that lived in America who received an abundant amount of discrimination towards her African race and accent. Within a short story by Gabriel Marquez, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, an old man is treated inhumanely due to his appearance and standoffish demeanor. Ifemelu and the old man both undergone tremendous amounts of poor treatment but they responded very differently. Ifemelu felt weakened and modified herself to fit within the standards of society, where as the old man barely acknowledged those around him and did as he pleased. To begin, Ifemelu fell into the cracks society created and changed herself to fit the criteria. This is evident when Ifemelu arrived at a college campus in America and is introduced to a fellow student, Cristina Tomas. Cristina spoke to Ifemelu as if she was incapable of understanding simple English: “But when Ifemelu returned with the letter, Cristina Tomas said, “I. Need. You. To. Fill. Out. A. Couple. Of.