An Analysis Of A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, By Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The short story, “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is titled this because it shows that the characters don’t understand or appreciate how magnificent the angel is. When Pelayo and Elisenda first meet the angel, they “skipped over the inconvenience of the wings” and automatically assume that he is a “lonely castaway from some foreign ship wrecked by the storm,” (1). They view him as a “very old man lying face down in the mud,” (1). They don’t consider the possibility that he is an angel until their neighbor “who knew everything about life and death,” (1) tells them that he is one. Their newborn child is ill with “a temperature all night,” (1). As soon as the angel shows up, “the child woke up without a fever and

They intend to ignore him, but all of their neighbors are extremely nosy about who he is. They begin “making all kinds of conjectures concerning the captive’s future,” (2). They assume things without knowing anything about him. One of the characters, Father Gonzaga, judges him rather harshly saying that he “did not understand the language of God or know how to greet His ministers,” (2) after he attempts to speak with him and he cannot understand his response. He does not give the angel a chance to prove himself. Instead he lets his own presumptions about God dictate his opinion of the angel. Later, Elisenda has the “idea of fencing in the yard and charging five cents admission to see the angel,” (2). She is using him for her own personal gain without his permission and without giving him

Another way the angel helps Elisenda and Pelayo is they earn a lot of money from people paying to see him. They save enough to “build a two-story mansion with balconies and gardens,” (5). Elisenda is also able to afford “some satin pumps with high heels and many dresses of iridescent silk,” (5) and Pelayo “gave up his job as bailiff for good,” (5). Even after all of these wonderful things, Elisenda and Pelayo are still very unhappy. She complains that it is “awful living in that hell of angels,” (6). After a long period of time, the angel finally leaves and Elisenda watches him pass over the last houses,” (6). Instead of being amazed by this incredible feat, she “let out a sigh of relief,” (6). She does this because he is “no longer an annoyance in her life but an imaginary dot on the horizon of the sea,” (7). She is not worried at all about what will happen to him after he leaves. She is never grateful for everything he did for her. The title of this story shows that the characters judge the angels based on their worldly views because they don’t comprehend the angels powers or admire all of the wonderful things he