Enormous Wings Naturalism

469 Words2 Pages

Question 1

The credentials that O’Connor describes as being crucial when writing a fantasy esque short story follows the composition of Marquez’s “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" throughout. As O’Connor states, in order to write a magical tale, there needs to be some type of realism in order for the reader to be convinced of its narrative. A fictional short story should begin with some possibility of truth. Distorting the reality of nature while making authenticity the basis for it allows for a fresh perception of legitimacy. As it appears that both fantasy and reality can not intertwin, writers of fiction find a way to depict both the mundane reality of the world, while administering aspects of a fantasy. The end result creates a narrative …show more content…

In “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings", it is evident to see that the man is incredibly old, despite the wings protruding out from his backside. Marquez goes into great detail on the visuals on the old man's condition, while also giving added elements of fantasy with the old man's tattered wings. Even his wings were described as being somewhat plausible due to the doctor observing his wings expressing that “they seemed so natural..[and] could not understand why other men didn’t have them too” (383). There is an excellent blend of pragmatic and imaginary components that develop into a realistic narrative with whimsical moments that can serve as symbols for the reader. Even the reactions of his discovery seems natural, even though his own existence is unbelievable. The homely setting of Pelayo and Elisenda create that feeling of any ordinary day. However, once the angel-like creature falls from the sky, everyone in town becomes amazed at this phenomenon. It is so astonishing that it drives people to come and observe it for themselves. Even that in itself is realistic because humanity overall are curious of the unknown possibilities of the world. The way in which the old man was treated while trapped in a chicken coop shows the narrow mindedness and horrendous side