Examples Of Magical Realism In A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

the short story, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, there are many depictions of magical realism. Magical realism is defined as a literary or artistic genre in which artistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of fiction or fantasy. There are several depictions of magical realism in the text. This particular story fits the definition very well. There are several instances in the text that offer examples of magical realism. Different occurrences like the angel's appearance, the large amount of crabs in the house, and the unusual ailments of characters provide many examples of magical realism. In the opening paragraph it states that “On the third day of the rain they had killed so many crabs inside the house that Pelayo had to...thrown them into the sea, because the newborn child had a temperature all

The example of magical realism in this selection is that there were crabs inside the house which were supposedly making the newborn baby sick. The realism in this statement is that crabs are a common occurrence when living by the sea. However, it is unusual for there to be so many of them, especially inside the house. It is also strange that their smell could cause a baby to run a temperature. These two statements provide the magical realism aspect of the story. Another aspect of magical realism in the story is the strange ailments that some characters were afflicted with. For example in the text it states, “The most unfortunate invalids on earth came in search of health...a sleepwalker who got up at night to undo the things he had done while awake; and many other with less serious ailments”( ). The realism in this statement is that sleepwalking is something that happens to many people, but it is not an ailment. The author includes magical realism by stating that the sleepwalker “...got up at night to undo the things