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Gabriel Garcia Marquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

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Recommended: Cruelty in works of literature

In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, there is a clear theme of the coexistence of compassion and cruelty, which exists in the hearts of the people of the town. Although compassion and cruelty are direct opposites, it is still possible for the two to coexist. That is one of the points that is made clear in Garcia Marquez’s short story, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings. The story, written in 1955, focuses on the theme of the coexistence of compassion and cruelty in the hearts of the people of the town. (1) When an old, weak, and dirty man with huge wings appears in Pelayo and Elisenda’s yard, the couple is compassionate enough to let him live and stay on their territory. (2) Although they provide for his basic needs, but they also exhibit incredible cruelty, treating the man as an animal, forcing him to live in horrible conditions in a chicken coop. The horrible way Pelayo and Elisenda treat the man with enormous wings doesn’t even change by the fact that they earn a lot of money by charging others to see him. (3) The townspeople who come to see the man, who they believe to be an angel, also disrespect and hurt him. They throw rocks at him, and burn him with a hot iron. Garcia Marquez shows how …show more content…

That is the attitude that they show the main character, the man with wings, when he is found lying in the mud in Pelayo and Elisenda’s yard. The two of them and the towns people mistreat the old man, forcing him to live in horrible conditions and endure humiliation. However, there is still hope for Pelayo and Elisenda who have some compassion and altruism in their hearts. They let the old man stay and live with them for years, and provide him basic care. It is possible that this is the result of their inner battle – the battle between cruelty and

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Marquez creates confusion over the identity of the old man in order to present the human nature to react to differences to the reader. The village people are determined to ostracize the man as they “dragged him out of the mud and locked him up with the hens in the wire chicken coop” (Marquez #). Many theories of his identity are discussed throughout the citizens creating a confusing atmosphere. Eventually, “No one paid any attention to him because his wings were not hose of an angel but, rather, those of a sidereal bat” (Marquez #). Once the old man is no longer an object of obsession, he becomes a part of the past.

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After Pelayo kills some of the crabs he goes to throw them away. While he goes to throw it away he hears groaning. He walks closer and sees a old man with enormous wing he tries to pick him up but the old man is struggling it get up. Then Pelayo rusn to get Elisenda. After bringing scared of him they finally talk to him , but they couldn't understand what the angel was saying so they called a neighbor woman who knows everything to see him.

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