Old Man With Enormous Wings Surrealism

The true nature of the very old man is essentially left as a mystery for the audience to reflect upon and assess in accordance to their own perceptions. The ambiguity associated with his surreal nature incites curiosity upon those around him leading to insensitivity, and allowing for the rise of conflicting perceptions. Throughout Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s story “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings,” the curiosity of the townsfolk continues to grow, eventually expanding to the point where the townspeople are experimenting with him in rather cruel and unusual ways. The morning after the old man’s appearance, “the whole neighborhood [was] in front of the chicken coup having fun with the angel.” The immediate spark of curiosity that initiated

These perceptions stem from the sense of ambiguity and surrealism that surround the man. As the man does not speak the language of the people in the town, no one can learn about his background, so they begin to make presumptions about who he is. One lady declares that he was a “flesh-and-blood” angel. Though she has no way of knowing this for sure, she makes her declaration with a tone of certainty and inarguability. In our lives, we try to find explanations for everything that surrounds us. We have developed entire fields of work that are dedicated to acquiring and distributing knowledge. Since the beginning of civilized society we have had theorists, researchers, and philosophers all trying to answer the questions of life. It is simply part of human nature to attempt to make conclusions about the world around us and even with little to no knowledge. In contrast to the lady, a priest in the story expressed concern that the very old man may be a “carnival trick” used by the devil “to confuse the unwary.” Like the lady, the priest also jumps to conclusions about the old man’s morality and background. He seeks to find an explanation to the ambiguity of the angel and expresses uneasiness about its presence. The ambiguity of the man with the wings leads to many unsupported presumptions about his origin and intentions in order to put the townsfolk at