Old Man With Enormous Wings

A detailed Summary of Old Man With Enormous Wings

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" is a short story with a fairy tale like quality. He uses magic realism throughout the story, giving it a dreamy effect. The characters react and interpret the old angel in many different ways. Marquez shows us, in several different aspects, how people act as a mob, when they feel threatened, their ignorance in masses, and their unwillingness to accept things.

The first people to witness the arrival of the angel are the owners of the yard he land in, Pelayo and Elisenda. Pelayo is in the courtyard removing unwanted crabs from the house when he notices "a very old man lying face down in the mud, who, in spite of his tremendous efforts, couldn't get up, impeded by his enormous wings"(192). Pelayo immediately runs in the house and brings his wife outside to see the incredible site. They look at the body with a "mute stupor."(192). This is not the reaction the reader might expect. To witness an angel struggling in the mud is an astonishing thing and it would seem that a person would act with more emotion. The old man is described as a pitiful old man, balding and missing teeth. His wings were "huge buzzard wings, dirty and half plucke

Now Pelayo and Elisenda have a two-story mansion with "iron bars so that angels wouldn't get in"(196). I'm sure that the couple would, if given the opportunity to witness a miracle, invite an angel into their house. However, I think they lost a lot of faith in their church and god; although their experience was obviously good to them. They made a lot of money and appear to be happy now; they are just too blind to see they were given a gift. They don't appreciate what happened; they simply view it as an annoyance.

Meanwhile another circus "freak" shows up. This time it is a woman who was changed into a huge spider for disobeying her parents. This is another fine example of magical realism and about the common place of supernatural events in this town. This new attraction gives the townspeople something new to look at and it empties out the crowds looking at the angel. It seems that people always need a "freak" to look at in order to feel good about themselves. This is a common practice in society even today, hence the success of shows like "Jerry Springer." The element of magic realism is a very helpful tool in conveying Marquez's ideas. The events and people, although very abstract, are easy to believe.

The angel is now being kept in the chicken coop with all whole neighborhood poking at and throwing things at him. Father Gonzaga, the highly revered local priest, is the next one to come see the angel. On close inspection he decided the angel "looked more like a huge decrepit hen among the fascinated chickens."(193). This is an interesting co

Some common words found in the essay are:
Father Gonzaga, Elisenda Pelayo, Pelayo Elisenda, Enormous Wings, Jerry Springer, magic realism, pelayo elisenda, magical realism, enormous wings, neighbor lady, intelligently concluded, throughout story, ignorance masses, ignorant people, mob mentality,

Approximate Word count = 1049
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English