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“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by G. Marquez Essay
This response is to the short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Pelayo, a man who hunts crabs, finds a weak and decrepit angel on the beach and rescues it. The news spreads far and quickly, but the creature fails to live up to the expectations of the curious crowd and is soon forgotten. Nevertheless, the family earns a considerable amount of money that allows it to escape poverty and begin living decently. It still treats the angel poorly, considering him a nuisance, and is relieved when the visitor recovers from his plight and flies away.
The story has an ironic quality, as the angel can be considered the family’s savior yet receives neglect. It can be inferred that he was sent to Pelayo by God to help him, but the superstitious crowd gives the arrival the meaning that he intended to claim the man’s sick child. It is likely that the angel’s stay was exactly as he planned and that he achieved his objective. However, since he did not perform his miracle with pomp that is usually associated with Christian miracles, his help went unrecognized. The most significant hint that reinforces this view is the angel’s treatment of the child, whose chickenpox he shares, presumably to ease the boy’s burden.
