In the story of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," Garcia Marquez seems to mainly be trying to comment on religion. It is obvious first by the fact that an angel is used as the main focus of the story. This is also a magical realist element that Pelayo discovers and angel in his yard and does not act astonished. A normal person would most likely faint or at least question their sanity if they were to discover a winged man. Pelayo's first encounter is strangely referred to as a "nightmare" (204). Before the old man arrives, Pelayo's child is sick, after his arrival, the child gets better. This could be a very subtle miracle. Later, the church becomes involved through Father Gonzaga who determines that the old man is not an angel, because he does not speak latin. This is an obvious criticism of the church and leaves us asking "who does this priest think he is?!" The man is clearly an angel however, the priest refuses to acknowledge this. This may suggest the Church's lack of legitimacy as representatives for God. Later, the people began to profit from displaying the angel which may indicate the people's greed and disregard for what is sacred. Also, the people even contemplated beating the angel to death.
Later as Pelayo profited from the angel, he installed bars on his windows to keep the angels out. This may be a parody of the Church and their disconnect with God. At the end of the story, the Angel recovers and flies away, and Elsienda sees it as "an imaginary doet on the horizon" indicating that she had begun to doubt whether the angel every existed.
The angel also seems to follow an exact parallel of the story of Jesus. He arrives from heaven and is humble and lowly. He is mistreated by man, but his greatest virtue seems to be patience; like Jesus, the angel never runs out of patience. He is doubted by the dominant religious figures at the time and he is mistreated by the common people. Those who he is closest with come to profit from him and later betray him (by putting up bars on their windows) like the Church. When Elsienda thinks he is dead, he flies away, this is similar to Jesus rising from the dead and returning to heaven.
In the story of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," Garcia Marquez seems to mainly be trying to comment on religion. It is obvious first by the fact that an angel is used as the main focus of the story. This is also a magical realist element that Pelayo discovers and angel in his yard and does not act astonished. A normal person would most likely faint or at least question their sanity if they were to discover a winged man. Pelayo's first encounter is strangely referred to as a "nightmare" (204). Before the old man arrives, Pelayo's child is sick, after his arrival, the child gets better. This could be a very subtle miracle. Later, the church becomes involved through Father Gonzaga who determines that the old man is not an angel, because he does not speak latin. This is an obvious criticism of the church and leaves us asking "who does this priest think he is?!" The man is clearly an angel however, the priest refuses to acknowledge this. This may suggest the Church's lack of legitimacy as representatives for God. Later, the people began to profit from displaying the angel which may indicate the people's greed and disregard for what is sacred. Also, the people even contemplated beating the angel to death.
ReplyDeleteLater as Pelayo profited from the angel, he installed bars on his windows to keep the angels out. This may be a parody of the Church and their disconnect with God. At the end of the story, the Angel recovers and flies away, and Elsienda sees it as "an imaginary dot on the horizon" indicating that she had begun to doubt whether the angel every existed.
The angel also seems to follow an exact parallel of the story of Jesus. He arrives from heaven and is humble and lowly. He is mistreated by man, but his greatest virtue seems to be patience; like Jesus, the angel never runs out of patience. He is doubted by the dominant religious figures at the time and he is mistreated by the common people. Those who he is closest with come to profit from him and later betray him (by putting up bars on their windows) like the Church. When Elsienda thinks he is dead, he flies away, this is similar to Jesus rising from the dead and returning to heaven.