Perfect Model Essay On Contemporary Interpretation Of “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”

As with all great creations by literary masters, Gabriel García Márquez’s tale “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is timeless, speaking to the core of the human experience. Even though it was written almost half a century ago, it still speaks to people today. This is especially true of foreignness, something that the global migration crisis has intensified in the past years.
The tale’s titular character is an embodiment of the Other. There are many ways that he is different from the rest of the characters, calling him “strange” and a “nightmare” (García Márquez 1). People come from all parts of town, and he is treated as somewhat of a saint, or a religious apparition (García Márquez 2). Nevertheless, at the same time, the author demonstrates that this is not an angel at all, but that he is deeply human. Close, he is “much too human: he had an unbearable smell of the outdoors, the back side of his wings was strew with parasites” (García Márquez 2), and other aspects that were definitely not divine.
One can see this in the somewhat paradoxical treatment of immigrants as well. Even though these refugees have been accepted in many parts of the world, especially Europe and the United States of America, it has been controversial, as people do not want them living close. Thus, they have frequently been reduced to ghettos, where they have also been mistreated by the governments. Even though they are human, their difference makes them similar to the old man.