The short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” was published by Gabriel García Márquez in 1955. This is a story about people response to those who are dependent, weak, and different from the others. Pelayo and his wife demonstrate lack of compassion to a poor man who desperately need their help, or at least peace and absence of humiliation and tortures.
The old man with wings is unknown to anyone. It is a strange figure with a symbolic meaning. His seems to be a human. However, he has wings that make him resemble an angel. So, he cannot be called completely a man because of the wings. He can neither be called completely an angel because of the human body. As a human he demonstrates a reaction to people’s pain, their bad health and various pleas. At the same time he does not necessarily acknowledge their existence. The doctor who examines the angel is surprised that this man is still alive, being astonishingly old, battered, struck by nature. It cannot be determined for sure whether he is an angel or not. However, the author seems to the nature of an angel for granted, as he mentions the “stellar parasites” and “lunar dust” on his wings. (Marquez) Still this fact of belonging to angelhood remains a mystery till the very end of the story. The author’s idea was to present all these ideas and facts to the reader and let him decide whether this was true, or not.
Pelayo seems to have a kinder attitude to the old man than all other villagers. However he is definitely not an example of charity and compassion. He decides not to club the angel as his neighbor suggests, however, he does not help him too. Pelayo’s primary concern is his family. He is concerned for his dearest child’s health, so he leaves all the spiritual and theological side of the situation to Father Gonzaga. He might seem cruel and heartless, however Pelayo takes the final decision to shelter the old man, so he proves to be not as bad as he may seem first. Still, letting this strange and unknown man to stay, he lets the strange, mystical and unexplainable events enter his family’s life.
Elisenda is a true wife – a perfect woman for her husband Pelayo. She is also concerned about the practical side of life. She is even more practical than her husband because she is the person who suggests taking a fee for seeing the “angel”. So, the old man turns out to be a profit for their family. However, the woman sees him as mere nuisance and annoyance. The old man is very troublesome to the whole family, but especially for her. She is so cruel, arrogant and wicked that her new home becomes something like a “hell full of angels”. (Marquez) She does not believe that the old man is an angel. He is a trouble for her. That last until he finally ends up flying away, after she really understands what she lost. But the wonder of his existence was not evident for her before that. Unfortunately the stupid woman realized too late that she had an opportunity to be privy to something wonderful and miraculous in her life, but she left her only chance forever.
The coexistence of cruelty and compassion is a dominant theme in the story. Sometimes there are moments when Elisenda and her husband demonstrate striking callousness and cruelty throughout the story. Thus, after their child recovered and appeared healthy, the spouses who realize that it is somehow connected with the angel, decide to put him to sea with three-day supply of food, rather than killing him. It can hardly be called an act of kindness and compassion. Moreover when they realize that this poor creature can bring profit to them, they imprison him and take money for the doubtful pleasure of pinching, gawking and burning him with iron. The moments of compassion and kindness are very rare and thus more significant. By no means he is treated like a person – with dignity and respect – but soon be becomes part of family’s household. He is not a part of the family, but more like a cattle who should be taken care of. By the time the angel flies away, Elisenda rarely feels some pains of regret for treating him so unfairly and lightly.
Thus, in the story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” García Márquez teaches us all the important lesson of kindness and compassion: you cannot offend a person who knocks at your door and asks for help, for this person may be hundred times better, kinder and merciful than any of us. It does not matter how rich or poor you are in material sense. What matters in the world is how kind you heart is, how open and compassionate you soul is, and what you worth in matter а immaterial and moral riches and values.
Works cited:
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings: A Tale For Children. 15 Februry, 2012. Available at
