Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” Essay

Exclusively available on IvyPanda Available only on IvyPanda
Updated: Dec 22nd, 2023

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.

We will write a custom essay on your topic a custom Essay on Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”
808 writers online

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.

Print
Need an custom research paper on Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” written from scratch by a professional specifically for you?
808 writers online
Cite This paper
Select a referencing style:

Reference

IvyPanda. (2023, December 22). Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-very-old-man-with-enormous-wings-by-g-marquez/

Work Cited

"Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”." IvyPanda, 22 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/a-very-old-man-with-enormous-wings-by-g-marquez/.

References

IvyPanda. (2023) 'Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”'. 22 December.

References

IvyPanda. 2023. "Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”." December 22, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-very-old-man-with-enormous-wings-by-g-marquez/.

1. IvyPanda. "Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”." December 22, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-very-old-man-with-enormous-wings-by-g-marquez/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Irony in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”." December 22, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-very-old-man-with-enormous-wings-by-g-marquez/.

Powered by CiteTotal, free citation generator
If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal
More related papers
Cite
Print
1 / 1