Gabriel Garcia Marque was a re-known Colombian writer considered one of the best Latin American writers. Gabo, as he was commonly known, wrote a magical realism short story in 1968 about a scruffy old angel with massive wings who falls in the courtyard of a man called Pelayo. He and his wife decide to keep the man in the chicken cage. To their surprise, Pelato’s son, who lay dying in the bed, starts feeling well and even consumes food. Pelayo’s Elisenda says that the man is an angel coming for the child but was too old to fly on a stormy day (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007). Neighbors and persons from far areas swamped the home to see the old man. A priest tries to calm them down, saying he is not an angel (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007). After months in Pelayo’s place, people eventually lose interest, and the angel manages to fly, much to the relief of Pelayo’s wife. This essay will dig into the nitty-gritty of this short story.
This story describes a society that does not have much aim and ambition. “They found the whole neighborhood in front of the chicken coop having fun with the angel” is a statement that shows it as a frivolous community (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007, p. 159). The society also seems poor and uneducated. The level of unemployment and under-employment is high. There is also a sense of bureaucracy portrayed by the priest when he sends letters to the bishop (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007). Therefore, the bureaucratic structure is slow and their later seems to have no urgency.
Marquez’s story is full of ambiguity, and some of the phenomena cannot be explained. The story has aspects of magic realism such as being the man’s wings, his ability to fly, his fall, and the child’s healing, as well as the incidence of the woman who is converted into a spider. The theme of cruelty and compassion also runs supreme in this story. Pelayo and his wife put the man in a chicken coop which is cruel (Marquez & Tornaritis, 2007). The people also hit the older man with stones to see and burn him, showing no compassion. The short story is fascinating, catching, and easy to read.
Reference
Marquez, G. G., & Tornaritis, N. (2007). A very old man with enormous wings. GradeSaver LLC.