-
Essay / Human Reaction to the Unknown in “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”
“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is a short story by the Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is an educational story about social values and the human reaction to the unknown. The story takes place in a modest fishing village, where in the courtyard of Pelayo's house (one of the main characters of the story), an old man with very large wings appears. Pelayo doesn't know what to do with it and called his wife Elisenda. The first thing he does is seek answers to thoughts that are beyond his understanding and, with Elisenda, go to see a neighbor who, according to them, knew all the good and bad things in life. Seeing the old man, she said he was an angel because he had wings. The first thing the characters do is judge by appearances, and when they see a man dressed in rags, they give him some sort of freak label, because an angel wouldn't dress like that. They also care for a recovering sick newborn and tell the old man with an angel of death who came looking for the child, who was stuck in the mud and rain of that day, a environment described everywhere by the author. the story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay It doesn't take long for uncertainty and ignorance to appear, and in Pelayo's house, a series of helpless people are come in search of miracles. When Pelayo and his wife see this, they decide to take advantage of it and start charging people to see the angel. This only shows the human opportunism and lack of compassion towards this man on the part of the protagonists, his wife and others. Faith is used in the pilgrims' search for answers beyond themselves as a response to their misfortune. As the days pass, the angel maintains a passive attitude and the expected miracles do not occur. People stopped believing in him and interest in this creature disappeared. Meanwhile, Pelayo and Elisenda improve their lives and the children's well-being, which is somehow linked to the angel and the city's climate. They adapt to the presence of the angel and show a little compassion. When the angel regains the well-being of his wings and a certain strength leaves, Elisenda is relieved to have left his life. It is hypocritical for humans to expect things to fall under their weight and not accept a fact with its good and bad sides. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay the old man, was he really a demon of death in search of the child or a cherub of life? I think he was just a passive being, oblivious to the world around him, a world full of greed and ignorance. He was a being who only wanted to live. “The Very Old Man with the Huge Wings” is a metaphorical example used by the author to describe our reaction to the unknown. He uses old age as a synonym for the end of life. Furthermore, he used a newborn as a synonym for beginning, and the world's reactions surround him like human fears. It's a fable about how men reject appearances without bothering to see beyond the obvious. This is a sample of some of the worst human values imposed by society and how we should be aware of them..