A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Short Story Review

Sometimes what we don't understand may fascinate us. When we try and understand the unexplainable we sometimes add our own solutions to things with multiple perspectives. In the story the people treat the old man very strangely. I would have, however, reacted much differently.

In the story the townspeople treat the old man with enormous wings very strangely. They treat him like a fascination of the mind. When they try to come up with their own explanations of what he was or why he was there it threw the townspeople in amazement. Many of the people were angered by the old man or were surprised and awed by him and threw things at him. Still others had superstitious beliefs of him and believed he had unnatural healing powers. Many of the townsfolk who were stricken with ailments actually went to him for assistance. The town doctor observed him to see if he was actually of any biological disorder. The old man represented our limited thinking ability of the unknown. Even the neighbor woman who was a master of the deceased and dead only predicted death for Pelayo's son. Elisenda had their own curiosities about him. They kept him in their chicken coop and shed to have supervision over it. They weren't too sure on how to feel towards him. The town priest attempted to better understand this celestial creature. Father Gonzaga attempted many methods to find his past roots of Aramaic language or a regular Norwegian with wings. Pelayo also had a visiting fee for the man and kept him secure. I would have reacted much differently to this strange man compared to the townspeople. Instead of tormenting him and trying to explain what he was I would have helped him. I would have aided him to get better and understand him better. I wouldn't jump to random conclusions either.

In real life we all try to constantly try and explain the unknown. We are trying to explain about aliens and area 51. We can't really understand it though and that's why we based area 51 on aliens. There are many unexplainable things that many people may have the advantage and blessing to see in our lifetime. Many of which may actually have a result of life changing experiences. Some things in life may actually foreshadow or remind you of your own. These are the lessons that you should look out for when reading this book.