A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, By Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1968)

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,  By Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1968)

8/10


I had one question after reading this story: Is the old winged man an actual angel? His feathers did have magical effects. Unintended, strange and comical effects, but still magical they were. Also, the flaps of his wings caused terrifying wind, and the doctor did say that his wings seemed to be perfectly logical. Could all this be a Christian miracle?

Or maybe he was just a perfectly normal being. The letters from Rome were asking whether the old angel was Norwegian. Near the end of the story, we learn the angel was speaking in ancient Norwegian. Maybe Norwegians in this world grow wings and feathers with random magical abilities if they live long enough.

But I guess all this never actually mattered to the townspeople. All they wanted was either money, entertainment, and a cure for their condition. Even Father Gonzaga, who seemed like a true Christian, seems to find the presence of a could-be angel disturbing. It’s a tragedy, but I guess at least the ending was a happy ending. Pelayo’s family would no longer have to kill crabs, and the ‘angel’ is going back to wherever it was from. I rated this story eight out of ten. 

(200 words)

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