Story Summary and Character Analysis
Story Summary
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is a masterpiece of magical realism by Gabriel García Márquez that tells the story of a mysterious winged man who falls from the sky into Pelayo and Elisenda's courtyard during a storm.
Opening: Pelayo discovers an old man lying face-down in the mud of his courtyard, unable to rise due to his enormous wings. The man appears pitiful—dressed like a ragpicker, nearly bald, toothless, and bedraggled.
The Discovery: Initially, Pelayo and Elisenda think the man is a castaway from a foreign ship. However, their neighbor woman immediately identifies him as an angel, suggesting he came for their sick child. Ironically, after this "angelic" arrival, their child recovers from fever.
Exploitation: Rather than treating the winged man with reverence, the couple locks him in their chicken coop and begins charging admission for people to see him. The "angel" becomes a spectacle, drawing crowds of curious visitors and desperate pilgrims seeking miracles.
The Carnival: The couple becomes wealthy from the admission fees, building a mansion and living luxuriously. Meanwhile, the old man endures cruel treatment from visitors who throw stones, pluck his feathers, and treat him like a circus animal. His only response is extraordinary patience.
Competition: A traveling show arrives featuring a woman transformed into a spider, who can tell her story and answer questions. This new attraction draws crowds away from the silent, mysterious old man.
Decline and Departure: Over time, the old man's popularity wanes. He becomes sickly and appears to be dying, but eventually recovers and grows new feathers. One morning, he attempts to fly, initially clumsy but eventually succeeding. Elisenda watches him disappear over the horizon with mixed feelings of relief and loss.
Character Analysis
The Old Man (The Angel)
Physical Description: Ancient, nearly bald, toothless, dressed in rags, with enormous buzzard-like wings that are dirty and half-plucked.
Key Traits:
- Patience: His most remarkable quality—he endures cruel treatment without retaliation
- Mystery: Speaks in an incomprehensible dialect, never explains his origins or purpose
- Dignity in suffering: Maintains quiet endurance despite humiliation
- Otherworldly nature: Possesses wings and seems to have healing powers (the child recovers)
Symbolic Role: Represents the divine or miraculous in everyday life, and how society treats the extraordinary with suspicion, exploitation, and cruelty rather than reverence.
Pelayo
Role: Husband and father who discovers the old man
Key Traits:
- Practical: Initially thinks the man is a castaway; focuses on practical concerns
- Opportunistic: Quickly sees the potential for profit
- Protective yet exploitative: Arms himself with a club but also profits from the situation
- Transformation: Changes from a bailiff to a wealthy man through exploiting the angel
Character Arc: Evolves from a simple working man to someone who becomes comfortable with exploitation for financial gain.
Elisenda
Role: Pelayo's wife and the family's primary decision-maker
Key Traits:
- Shrewd and business-minded: Comes up with the idea to charge admission
- Practical: Focuses on the family's material needs and comfort
- Complex emotions: Shows both relief and a sense of loss when the old man leaves
- Materialistic: Uses the profits to buy luxury items and build a mansion
Character Arc: Transforms from a simple housewife to a wealthy woman, but experiences conflicted feelings about the source of their fortune.
The Neighbor Woman
Role: Minor but significant character who identifies the old man as an angel
Key Traits:
- Superstitious: Immediately recognizes supernatural elements
- Decisive: Makes quick judgments based on folk wisdom
- Influential: Her declaration shapes how others perceive the old man
The Doctor
Role: Represents rational, scientific perspective
Key Traits:
- Curious: Cannot resist examining the angel
- Analytical: Surprised by the "logic" of the wings
- Open-minded: Questions why others don't have wings too
The Child
Role: Innocent party who recovers from illness and later plays with the angel
Key Traits:
- Innocent: Unafraid of the old man, treats him naturally
- Curious: Plays in the chicken coop without fear
- Pure: Represents uncorrupted human nature
Themes and Analysis
Major Themes
- Exploitation of the Vulnerable: The story critiques how society exploits those who are different or powerless
- Loss of Faith and Wonder: People's materialistic approach to the miraculous
- Patience and Suffering: The old man's endurance represents spiritual strength
- Greed vs. Compassion: The contrast between profit-seeking and genuine care
- The Mundane and the Miraculous: How extraordinary events become ordinary through familiarity
Magical Realism Elements
- The matter-of-fact presentation of a man with wings
- The child's miraculous recovery
- The woman transformed into a spider
- The blending of realistic details with fantastical elements
Symbolic Significance
The old man represents how society treats the divine, the different, and the vulnerable. His patience and eventual departure suggest that true miracles cannot be contained or commercialized, and that exploitation ultimately leads to loss of the miraculous in our lives.