Story #5: "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel García Márquez

I genuinely liked this short story. It makes me think about a lot of things in general, even though there wasn't really a clear takeaway or lesson. The story revolves around a married couple, Pelayo and Elisenda, who live in a small house by the sea. One day, they see an unfamiliar body in their backyard, and it turns out to be a very old man with enormous wings (hence the title)- literally. When they ask their neighbor about the man, she says, "He's an angel." The news quickly spreads, and people from all over the world come to visit the angel in the couple's backyard. Since their home is now always crowded, they start charging people a certain fee who wish to see the angel. Not long after the angel's rise to popularity, things start to change: newer, more interesting "creatures" come into town from various circuses and shows. Their acts suddenly appeal to more people, and before they know it, Pelayo and Elisenda's home is as empty as before. In the end, the angel learns how to fly and travels away from the house.

I particularly enjoyed this story because of Márquez's writing style. The way he described each event was so realistic, and I really felt the emotions that the characters were feeling as well- for example, when people would bother the angel in different ways, or when the couple spent all the money they earned on materialistic things. It seems kind of contradictory because the story is about an angel, but even though angels aren't realistic creatures, the one in this story still portrayed feelings just like humans do. This was my favorite line from the entire piece: "He seemed to be in so many places at the same time that they grew to think that he'd been duplicated, that he was reproducing himself all through the house, and the exasperated and unhinged Elisenda shouted that it was awful living in that hell full of angels."

To conclude, here are three questions that I have about the story:

1. Does the angel represent anything?

2. Was Gabriel García Márquez religious? Did he have any beliefs about religion?

3. Where does the story take place?