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A review by ladybookamore
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel García Márquez
4.0
My journey into Márquez's writing began with this short story, back in 11th grade. Then, I had studies it as part of my Bengali syllabus. Yes, I first read A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings in Bengali, translated by eminent writer Shankha Ghosh.
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is an unusual short story based in Macondo, where man's cruelty and compassion are juxtaposed to create a sharp, inseparable contrast between them. The story blooms in a dull setting with an ashgrey ambience, and includes characters whose thoughts and actions would have been identified by the West as savage and backward.
Márquez strips humanity off its civilities to explore this "primitive" side of a people who are led by their own set of customs and beliefs. Pelayo and Elisenda harbour the fragile old man with wings, against the wishes of their neighbour who instructs them to club the angel to death. However, their treatment is not at all humane. They decide to monetise the mortal angel by caging him inside the chicken coop and charge every visitor to touch and see the old man with wings. This crowd of visitors would derive amusement from poking the man with hot iron, or would pluck feathers from him as a good luck charm. This includes diseased or handicapped individuals seeking the angel's blessings. Here, Márquez depicts two different ways in which man reacts to an anomaly — sadism and fear. Assuming that the "mortal angel" is the anomaly, man either tortures it for sheer pleasure, or fearfully submits himself to it.
The pain-pleasure dichotomy reminds me of yet another short story which I read last year as part of my undergraduate degree — Primeval (প্রাগৈতিহাসিক in Bengali), written Manik Bandyopadhyay. "Primeval" too is a study of human psychology with emphasis on man's very basic requirements —food, shelter, and intimacy. The protagonist (spoilers ahead!) enjoys the act of murdering a fellow beggar, so that he can prove his masculinity to a cripple woman whom he desires. Márquez, on the other hand, explores this dichotomy, with respect to the Western Colonisation of Latin America. The people of South America have witnessed years of oppression by the West, which includes the forceful submission to the New World Order. For any person, it is difficult to accept something new instantly. As Shaw had said, "Man is a creature of habit." So, it takes time for human beings to grow accustomed with newness. Thus Márquez, in A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, analyses man's first experience with change or newness. Though initially it is sadistic and uncomfortable, the conclusion is indeed a relief to its readers, as much as it is for Elisenda after seeing the Old Man eventually fly away from Macondo.
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is an unusual short story based in Macondo, where man's cruelty and compassion are juxtaposed to create a sharp, inseparable contrast between them. The story blooms in a dull setting with an ashgrey ambience, and includes characters whose thoughts and actions would have been identified by the West as savage and backward.
Márquez strips humanity off its civilities to explore this "primitive" side of a people who are led by their own set of customs and beliefs. Pelayo and Elisenda harbour the fragile old man with wings, against the wishes of their neighbour who instructs them to club the angel to death. However, their treatment is not at all humane. They decide to monetise the mortal angel by caging him inside the chicken coop and charge every visitor to touch and see the old man with wings. This crowd of visitors would derive amusement from poking the man with hot iron, or would pluck feathers from him as a good luck charm. This includes diseased or handicapped individuals seeking the angel's blessings. Here, Márquez depicts two different ways in which man reacts to an anomaly — sadism and fear. Assuming that the "mortal angel" is the anomaly, man either tortures it for sheer pleasure, or fearfully submits himself to it.
The pain-pleasure dichotomy reminds me of yet another short story which I read last year as part of my undergraduate degree — Primeval (প্রাগৈতিহাসিক in Bengali), written Manik Bandyopadhyay. "Primeval" too is a study of human psychology with emphasis on man's very basic requirements —food, shelter, and intimacy. The protagonist (spoilers ahead!) enjoys the act of murdering a fellow beggar, so that he can prove his masculinity to a cripple woman whom he desires. Márquez, on the other hand, explores this dichotomy, with respect to the Western Colonisation of Latin America. The people of South America have witnessed years of oppression by the West, which includes the forceful submission to the New World Order. For any person, it is difficult to accept something new instantly. As Shaw had said, "Man is a creature of habit." So, it takes time for human beings to grow accustomed with newness. Thus Márquez, in A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, analyses man's first experience with change or newness. Though initially it is sadistic and uncomfortable, the conclusion is indeed a relief to its readers, as much as it is for Elisenda after seeing the Old Man eventually fly away from Macondo.