A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

Gabriel García Márquez is famous for popularizing what is now referred to as “magical realism”—a genre that incorporates supernatural elements into an otherwise prosaic setting. Many of García Márquez’s works feature this strategic mixture of fantasy and reality, which he learned from his superstitious grandmother, who told stories in such a way that the supernatural seemed almost natural and mundane. Such is the case in this story, whose title speaks matter-of-factly about a seemingly supernatural being—an old man who simply happens to have enormous wings. His wings do attract attention within the story, as many characters first view him as a circus attraction. However, by the story’s end, the novelty of his wings disappears even for them.

García Márquez was politically left-leaning, and although this story is subtitled “A Tale for Children,” it’s useful to consider its historical and cultural context. Around the time of the story’s publication, both Colombia and Venezuela—where García Márquez was living—were in a state of civil unrest. Seeing people persecuted, imprisoned, and killed for their political beliefs made García Márquez especially aware of the consequences of perceived social differences. These differences become physical and linguistic in the story; the old man is ostracized because he has broken wings and cannot communicate in the townspeople’s language. These differences make him powerless against imprisonment and exploitation until he becomes useless to Pelayo and Elisenda, at which point he can recover enough to escape. The vagueness of the story’s setting also implies that it could be an allegory for injustices anywhere.

Despite these serious implications, the text has a humorous and satirical tone, partly due to its use of situational irony; the reader or characters often expect one thing to happen, but instead the opposite occurs. For example, Father Gonzaga’s arrival seemingly signals that the church will decide the fate of the old man, or at least resolve the “angel” debate. However, what actually “resolves” the debate is the arrival of the spider woman, which appears to kill not only the townspeople’s but also the Church’s interest in determining if the old man is indeed an angel. Similarly, all signs point to the old man dying at the end of the story, but he makes a startling recovery and flies away to freedom. Subverting audience expectations is key to adding authenticity to magical realism, as sometimes in real life the unexpected happens.