Gabriel Garca Mrquez

A VERY OLD MAN WITH ENORMOUS WINGS

Authors Background
Born on March 6, 1927 in Aracataca, Colombia Started as a journalist, and wrote many

acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories, but is best known for his novels Served as one of Latin Americas most distinguished diplomats and mediators Received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 Also known in Colombia as El Maestro and Nuestro Nobel (our Nobel winner)

Storys Background
Originally published in Spanish in 1955 in

Marquezs first collection of short stories, Leaf Storm Translated to English in 1972 by Gregory Rabassa Magical Realism/Satire Published during a time period known as La Violencia in Colombia

La Violencia
Refers to the he ten-year period (1948-1958) of civil war in Colombia, between the Colombian

Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party Considered to have begun on April 9, 1948, with the assassination of Jorge Elicer Gaitn, a Liberal Party presidential candidate who was very popular The vast majority of the Colombian population at time was Catholic and the Church authorities were supporters of the the Conservative Party. Claimed over 200,000 lives

Storys Relation toLa Violencia

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is

considered to be an illustration of La Violencia, where the villagers represent Colombians and the angel represents religion, as opposed to the church During La Violencia, the people responsible for the violence had no remorse about their actions and thought only of their own beneficial gain, much like the characters in the story

Wings
Represent power, speed, and limitless

freedom of motion In the Christian tradition, angels are often represented as beautiful winged figures

Wings in the Story

Although the old mans wings may be dirty, and bare, they are still magical enough to attract

crowds. When the village doctor examines the old man, he notices how naturally the wings fit in with the rest of his body.
The doctor even wonders why everyone else doesnt

have wings as well

The ultimate effect is to suggest that the old man is both natural and supernatural at once,

having the wings of a heavenly messenger but all the frailties of an earthly creature.

Magical Realism
Consists of mostly true-to-life narrative

punctuated by moments of whimsical, often symbolic, fantasy described in the same matter-of-fact tone Connects two traditionsthe low folkloric and the high literary Very prominent writing style in Latin America because it is so closely connected to the allegorical storytelling found in rural areas.

Magical Realism in the Story

Pelayo and Elisenda are carrying on a normal

life, when a violent rainstorm causes an angel to fall to Earth. When they find it, they are shocked to see an angel, and yet they never question its existence. The spider woman, who was turned into a tarantula for disobeying her parents, is just one of the many accepted members of society who are looking for the angel.

Works Cited
Goodwin, John. "Mrquez's A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings and Bambara's The Lesson." Academia.edu. Heldref Publications, 2006. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. "La Violencia in Colombia." Latin American Studies. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Ruch, Allen B. "Garcia Marquez - Biography." The Modern Word. 2 June 2003. Web. 14 Apr. 2014 Van Tillburg, Elizabeth, and Kelly Goodall. Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Magical Realism. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.