Gabriel Garciez use of Magical Realism
A common feature of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's stories is his use of Magical Realism (Williams 95). By combining miraculous elements with realistic details in his short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," Marquez causes fantasy and reality to live side-by-side (McMurray 27). The old man with enormous wings is considered to be an angel who ultimately represents the mysterious and unfamiliar elements in life. Even more mysterious or magical is the appearance of the lady spider. The angel and human-like spider do not just represent the supernatural, but also something foreign; they stand out in the crowd as being different from the rest of society. Representing reality are the townspeople, who are truly fascinated by the angel and anything else that is different from what society considers being normal, which is the story's main focus. Marquez uses Magical Realism in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," to exemplify society's cruelty and ignorance towards and fascination with, those things which are different, unique and unknown. Upon analyzing the story for magical and mystical elements, one immediately recognizes many aspects which can be described as such things, the most prominent being the old man with enormous
At the beginning of the story Pelayo discovers, ". huge buzzard wings, dirty and half-plucked. Though the magical elements of the angel and spider exist in the story, it is the reality of what occurs due to their presence in the story which is of true focus and meaning. Although they recognize that they are inflicting pain, they are blind to the fact that they are enraging this very passive and patient angel with their harmful antics. Since the angel is viewed as something supernatural, or different from the rest of society, he is abused and mistreated. By incorporating Magical Realism into this story, Garcia Marquez is able to address a principle of human behavior; the more unique and different something is the more intrigued people become. It is obvious that the townspeople show no concern for the well-being of the angel, only wanting to amuse themselves. These acts of cruelty and ignorance towards the unfamiliar represent a sense of reality in the story. Like in society when something new and more absurd comes along, the more intrigued society becomes with it, especially if it comes at a lesser value. They are even willing to pay to satisfy their cravings of believing the unbelievable.
Common topics in this essay:
Pelayo Elisenda,
Enormous Wings,
Wings Marquez,
Garcia Marquez,
Realism Williams,
enormous wings,
Magical Realism,
marquez 289,
lady spider,
chicken coop,
pelayo elisenda,
marquez 291,
magical realism,
society's cruelty,
,
Garcia Marquez's,
enormous wings marquez,
marquez brings,
cruelty ignorance towards,
wings marquez,
sense reality story,
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Acceptance Essays
