Published by: Prastu Regmi
Published date: 10 Sep 2024
The short story A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings narrates the story of Pelayo and his wife Elisenda, who discover an old man with wings in their courtyard after killing crabs during a thunderstorm. Pelayo retrieves his wife, and they attempt to converse with him unsuccessfully. They eventually meet their neighbor woman, who tells them that the elderly man is an angel. She informs them that it is on its way to their sick child.
They put the angel in the chicken coop, and their child's fever broke in the middle of the night. They decide to let him go, but when they return to the courtyard in the morning, the whole neighborhood has gathered to witness the angel. Father Gonzaga soon comes, claiming that the old guy is a forgery. He commits to seek the truth from the church's highest courts. The tale of the angel spreads quickly, and the courtyard soon resembles a marketplace. Elisenda then comes up with the idea of charging a 5-cent admittance fee to view the angel, and they quickly become wealthy. Rome takes its time judging if the old man is an angel, and while they wait, Father Gonzaga works tirelessly to keep the mob under control.
When a carnival featuring a Spider-Girl arrives in town, the audience disperses by itself. Spectators are permitted to question her, and she describes how she was transformed into a tarantula one night for disrespecting her parents. This appeals to a larger audience than an old-winged man who overlooks everyone around him. Thus, the curious throng quickly abandons the angel for the spider, leaving Pelayo's courtyard vacant.
Pelayo and Elisenda use their savings to build a mansion. They ignore the angel and keep their youngster from approaching the chicken coop. He quickly becomes a part of their lives, and they stop fearing him. The child pays him frequent visits. The chicken coop eventually cracks, and they allow him to walk around their house, much to Elisenda's dismay. He becomes increasingly fragile and ailing, and they worry he will die. He recovers, and one day Elisenda is relieved to see him fly away.
1. The story deals with the common people’s gullibility. How do Pelayo and his wife take advantage of common people’s whim?
ans: The fable 'A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings' explores the common people's gullibility. Pelayo and his wife spotted an elderly man with wings in their garden. When they tried to speak with him, he responded in an unreadable tongue with a powerful voice. They were unable to comprehend his language. They called an old witch. She referred to an elderly guy as an "angel" who arrived to take their child, but he was so old that the rain knocked him down. Pelayo dragged him out of the mud and locked him in the wire chicken coop with the hens. A short time later, the toddler awoke fever-free and eager to eat. They felt as if magic had just transpired. Then they decided to be charitable and put the old guy on a raft with fresh water and rations for three days, leaving him to his fate on the wild seas.
But when they arrived early in the morning, they discovered that their courtyard was packed with people, which astounded them. The tale of the angel spread like wildfire. People didn't even listen to Father Gonzaga's words that he wasn't an angel. Pelayo's wife had the notion to charge five cents to view an angel. They made a lot of money from it and constructed a lavish home for themselves.
2. The author introduces the episode of a woman who became a spider for having disobeyed her parents. This episode at once shifts people’s concentration from the strange old man to the spider woman. What do you think is the purpose of the author to bring this shift in the story?
ans: The author introduces the story of a woman who became a spider because she disobeyed her parents by going outside to dance without permission. The scenario in which a woman transforms into a spider catches the attention of an elderly man; I believe the author included this transition in the story to demonstrate another example of magical realism. The author's objective was to demonstrate the greed of people. Pelayo and Elisenda care for a peculiar elderly guy at first, benefiting from him by charging five cents for admittance. However, when a spider woman appears, they ignore an angel. The old man drags here and there. The house of an elderly guy collapsed due to rain and sun, but it was not repaired.