Questions and Answers for A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the magical realism in the story, "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," by Gabriel Marquez?
Magical Realism is the blending of fantasy and reality. This style is a cultural aspect of Marquez's native Columbia and is a notable genre in other Hispanic cultures. In this story, the blending...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the symbolic significance of the old man and his enormous wings? Since he’s called an "angel", is there a...
This story makes us ask ourselves about contemporary morality and religious belief. Gabriel García Márquez set this story in a village in his native Colombia, an area that would have been...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the moral of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"? How is the message applicable to the reader?
I suppose you could say that the most important message in the story is that nothing is quite what it seems. What we unthinkingly call "real" is actually no such thing and is always a good deal...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the setting, the magical, and the realistic elements of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
The setting for "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is an unidentified sea coast village where crabs are plentiful. The names of the central characters are Latin American in nature so it may...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In Gabriel García Márquez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," discuss the use of irony, and what purpose it serves.
For me, the irony is not that the old man that shows up on the beach one day in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" (by Gabriel García Márquez)—with the potential to be an angel—and is treated...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, what are the 3 miracles the old man performed incorrectly according to the...
According to the townspeople, the angel makes several mistakes in granting miracles. First, there is a blind man who sprouts three new teeth instead of being able to see again. There is also a...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
How is the winged man treated in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
In a nutshell, the winged man is treated very poorly. For starters, he is imprisoned as soon as Pelayo and Elisenda find him. Instead of sticking with their initial plan to set him adrift on a...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What are examples of simile in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings?"
The first paragraph of the story contains a great simile that is being used to describe the sands of a beach. We are told that on March nights, the sands "glimmered like powdered light." The second...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Who is the narrator of the story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is told by a third-person omniscient narrator who stands above the story, informing us of what is going on from a place outside of the story's events....
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the tone in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," and who is the villain, the protagonist, antagonist?
The tone is one of instruction and caution, like a fairy tale. In fact, if you look at the title, you will see that its complete title is "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the allegory and irony of the story "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings"?
I think one of the joys of this short story is that it defies interpretation. You need to note how the villagers are often exposed as foolish and gullible in their beliefs, and also how they try to...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
How do the villagers respond to the spider girl in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
Drawn by a morbid curiosity as well as a desire to hear her sad tale first hand, the villagers flocked in droves to see the spider girl. The admission fee to see her was less than that charged for...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the climax of the story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
The climax of Marquez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" occurs when the old angel causes such a sensation that a traveling carnival and a circus arrive in the town of Pelayo and his wife,...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
How does the winged old man change the lives of Pelayo and Elisenda?
At first the old man is nothing more than an annoyance. Pelayo and Elisenda put him in their chicken coop until they decide what to do with him. Word spreads that they have an alleged angel on...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In the short story "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," what are some examples of similies and metaphors?
In the second paragraph, many similes and metaphors also are present. For example, the angel is compared to a "drenched great-grandfather." This metaphor is important as the angel acts very much...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What are some symbols in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings?"
Father Gonzaga, the parish priest, symbolizes the orthodoxy of the Catholic Church. When he discovers that the old man with enormous wings doesn't speak Latin—the language of the Church—or look...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What are some examples of hyperbole in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves some kind of exaggeration. The exaggeration exists to really make a point of emphasis. For example, saying that my kids have "a ton of Legos" is an...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
How is the story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" an example of "magical realism" and an allegory?
As an allegory, Marquez's story certainly has both literal and symbolic levels. On the literal level, there is the narrative of a desperate family whose illness and poverty are resolved by the...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
How is "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" a tale for children?
The short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez tells of a couple in a poor seaside village that discovers an old man with large wings in the courtyard of their house...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the falling action of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
Before you can identify the falling action, which culminates in the resolution, you must identify the climax, also called the turning point, which is the moment, event, statement, decision, etc....
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," how does Marquez utilize symbolism and magical realism to challenge...
In Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," the story seems to be a parallel to the story of Christ. Symbolically, Father Gonzaga represents the high priests that do not...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the rising action in the story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
The rising action of a piece of literature can be defined as the stage following the exposition of the story (where a problem is explained to the audience) and features a series of complications...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What metaphor is there in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
The eponymous old man with enormous wings, who some think is a fallen angel and others think might be a Norwegian, is arguably a metaphor representing difference, which would make this story one...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the most essential internal conflict within Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?...
The most essential internal conflict in the story is the reaction of the old man with enormous wings to the world around him. Although the people around him lock him in a chicken coop and...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What would be a good thesis statement for "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings?"
There are some other approaches you could take if the writing prompt is open ended. One approach to evaluating this story would be to analyze Garcia Marquez’s use of magical realism. Unique to...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What do the "old man" and the spider-woman symbolize in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"? Compare and contrast...
While both the Spider Woman and the Old Man with enormous wings are phenomena, the Spider Girl is a phenomenon that the viewers can comprehend because the people are permitted to ask her questions...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" -- What emotions are evoked in the reader about the old man Pity? Fear?...
1. Although the angel is "disappointingly ordinary and human," he evokes a number of feelings from the reader: Repulsion - Originally described as a "ragpicker" with only a few strands of hair upon...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
How is the overall setting in "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" important to the rest of the story?
The short story "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a work of magic realism. It tells of a filthy old man with a pair of huge but damaged wings, who appears suddenly...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What are the major conflicts in the short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"? What point of view...
The narrative point of view of this story is third person. More specifically, the story is third person omniscient. This means that the narrator is essentially looking down at all characters from a...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," why does Elisenda let out a sigh of relief for herself and for him?
At first having the old man around was a boon to Elisenda and her husband. They had become very rich from selling tickets for people to see the "angel." As the weeks go on, however, the...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
How was a literary device used in the story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is noted for its rich and complex symbolism. However, although most of the symbolism seems to represent something about faith, Marquez offers no easy, concrete...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What elements of humor does A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings contain?
I would say that taken as a whole, this particular story is more sad than humorous. It's terrible how the people treat the old man with wings, and they do it for selfish gain; however, there are...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
At what point in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" did you first know that it included elements of fantasy? What...
The title of Gabriel García Márquez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" immediately tells a reader that not all is as it might seem within this story; certainly, human men do not have wings!...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In the beginning of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," why is Pelayo throwing crabs into the sea?
As the story opens, the fishing village in which the characters live has been "sad" for three days, with cold, dark temperatures and constant rain. Because of a crab's life cycle, some species...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In the ending of the story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it says that the angel is...
The nature of the angel in the story is ambiguous. By referring to the angel as "an imaginary dot," the author could be suggesting that the angel was a figment of the imagination. However, the...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
How does the setting of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings support the mood?
The almost biblical setting of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" along with the personification of the world contributes to the preternatural and fairy-tale atmosphere, or mood, of the story....
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," how do the villagers treat the old man?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is a story that defies the traditional forms with magical realism, a literary style which challenges the reader to reassess modes of...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In the story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", what is the relationship between the angel and the...
Very interesting question. The child of Pelayo and Elisenda is perhaps "healed" by the angel when he first arrives, though this is not clearly stated. It doesn't actually state that the child...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Compare the characteristics of the spider woman with those of the old man.
The old man isn't actively pretending to be an angel, but due to his wings, he is certainly believed to be one by many. The spider woman, on the other hand, is a fraud, a charlatan, a confidence...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Discuss the blend of realistic and fantastic details. Does this blend make the story more or less effective? Does it...
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is an intriguing blend of the ordinary and the supernatural, of reality and the fantastic. Consider the following: A girl disobeys her parents (real) and is...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the basic idea of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"? "A very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel...
The central theme of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" seems to be one of how people handle doubt and ambiguity. When the angel arrives, Pelayo and his wife are frightened and do not know what...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, why does the angel appear in the form of a very...
I always enjoyed having students read this story because, in my opinion, it is a great example of a story for which readers may discover many different yet valid interpretations. The angel in "A...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is Marquez saying about the rules governing miracles in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” focuses on a family’s experiences after they find an old man with enormous wings lying face down in the mud in their...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
In "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," how do Pelayo and Elisenda attempt to profit from the presence of the angel?
In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's tale "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," the story centers upon the strange and magical appearance of an old man who has huge vulture-like wings. Early in the story,...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Explain what Father Gonzaga does in order to prove that the Old Man is not an angel. How is this a criticism of...
Father Gonzaga first speaks to the Old Man in Latin and determines that since he (Old Man) does not understand the language of God (Latin), he must be an impostor. Father Gonzaga also uses the...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What does the man with enormous wings represent in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
The author is not explicit about what the old man with wings represents, so a reader can have a fair amount of latitude with this question. Personally, I have always liked to emphasize the fact...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is a theme to the short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Please also give...
The most prominent theme of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is selfishness. From the moment that "the angel" first lands in the lives of of Pelayo, Elisenda, and their numerous neighbors, the...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Does the subtitle of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" indicate that it is appropriate for children?
The subtitle is "A Tale For Children," and the story is much more in the vein of older fairy tales than modern stories that are sanitized and simplified. By presenting a possibly theological and...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is satire, and how is it used in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"?
In the short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, an old man with wings like a buzzard's is swept into the courtyard of the home of some villagers by a powerful...
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
What is the overall meaning of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings?"
One possible interpretation of the story is that mankind's connection with a spiritual world or a spiritual meaning to life has disappeared. The angel is old and dirty, without human mannerisms and...
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