In many ways this story makes a statement about how we treat people that are new or different to us. Marquez uses magical realism to do this by introducing a supernatural creature. This creature is unique because it's mostly man. Although he startles Pelayo and Elisenda at first, they "very soon overcame their surprise and in the end found him familiar". This shows that we are able to recognize humanity in each other. However, the old man is stuck in a constant middleground. He is not a person, but the priest doubts that he's an angel either. Instead of focusing on the human parts they did see of the old man, they couldn't get over his huge wings. People gathered around him and threw food at him "as if he weren't a supernatural creature but a circus animal". According to the story, "even the most merciful threw stones at him". Even if we are able to see some humanity in people that are different from us, it is often derailed by the differences.
A closer look at the man exposes even more of his humanity. When Pelayo got close to the man "he noticed that seen up close he was much too human". This quote alone says a lot about humanity. Once we see each other up close- once we really take the time to look and relate to each other- we can see the similarities. It becomes much harder to ignore. This begins to have an impact on the family as the crowd dwindles and the old man remains in the chicken coop until it collapses. They keep him at a distance but they allow him to stay. This leaves us with some hope about humanity; maybe we can notice more similarities than differences.
We often focus on the differences and exaggerate them; we marvel at or make fun of these differences. We make a show of it. Marquez shows this by inventing a supernatural creature to bring out these traits of humanity and expose how we treat something that is so similar to us but also different. However, the ending implies tentative hope. In the end maybe the similarities can outweigh the differences. Maybe we can learn to accept each other and live in peace.
Scholarly Article: https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2014/06/21/magical-realism/
I agree with the statement you made in the last paragraph. I think it's very easy to hype focus on the differences between people especially in a society like ours that values individualism so much. But I think there is a lot of humility to be found in recognizing and celebrating our similarities as people, as well as empathy to be learned and bonds to be formed. Marquez use of magical realism to get this message across is fantastic.
ReplyDelete-Kenneth
I agree with all of the points that you made in this article- but one quote that you brought into perspective within this article stood out to me the most. It is the point when Pelayo "noticed he was much too human" once he received a closer look. I had not taken the theme of taking a closer look at people and seeing from who they are when reading the story. Nonetheless, it is a great analysis and should be something that everyone should take from the story.
ReplyDelete-Kyra M
I completely agree with what you have stated on your post. In the world that we are living in, people end up dividing each other by finding differences with each other as what they did to the very old man with the enormous wings. Instead we all need to come up togeteher and find our little similarities and unite as one. And I also belive that you have picked a great story which assumilate with this specific topic. Great Job!
ReplyDelete-Weini W.
I agree that often times humanity points out differences just to ridicule or humiliate others. Individuals are similar in many ways but somehow, only differences stand out. It is a form of entertainment because it breaks the daily norm as seen with the old man with the enormous wings. However, differences should be encouraged and praised for their uniqueness and originality.
ReplyDelete-Sam U
I agree that we tend to ostracize those that act, think and look differently than "normal" people do. I honestly thought that this short story was a good way of representing how we as humans tend to lean towards those who act and think like us. These type of stories are paradoxically infinite in truth, while at the same time being completely untrue. I think we lose contact with moral obligations to those who we see differently.
ReplyDeleteNice post
-Kyle Gardner
Bailey,
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed this story. I think part of what I liked about it was that the most humane character was the Fallen Angel himself and yet he was anything but human physiologically. This demonstrated the even the most humane person could be cruel and even the most ethereal, celestial, or monstrous could possess more kindness than mankind. This also falls under what we would call as the idea of "Otherness" because mankind is afraid of the different.
-Aly
I have always loved magical realism. This is because I have always been interested in mythology and fantasy. Whether it was sea serpents, elves, or dragons, my attention was always quickly caught within the wonder of it all. From this story however, the magical realism takes on a darker role. Instead of fulfilling our desires and wants, the author can be perceived to be making an attempt to open the audiences' mind to this othering that is built into society. The very fact that it drew upon the old man being too human just snowballs this effect. It also can be taken as a fear of development or evolution as this old man with wings could be much superior to the people around him. Instead, he is an outcast that is animalized for simply being different.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this story as well. What I find most interesting about your post was your input on how we ostracize others until we see them like ourselves. Once we see them as we see ourselves, we can connect that the way we are treating them isn't how we would want to be treated. I feel like as soon as people recognize their similarities instead of their differences, that is when things like racism and bigotry die. It's like the golden rule is embedded in us, once we see others as ourselves, we have the tendency to treat them how we would want them to treat us. It is very interesting. Great post!
ReplyDelete- JJ