What are some symbols in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings?"

There are a
number of symbols that play a significant role in the development of themes in Marquezs A Very
Old Man With Enormous Wings. The old mans wings are described as buzzard wings, dirty and
half-plucked . . . forever entangled in the mud. The wings emphasize that he is earthly and
human when he arrives in Pelayos home with dirty and torn wings. At the same time, however, the
presence of even these broken wings makes the observers believe that he is an angel, or not from
this world. With this duality established, the old man, by the end of the story, recovers his
strength and flies off under the power of his now strong, angular, and majestic wings. The
duality represented by the wings, then, can represent the theme of appearance versus reality and
the notion that there can be magic in that which appears to lack magic.

The
duality of the wings can also lead one to view the Old Man as a Christ figure. Christ is
believed by many to be both man and God, sharing the dual nature seen in the Old Man. Like a
Christ figure, the old man comes to the town as a poor, humble, broken man and saves the boy and
performs other miracles. He ends up being spurned and humiliated by the people he
saved.

The Spider Woman that comes to the town as a part of a freak show is
also important to the development of themes in the story. While the villagers first flock to the
old man with enormous wings, after time, as the miracles he performs become more mundane, or
consolation miracles, the villagers look for something new to worship. The Spider Woman at the
freak show fulfills this purpose. They leave the old man and start to spend time with the Spider
Woman, and they listen to her stories with pity. She comes to represent the shallowness of human
faith. The Spider Woman shows us that people are fickle and flock to shiny new beliefs, looking
for immediate results. Through Marquez's use of magical , the symbols in the short story all
develop the complex nature of faith as well as mans struggle to remain faithful in a confusing
and chaotic world.