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...
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