A Very Old Man with Enormus Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Characters:
Old Man/Angel- a mysterious man with wings that is discovered by a husband and wife who keep him in a chicken coop. He is forced to become an attraction and is mistreated by some of the people who come to see him in hopes that he can change their lives. His true purpose for showing up is never revealed.

Pelayo- in the beginning, he seems concerned about the old man. He chooses to go against the neighbor's suggestion of killing him, but ends up putting him in the chicken coop. He soon becomes rich from the old man's situation.

Elisenda- she came up with the idea to charge admission for the chance to see the angel. Once he was no longer of use to her, she looks at him as a nuisance. She is relieved when she sees him fly out of the chicken coop and out of her life.

Father Gonzaga- he doesn't really believe the old man is an angel and tries to find out for sure. He tries to be the voice of reason by insisting that people treat the old man with respect.

Neighbor Woman- she's a friend of Pelayo and Elisenda who knows everything about life and death. She suggests that the old man is an angel who was in on his way to come for their sick child.

The Spider Girl- she is a girl who was turned into a spider by the heavens for sneaking out of the house one night. She becomes a carnival attraction and soon takes the attention of the town away from the old man.

1. Why do you think Marquez referred to the visitor as "a very old man with enormous wings" rather than "an angel"? - i think that it is more attractive to readers to hear the human with wings than an angel. the interpretation of an angel can be different for everyone.
2. What do the reactions of the different people of the town say about human nature, itself? - selfishness; they all came to take benefits from him without knowing what he is. it didn't even matter to the people if he was insured.
3. Why do you think the people stopped paying attention to the old man once the Spider girl came to town? - the spider girl was a thing that interact with people which the old man never did with the people. it's like a zoo, a sleeping animal is boring and people walk away from it but the active animals bring people closer. (two stories: one, she got punished. two, lightening struck her.)
4. What are some possible themes for this story? - if you are different and unique, the society will not accept you as who you are. when things are getting old, you move on to the next thing.