In the story "A Very Old Man with Wings", Gabriel Garcia Márquez writes about the discovery of a great old winged man by a crab hunter named Pelayo . As the world grew cloudy, the appearance of a magical man with wings would scare, excite, and bring hope to a neighborhood for the near future. This man appeared old and defeated, while Pelayo looked at him with a confused expression, or with “mute amazement”. Gabriel Garcia Márquez describes the old man as bald with faded hair, almost toothless, and with enormous buzzard-like wings. How can someone like this exist, have his appearance but possess such restraint and inner power? They tried to speak to the angel but his response was incomprehensible with a loud voice. In addition to this discovery, Pelayo's wife, Elisenda, was caring for a sick child. In "An Old Man with Wings" Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses themes of magic, sinful characters, and questions of faith to reflect society's struggle with belief in religion. One of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's tropes in this story is the magic the old man might possess. When the villagers learn about the old man and his unorthodox appearance, they become curious and scared. A wise old woman according to the village calls him "an angel" and the villagers begin to treat him like a circus act, similar to a woman who had been transformed into a spider by lightning due to a curse. The villagers responded well to the spider woman because she was cheaper to look at and was willing to talk to people. Meanwhile the angel would do his best to stay down and keep quiet. After the angel's arrival, the child's condition improved and gave the neighborhood something to see and believe in. Could it be magic? This was the question at...... middle of paper ......rcia Marquez is a story that reflects real life. It introduces themes of magic, sinful behavior, and the public's perception of the realism of religion. The story begins with the discovery of an old man who had the wings of an angel and the audience's refusal to accept the reality of it. Furthermore, the people were the reflection of the sins committed by society and of the ability of those same people to ask for forgiveness and favors from a being in whom in recent times they did not even believe. Why didn't Gabriel Garcia Márquez just say he was an angel from the beginning? Maybe he wanted to make a story that showed his religious beliefs and how the people around him react to them. It is possible that Gabriel Garcia Márquez addressed this message to children to show them that if they have faith, anything can happen and they will be safe and sound. Works Cited "An old man with wings""