Analysis Steps：2: literary review

2: literary review

The literatures working on A very old man with enormous wings provide variable understandings about text.

John Goodwin, in his work “Márquez's A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings and Bambara's The Lesson”, researched on the interaction between working environment and the article. He noted that “enormous” was “a commentary on the events of Colombia”.^[1] The Author reflects the real human performances responding to Colombia’s social tensions through religious symbols used in the article, as “Colombians” represents “the villagers” and “religion” is “the angel”.

And Leif Schenstead-Harris made a deeper interpretation based on Marquez’s original text and John’s understanding in “Four Stories: A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel García Márquez”. He suggested that the old man may be the symbol of political belief. Villagers mistake the simpleminded for silliness and hurt old man without mercy. It proved exactly political violence public did and their communal ethics when facing a mystery. ^[2]

Bonita thought “his story invites us, as readers, to look a little closer at the events in our lives and determine how we are responding to the mundane we face”. ^[3] Bonita analyzed the bad human performance in text and found the main idea of the article was that people regrettably fails to appreciate the “magic” that is part of our lives but pursuing of sordid material interests, which is a real irony.

Likewise, Anton’s “Human Nature In A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” also researched on the detailed human nature presented in each character. Comparing the patient old man to spider lady and cruel villagers, he pointed this story is “using villagers’ negative nature which conflicts their inability to appreciate a miracle.” ^[4]

The literature reviewed seems to suggest that the performance of characters in “A very old man with enormous wings” reflect the realistic human nature, and to emphasis the miracle through comparison.