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Harper 1 Joann S. Harper Mr.

Garrett EN 200 October 10, 2011 Entertaining Angels Unaware: A Literary Analysis of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings Hebrews 13:2 warns us, Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unaware. Most interpret Gabriel Garcia Marquezs A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings as the story of an angels fall to earth and the recounting thereof, but it is instead an allegory of Christ and his encounters with various people-groups during his earthly ministry. The central character of this story, an angel who has fallen to earth, represents Jesus Christ, Father Gonzaga represents the church of that day, and the people who came to see him represent the followers during Christs ministry. Cultures throughout the ages have used parables to breakdown the Gospel message into understandable stories that both the learned and the unlearned could understand. The biblical symbolism throughout this story serves as a powerful indicator that this too is intended as parable of the Gospel message. Marquez points out that this is A Tale for Children, just as the Gospels were written so that a child could understand its message. Jesus tells his disciples, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 1 Corinthians 1:27 reminds us: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; Marquez wants readers to comprehend the underlying message not as a simple tale for children to be overlooked as fanciful prose but as a warning to those who are guilty of keeping Christ in a box and not permitting Him to fulfill his purpose in their lives.

Harper 2 The narrator begins his tale, On the third day of rain they had killed so many crabs inside the house that Pelayo had to cross his drenched courtyard and throw them into the sea Pelayo is struggling to separate the sea from the land just as in Genesis 1:9-13, Moses tells that on the third day God separated the waters from the land. The third sentence, Sea and sky were a single ash-gray thing initiates the sub-theme of the struggle of separation. As in the time of Christ, Marquezs story demonstrates the struggle to differentiate between the religious and the worldly. The narrator writes that though it was noon, the light was so weak that Pelayo had to go very close to see what it was that was moving and groaning in the rear of the courtyard (p. 165, paragraph 1), Father Gonzagas accusation that the old man was a devil (p. 167, line 28), and though the people saw an old man with wings who exhibited no anger towards their callus treatment, they were never confident that he was an angel. One can almost feel the tug-of-war between the narrators words and the characters actions as they struggle to separate light from darkness, truth from fiction, and preconceived ideas from reality; all of which are over-arching themes of the Bible. At the end of the first paragraph we get our first glimpse of the angel who, in this story, symbolizes Jesus Christ. Pelayo sees a very old man, covered in mud, dressed like a rag picker, only a few faded hairs left on his bald skull, with huge buzzard wings that were dirty and half plucked. Pelayo and Elisenda in no way associate him as an angel. This muddy mess in no way fulfilled their preconceived ideas of what an angel looked like. Even their neighbors declaration of, Hes an angel, was not enough to change their mind from what they perceived an angel should look like versus what this angel did, in reality, look like. Some may even associate the neighbor woman as John, crying in the wilderness that the Kingdom of God was at hand.

Harper 3 Page 168, paragraph 2 shows that Marquezs angel and Jesus are quite similar. Just as Marquezs angel didnt fulfill anyones expectations of an angel, The angel was the only one who took no part in his own act. Jesus also failed to meet the expectations of the Jews. They are both doubted by the people around them even though they had already performed miracles that no ordinary human could do. The angel brought healing to the baby, relief from insomnia to Father Gonzaga, although neither asked, just as Jesus healed the blind, lame, and diseased. The scriptures show many instances of Jesus being rejected as the Christ because he did not look, act, or perform as those looking for the Messiah thought he should. Throughout the Old Testament prophecies were shared about a Messiah who would free the Jewish people from their captors. When Jesus came and they heard he was the Messiah, they all waited for him to overthrow the controlling Roman government. Jesus never did so many Jewish people today are still waiting for a conquering King who will set them free. John 1:10 states: He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. They were not looking for a humble servant who would give his life, but a warrior Messiah, and ended up missing Jesus completely. Father Gonzaga is a key figure in the community as the parish priest; he is the representative of the church and the government and the mind of the people. Father Gonzaga symbolizes the religion of Jesus day: Judaism. Page 167, line 19 reads, The parish priest had his first suspicion of an imposter when he saw that he did not understand the language of God or know how to greet His ministers; because the angel did not (or refused to) speak the language of the recognized church (Latin) he was labeled an imposter. Just as the Pharisees, whose love of position and the esteem of others blinded them, for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God (John 12:43), the angels failure to respond to Father Gonzagas test

Harper 4 was interpreted as direct challenge to his standing and authority over the community. Since the angel wouldnt participate in the religious exhibition, Father Gonzaga had to save face, so he promised to write to his superiors to get a final verdict on the matter. Jesus did not have to seek authority from his superior; He simply stated, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). For the Pharisees, their hostility began when Jesus forgave sin (Matthew 9:1-8), was increased by Jesus associating with publicans and sinners (vv. 9-13), and was inflamed by Christs ignoring their petty rules about the Sabbath. Jesus was not about following the traditions of men. He healed on the Sabbath, his disciples picked corn on the Sabbath, and they didnt wash their hands before they ate. Jesus put people first, regardless of their social standing, and religious piety was given no room for consideration. The only comeback that Father Gonzaga had was to warn the spectators that the devil had the bad habit of making use of carnival tricks in order to confuse the unwary. Similarly, the Pharisees, when not having a valid response to Jesus repartees, often accused him of being possessed of a devil (John 10:19-20). Just as the news of Jesus presence and his miracles spread far and wide to the lands around Galilee, the crowds flocked to see the angel in Pelayo and Elisendas backyard as well. Despite Father Gonzagas warning to the gawking public, his prudence fell on sterile hearts (p.167, 2nd paragraph), the curious and the earnest found their way to Pelayos angel. So many people, in fact, that they decided to build a fence and began to charge admission to see him (p. 168, paragraph 1). Day after day much excitement and wonder, poking and prodding, and even an attempt to brand him, was inflicted upon the old man. But, like Jesus, through it all, the angel remained supernaturally patient.

Harper 5 Though Pelayos angel experienced a longer time span on earth than did Jesus; like Jesus the angel too soon came to know the sting of rejection. Page 169, paragraph 2, recounts how a new carnival side-show, the spider-woman, came to town and because the admission to see her was much less and tourists could ask her questions, the angel was no longer an interesting attraction. By page 170, paragraph 1, the narrator discloses that Pelayos courtyard went back to being as empty as during the time it rained for three days and crabs walked through the bedrooms. Jesus too felt the bitterness of rejection. His followers were faithful as long as they were being fed and seeing miracles, but even that seemed but folly to the world. When Jesus no longer held their interest, they turned away from him. John 6:66 reads, From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. Though the bible recounts various incidents of people turning away during Jesus three year ministry, the most dramatic occurred within one weeks time. The people of Jerusalem went from shouting Hosanna! (John 12:13) to crucify him! (John 19:15). It seems that, like Pelayos angel, even Jesus was not enough for a world hungry for selfish fulfillment, refusing to believe what was in front of them, just because it didnt fit their preconceived ideas. Just as Marquezs story concludes with the angel gaining strength and returning from whence he came, so too did Jesus. The people who yelled Crucify Him! began to breathe a sigh of relief that Jesus, whom they had dubbed an imposter, was gone. Just then the sky turned dark, and the earth shook, and graves split open. It is then that true power of Jesus was revealed! The narrator brought the angels power to light in a similar fashion. Through the worst winter, the angel limped on; at one point almost succumbing to death himself. His brush with death seems to serve as the turning point in the story. It is in the spring, the season of new life, which we see the feathers on the old mans wings begin to grow, his strength increases and he is able to

Harper 6 attempt flight. As the angel begins to fly, Elisenda looks up from her daily routine and sees that he has managed to gain altitude. She breaths a sign of relief; he is leaving and Elisenda believes that their life can now return to normal. But what she doesnt realize is that she and Pelayo had, as they all did, missed the whole purpose of the angels mission, which was in fact never revealed. Which leaves one to question why? Perhaps because they failed to entertain the stranger who was indeed more than an angel. In closing, as we recognize the similarities between Marquezs angel and Jesus Christ, Father Gonzaga and the religious attitudes of that day, and see ourselves in the actions of the followers, one must question if we are guilty of the same actions as Pelayo and Elisenda. When we keep Christ cooped up, as Pelayo kept the angel boxed up in a chicken coop that progressively decayed around him and prevented him from accomplishing his mission, in the same way, Christ is not permitted to fulfill His purpose in our lives and then our world is left to decay around us. As a result we never realize our purpose or receive the better life that was intended for us -- Gods most precious creation and we stand idly by and watch our opportunity fly away.

Harper 7 References BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. Web. 05 Oct. 2011. <http://www.biblegateway.com>. The Holy Bible: King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999. Kelly, Joseph. "A Very Old Man with Enourmous Wings." The Seagull Reader. : Stories. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Print.

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