A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Commonlit Answers

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: CommonLit Answers and Deep Literary Analysis

Understanding the nuanced layers of Gabriel García Márquez’s short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is a common challenge in modern literature curricula, especially on platforms like CommonLit that pair the text with analytical questions. While seeking direct “CommonLit answers” can provide short-term solutions, true mastery comes from engaging with the story’s profound themes of human nature, faith, and cruelty. This comprehensive analysis will not only address typical question types found on such platforms but will also unpack the magical realism, symbolism, and social critique that make this story a timeless masterpiece. By moving beyond simple answers, readers can develop the critical thinking skills necessary to interpret complex texts and appreciate Márquez’s genius.

Plot Summary: The Arrival of the Angel

The story begins with Pelayo and Elisenda, a poor couple living in a coastal village, discovering a very old, filthy man with enormous, broken wings in their courtyard after a three-day rainstorm. He is dressed like a ragpicker and speaks an incomprehensible language. The immediate assumption, fueled by the presence of a spider woman in the same courtyard, is that he is an angel who has fallen from the sky. The priest, Father Gonzaga, is summoned to examine him. He tests the man by speaking Latin, a language the creature does not understand, and concludes he cannot be an angel because he does not look or act like the dignified beings from church paintings. He writes to the bishop, suggesting the creature is an imposter.

The old man is confined to the chicken coop, where he becomes a spectacle. Villagers flock to see him, throwing food, burning him with iron rods to see if he’s alive, and treating him with profound disrespect. Meanwhile, Pelayo and Elisenda begin charging admission. The old man endures his torment with patience, mostly sleeping, until a new attraction arrives: the Spider Woman, who has the head of a young girl and the body of a tarantula. She tells her tragic story of being turned into a monster for disobedience, and she instantly becomes the more popular attraction. The old man, now ignored, begins to recover. One day, he attempts to fly, fails, and tries again. Finally, with a great effort, he soars over the house and disappears into the distance. With his departure, Pelayo and Elisenda are free, their fortunes made from the crowds, and they can finally live in peace in their home.

Key Themes and CommonLit Question Answers

CommonLit questions typically probe understanding of theme, characterization, and author’s purpose. Here is a breakdown of the most frequent question categories and their substantive answers.

1. Theme: The Nature of Human Cruelty and Exploitation

A central theme is humanity’s instinct to fear, abuse, and commodify what it does not understand. The villagers do not see a suffering being; they see a “freak show.” They poke him with sticks, burn him, and charge money to gaze at his misery. This reflects a deep-seated cruelty masked as curiosity. The old man’s passive suffering contrasts sharply with the active, narrative Spider Woman, who garners more sympathy because she tells a familiar, moralistic story. Márquez suggests society often prefers a simple, punishing fable over an ambiguous, painful reality.

CommonLit Answer Approach: When asked how the villagers treat the old man, cite specific examples of abuse (burning, confinement, charging admission) and connect this to the theme of exploitation. The story argues that when faced with the miraculous or unknown, people often respond with skepticism, violence, and greed rather than awe or compassion.

2. Theme: The Failure of Institutional Religion

Father Gonzaga represents organized religion’s inability to recognize the divine in an unorthodox form. He relies on dogma and scripture (“the wings of a angel… were never broken”) rather than observation or empathy. His conclusion that the old man is not an angel because he doesn’t match church iconography is a satire of religious formalism. The bishop’s eventual silence further underscores the institution’s irrelevance in the face of true mystery.

CommonLit Answer Approach: For questions about the priest’s role, emphasize that he uses religious texts as a rigid checklist, missing the being’s inherent dignity. His failure highlights the gap between institutional doctrine and spiritual truth.

3. Symbolism: The Old Man as a Multifaceted Symbol

The old man is deliberately ambiguous. He is not a traditional, beautiful angel. His “antiquarian” eyes, dirty plumage, and parasitic behavior (eating spiders, moths) subvert expectations. He can symbolize:

• The Sacred in the Mundane: The divine appearing as a burdensome, inconvenient stranger.
• The Suffering Christ or Martyr: He endures pain silently, his wings reminiscent of a crucifixion.
• The Elderly and Marginalized: His treatment reflects society’s disregard for the old, the sick, and the different.
• Art or Poetry Itself: Something beautiful and profound that is misunderstood, exploited, and eventually escapes its captors.

CommonLit Answer Approach: If asked about the old man’s significance, argue that Márquez intentionally avoids a single meaning. The power lies in the tension between his possible angelic nature and his utterly pathetic, human-like condition. He forces readers to confront their own definitions of the miraculous.

4. Symbolism: The Setting and Weather

The persistent rain that precedes his arrival and the swampy, muddy courtyard represent a world in a state of decay, sin, or spiritual stagnation. The old man arrives from this rain, as if born from the world’s misery. His departure coincides with the sun coming out and the courtyard drying, suggesting his presence was a purifying, transformative trial for the family and the village.

5. Irony and Magical Realism

The story’s power stems from the deadpan, matter-of-fact narration of the fantastic. The narrator describes the old man’s wings with clinical detail (“huge, buzzard’s wings”) alongside his human frailties.

The villagers’ reaction—treating a possible angel like a carnival freak—is the central irony. They seek miracles but are disappointed by the mundane reality of the divine. The spider-woman, a clear monster, is more popular because she offers a simple, digestible story. This inversion satirizes humanity’s preference for spectacle over substance.

CommonLit Answer Approach: When analyzing the story’s tone, point out the contrast between the extraordinary subject matter and the flat, journalistic style. This is a hallmark of magical realism, used here to normalize the miraculous and highlight the absurdity of the human response.

6. Narrative Structure: A Circular, Incomplete Journey

The story begins and ends with the old man in a state of isolation. He arrives as a mystery and leaves as one, his fate unknown. The narrative does not resolve his identity or purpose, forcing the reader to grapple with the ambiguity. This open-endedness mirrors the unresolved nature of faith and the human search for meaning.

CommonLit Answer Approach: For questions about the story’s conclusion, argue that the lack of resolution is intentional. It compels the reader to reflect on their own beliefs and the story’s themes long after finishing the text.

Conclusion: A Parable for the Modern Age

"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is a deceptively simple story. On the surface, it is a tale of a strange visitor and a greedy village. On a deeper level, it is a profound meditation on the nature of faith, the human capacity for both cruelty and wonder, and the often disappointing reality of the miraculous. Márquez uses magical realism not to escape reality, but to illuminate it, holding up a distorted mirror to show us our own smallness in the face of the truly inexplicable. The old man, whether angel or not, is a test the villagers fail, but one that the reader is invited to pass by embracing the mystery rather than trying to explain it away.