"Thoughtful Tuesday": A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Short Story Review)

Synopsis:

A couple (Pelayo and Elizenda) find an old man with wings in their backyard, which they lock up in a chicken coop and capitalize off of his unconventional appearance.

Categorical Rankings (/⭐️⭐️⭐️):


-Pacing ⭐️⭐️⭐: Relatively short story; the language is imaginative and compelling throughout with interesting metaphors. 


-Theme ⭐️⭐️⭐️: The idea of humans exploiting and mistreating people they deem different from them while attempting to find explanations for their existence was intriguing. 


-Overall enjoyment ⭐️⭐️⭐️: The ending made me feel proud of the misunderstood, abused old man. 


Story Insights (spoilers):


I very rarely come across prose that manages to be short and pack up a world of authentic literary devices. From the way Marquez describes the setting of the story, to the cloying interest of the civilians, to the condition of the man in the chicken coup, the story is brought to life by the gripping language that it weaves into the narrative.


As for the messages explored, the man with wings being an outsider who is alienated and ostracized by people who do not understand him and want to take advantage of whatever his mysticism has to offer them due to their ignorance and opportunism resonates with me.


Something else I would like to touch on is the decision by Marquez to make the man with wings, or the alleged angel, grotesque in terms of physicality. It allows the readers to harvest a kind of organic sympathy for the man as we acknowledge the actions of the people in contact with him are erroneous despite him being described as “cataclysm in repose.”

Popular posts from this blog

"Fun Friday": Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (Book Review)

Synopsis: English college student Frances has an affair with her author friend Melissa's husband while navigating tumultuous friendship and life circumstances.  Categorical Rankings (/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️): Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (The structure and language of the book are simplistic and easy to follow, but some sentences are sloppy and the dialogue can be hard to detect with no quotation marks.) Characters: ⭐️⭐️ (Each of the characters was equally irritating and felt one-dimensional. I could not sympathize with any of them.)  Themes: ⭐️⭐️ Ideas about the complexities of human relationships and how love can distort or validate self-identity were underdeveloped as the characters often diverged into philosophic spiels that overshadowed the reader's interpretive freedom of the story plot itself. Overall Enjoyment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (The book was mediocre at first, but there was sufficient drama to keep me going until the end.) Miscellaneous Book Insights (Spoiler Warning):  This was my first time readin...
Read more

"Wondering Wednesday": Those Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin (Philosophical Fiction Review)

Synopsis:  Behind the exuberant ecstasy of a fictional city lies a dark secret necessary to maintain the Utopia.  Categorical Rankings (/⭐️⭐️⭐️): -Pacing ⭐️⭐️⭐️: The narrator walks readers through the narrative of the story in a smooth and engaging manner.  -Theme ⭐️⭐️: The idea of happiness not being able to exist without some kind of suffering reminds me of the yin and yang concept as well as the question, Can there be peace without war?  -Overall enjoyment ⭐️⭐️: I liked the composition of creative storytelling with philosophical reflection, but I wish the topic left for the audience to discuss gave way to more complex afterthought.   Story Insights (spoilers): I usually feel closer to the writer of a creative piece if it involves metafiction. It’s like the author is drawing me into a conversation and closer involvement in the story. This was the case with “Those who Walk from Omelas,” but the moral dilemma of whether the “born defective,” “feeble-minded,...
Read more

“Debut Sunday”: The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi (Book Review)

Synopsis:  Passionate Pakistani translator Anisa feels unfulfilled with her career. Upon building a relationship with the seemingly compassionate Adam, whose multilingual ability was an instant charm for Anisa, a mystery behind his skillset arises. Anisa believes that if she masters diverse languages, not only will her career be improved, but her hardships will be compensated. Upon learning about The Centre, a language institute that boasts language fluency in ten days, Anisa was sure success would be a smooth sailing journey. Existential satisfaction would be close and unencumbered…or so she thought… Categorical Rankings ( /⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️): Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (book is more of a slow burn balanced by its length) Predictability: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (the mystery could be easily deciphered in chapters before the reveal) Thrill: ⭐️⭐️ (the writing style didn’t evoke overwhelming feelings of suspense) Overall Enjoyment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (the nuance behind the theme was pleasant) Book Insights (mild spoilers):  ...
Read more