The function of symbolism in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Márquez In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Márquez an angel symbolizes the unknown. The angel is not simply a celestial body, but a foreign body, someone who stands out from the rest of society. As a result, the angel draws attention to the reaction of civilized society, thus the reaction of the community within the story when confronted with him. Using the angel as a symbol, Márquez shows how ignorance reveals the vulnerability of human nature which often leads to uncivilized behavior. At first, civilized society appears unenlightened and uncharitable towards the unfamiliar. Instead of offering help, Pelayo, a representative of civil society, flees in terror from the angel who "is an old man, a very old man, lying face down in the mud" (487) and totally defenseless. The angel is falsely accused of being a "fugitive who survived a celestial conspiracy" (488). Later, when the chicken coop collapses, the angel is not welcome in the house. People fear what they do not understand and belittle the angel instead of attempting to understand him for insight and enlightenment, and when he has a fever, or can barely see and eat, they show him no charity. Elisenda instead shouts that "it is bad to live in that hell full of angels" (491) when in reality it is bad for the angel to live in the hell of uncivilized society. Furthermore, civil society demonstrates suspicion, rudeness and prejudice towards the unknown. For example, Pelayo and his wife immediately judge the angel due to his decrepit appearance. Indeed, they ultimately accept the ang... middle of paper... small world, and it is so narrow-minded that it is impossible to accept that anything other than itself could have a higher place in the overall ranking. scheme of things. The angel does nothing to incur the disrespect, anger and abuse of civilized society. Instead of acting civilly, society is suspicious, ignorant, savage, and cruel in treating someone who is different from everyone else. Instead of adopting a civilized approach of intellectual sophistication and enlightenment, society acts in an unsophisticated, primitive and crude manner. By bringing these actions to light, Márquez cleverly enlightens the reader leading them to conclude that humanity is indeed vulnerable and not entirely "civilized" after all. Bibliography: Garcia M. Gabriel. "A very old man with enormous wings." 2004. November 13, 2006 http://www.geocities.com/cyber_explorer99/garciamarquezoldman.html