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"A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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I don't remember why I had to read it, but I do remember reading it. Gregory Rabassa did the translation, and in learning that I also learnedThe story was adapted for the stage by Nilo Cruz in 2002, which he published in the journal Theater.[15][16] Theatre Formation Paribartak of India made the story into a play and has been staging it since 2005. Andrei Kureichik, a playwright and director from Belarus, did a Russian-language stage adaptation in 2004. It was produced widely in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia, some of the main productions being the Belorussian State Youth Theater (Minsk, Belorussia, 2004),[17] Priyut Komedianta (St. Petersburg, Russia, 2005),[18][19] Shevchenko Theater (Chernihiv, Ukraine, 2010),[20] and the Yakub Kolas Theater (Vitebsk, Belarus, 2020).[21]
I would really love to see this on stage!
Anyway. I wondered about the translator because of the line "But Father Gonzaga, before becoming a priest, had been a robust woodcutter." It seems like that is meant to convey to me something about his character which will bear on his actions or attitude. But I'm lost. This feeling brings to mind the idea that Marquez has done this to me before; throw out some idea in the course of a story that seems out of left field. Makes me feel dense.
I seem to be talking around the story, instead of about it. There are many 'stranger in a strange land' tales, but this one really doesn't focus on the stranger. Poor thing.
Could it be simply that this is how we treat people who are different from us?
The progression after the discovery of this winged old man in the back yard by a man and his wife is fascinating. When they tried to figure out what he was, they were first advised he was probably a sailor tossed off his ship in a storm but that ignores the presence of the wings. Then, a neighbor woman who "knew everything about life and death" told them that he is obviously an angel who came to get their sick baby.
At that point, I slightly understood why they would put him in a cage because they wouldn't want the baby to be taken. Then, came the minister who decided that he was a fake because he did not "measure up to the proud dignity of angels." Of course, the man with the wings has not claimed to be anything.
What follows is a chronicle of the worst instincts of humans. First, they are throwing food to him. Then, they must call in the police to disperse the crowds who are in danger of knocking the house over. The wife decided to charge money to see him. Finally, a woman who was changed into a tarantula spider was more interesting than the man with wings. He was then ignored or mistreated. Finally, when Spring came, his wings began to grow new feathers and he was able to fly away and escape.
The whole story made me remember comments about how Jesus would be treated if he came back to earth today. Also, in the end, we don't know what he was but it is clear that anything that different would be well advised to not come in contact with human beings, especially when they are in large groups.