Marquez Response

  Reading Marquez's story, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", I felt that the situation was extremely bizarre. Finding an old man in your backyard seemed impossible to me. However, I was intrigued by the story, and became interested in the tale. I think that both of the stories that we read by Marquez had hidden meanings. He put a lot of work in capturing the true behavior of our imperfect beings. In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", I felt so much sorrow for the poor old man that was kept in the chicken coop. He had done nothing to deserve such horrible treatment from the people in the town. In fact, after creating miracles, and creating a better life for the family that found him, they still could not see the positive impact the old man with wings had on them. When he left, the family felt relieved, and that really bothered me. They never said thank you, or treated him with much kindness. They treated him as an outsider, even though their beliefs told them to treat everyone equally. However, I really could relate to the message that Marquez was sending through his story. Marquez designed the story to show how hypocritical we are as human beings. In my own life, I can really understand this type of act. I grew up in a church that taught me to love everyone equally, but at the same time, they would "shun" people for making mistakes. The church really hurt me with their hypocritical ways, and I left because of it.
  In the story, "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World", Marquez has a similar message. When the dead man appears in the town, the entire town begins to see him with jealous eyes. Though they have no idea what kind of life he lives, or where he lives it, they see him as being perfect. They do this because they are so obsessed with beauty and possessions. The people in the story are so much like people today; always wanting more. We are never satisfied with what we already have, and it is never enough. In my own life, I see my father acting a lot in this way. He has a wonderful, loving family, however, he is never satisfied. Even though he has a great job, a nice home, and so much more than a lot of people, it is never enough for him. It is a sad way to live, and can only hurt the people in your own life. My favorite quote from the story says, "But only when they finished cleaning him off did they become aware of the kind of man he was and it left them breathless". This quote from the story really shows the ignorance of the women in the story. The man gave them hope for a "better life". Though I felt both of Marquez's stories were bizarre, I truly appreciate the messages in them.