Essay Example on Elisenda's Sigh of Relief: Genuine or Selfish?

Why do you think Elisenda "let out a sigh of relief, for herself and for [the old man]" at the end? Do you think her intentions were ever good toward the man? What does her reaction tell you about people in general?

I feel that the reaction portrayed by Elisenda was genuine at the end of the story. The reason behind her sighing relief for herself was since the very old man with wings will no longer be bothering her. Besides, her relief sign for the old man was because of the hidden compassion she had for him. Elisenda and her husband had kept the very old man in a disgusting place, the chicken coop. Despite the fact that they feared him, they opted to keep him. The couple exploited the old man's presence in their courtyard by getting riches through levying people to see him deeming to be an angel. Elisenda's sighing relief for the angel showed the honorable feelings that the old man got mistreated on earth and now had the chance of being free through returning to heaven. Based on her reaction, people are generally fickle. People would instead consent to obvious and concrete things rather than the unknown ones. Possibly, Elisenda had second thoughts on the way she mistreated the very old man with enormous wings.

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How does the priest respond to the man with wings? What do you think the priest and his response symbolize?

The response of the priest was through a test. When speaking with the angel, he used Latin. After seeing that there was no response from the angel, the pastor came to the conclusion that the very old man was fake. The priest and his response symbolize the Sadducees and Pharisees during the period when Jesus was on earth. Pastors are viewed as being religious experts, but they never recognized Jesus even when he was before them

Why do you think Marquez highlights the spider woman? What purpose does she serve, and is she symbolic in any way? Explain.

The spider woman was used to portray how humankind can be persuaded easily. The woman could speak with the people and came forth with reality to her troubles. I believe the woman is symbolic of Satan. In the Bible, Satan was shown how deceiving he was to humans and the perception of self-satisfying, which is contrary to the Biblical view.

What do you think Marquez is saying about human nature and about organized society in this story? Be sure to point out three literary devices that helped you draw this conclusion.

Organized society and human nature often have been captivated by twists. One of the literary devices used by Marquez is symbolic. He uses it to set the scene at the start of the story. "The world had been sad since Tuesday. The sky and the sea turned ash-gray, and the sand of the beach had become a stew of rotten shellfish, although it glimmered like powdered light during the March nights." The whole world suffered from dreadful situations for three consecutive days. The writer did not hesitate to encompass how beautiful the situations were in the past. This inclusion of how things were beautiful in the past, may possibly only imply how great everything was when Jesus ministered to humankind. Besides, Marquez uses imagery in various scenarios. First when he discusses the spider woman who was changed into being a giant spider after showing disobedience to her parents during her early ages. The second scenario of imagery is when Marquez gives a description of the very old man with enormous wings. The last literary device used is Amplification. This literary skill is first used when he writes that "She was a frightful tarantula the size of a ram and with the head of a sadden maiden." The statement indicates that people were not concerned or fearful about the strangeness of the two things.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Marquez Gabriel Garcia, 1955. A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children London: Penguin Books,