43 pages 1 hour read

Gabriel García Márquez

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1968

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Story Analysis

Analysis: “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”

Gabriel García Márquez is famous for popularizing what is now referred to as “magical realism”—a genre that incorporates supernatural elements into an otherwise prosaic setting. Many of García Márquez’s works feature this strategic mixture of fantasy and reality, which he learned from his superstitious grandmother, who told stories in such a way that the supernatural seemed almost natural and mundane. Such is the case in this story, whose title speaks matter-of-factly about a seemingly supernatural being—an old man who simply happens to have enormous wings. His wings do attract attention within the story, as many characters first view him as a circus attraction. However, by the story’s end, the novelty of his wings disappears even for them.

García Márquez was politically left-leaning, and although this story is subtitled “A Tale for Children,” it’s useful to consider its historical and cultural context. Around the time of the story’s publication, both Colombia and Venezuela—where García Márquez was living—were in a state of civil unrest. Seeing people persecuted, imprisoned, and killed for their political beliefs made García Márquez especially aware of the consequences of perceived social differences.

Related Titles

By Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

Balthazar's Marvelous Afternoon

Gabriel García Márquez

Balthazar's Marvelous Afternoon

Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Gabriel García Márquez

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

Death Constant Beyond Love

Gabriel García Márquez

Death Constant Beyond Love

Gabriel García Márquez

Plot Summary
logo

Eyes of a Blue Dog

Gabriel García Márquez

Eyes of a Blue Dog

Gabriel García Márquez

Plot Summary
logo

In Evil Hour

Gabriel García Márquez

In Evil Hour

Gabriel García Márquez

Plot Summary
logo

Innocent Erendira

Gabriel García Márquez

Innocent Erendira

Gabriel García Márquez

Plot Summary
logo

Leaf Storm

Gabriel García Márquez

Leaf Storm

Gabriel García Márquez

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Love in the Time of Cholera

Gabriel García Márquez

Love in the Time of Cholera

Gabriel García Márquez

Plot Summary
logo

Memories of My Melancholy Whores

Gabriel García Márquez

Memories of My Melancholy Whores

Gabriel García Márquez

Plot Summary
logo

News of a Kidnapping

Gabriel García Márquez

News of a Kidnapping

Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

No One Writes To The Colonel

Gabriel García Márquez

No One Writes To The Colonel

Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

Of Love And Other Demons

Gabriel García Márquez

Of Love And Other Demons

Gabriel García Márquez

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel García Márquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

One Of These Days

Gabriel García Márquez

One Of These Days

Gabriel García Márquez

Plot Summary
logo

Strange Pilgrims

Gabriel García Márquez

Strange Pilgrims

Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

The Autumn of the Patriarch

Gabriel García Márquez, Transl. Gregory Rabassa

The Autumn of the Patriarch

Gabriel García Márquez, Transl. Gregory Rabassa

Study Guide
logo

The General in His Labyrinth

Gabriel García Márquez

The General in His Labyrinth

Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

Gabriel García Márquez

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

Gabriel García Márquez

Study Guide
logo

The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor

Gabriel García Márquez

The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor

Gabriel García Márquez