“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”
Elisenda and Pelayo responded to the arrival of the old man with enormous wings like to the ordinary event, which captured their attention only for a while, and then they focused on benefiting from the situation. Thus, having met the old man, Pelayo and Elisenda “very soon overcame their surprise and, in the end, found him [the old man] familiar” (Márquez 98). The only thing which seemed to be important for them is the old man’s “incomprehensible dialect with a strong sailor’s voice” (Márquez 98). The next stage of Elisenda and Pelayo’s interest in the man was their focus on potential economic benefits.
Father Gonzaga responded to the old man rather negatively in comparison with Pelayo and Elisenda’s reaction because he pointed at the specific features to represent the old man as the imposter and evil figure. Thus, Father Gonzaga reminded that the devil had “the bad habit of making use of carnival tricks in order to confuse the unwary” and focused on the impossibility to measure the old man’s dignity to refer to him like an angel (Márquez 99).
The Spider-woman was one more unordinary being coming to the town and “changed into a spider for having disobeyed her parents” (Márquez 99). This woman differs from the man because her nature and origin were explained to the public, they were not oriented to examine her divine origin, and she feared them because of the qualities and grotesqueness, not because of her unfamiliar story.
It is possible to see the old man like an angel because the story of his exploitation by Elisenda and Pelayo supports the idea that his soul is pure, and he has some mission to complete. In spite of the fact that “nothing about him measured up to the proud dignity of angels,” the old man’s behavior is more eloquent than his words or appearance (Márquez 98).
“Eyes of a Blue Dog”
The significance of the title is in the fact that it clearly points at the keywords important for the story’s characters who try to find each other in the reality while using a kind of parole: ‘Eyes of a blue dog.’ This title is meaningful because it accentuates the great significance of the words for people who struggle not to lose the connections between the dream and reality, focusing on the first words which make them communicate (Márquez 146).
The title, as a vivid detail, adds to the realism of the story because many people remember unusual words heard, and situations occurred in their dreams. The identifying phrase ‘Eyes of a blue dog’ seems to be very strange, but it is as important in the characters’ dreams as the other persons’ desire and ability to fly in their dreams. Now, the woman’s life is dedicated to finding the man “in reality, through that identifying phrase,” and this situation is rather realistic because many people become very influenced by their dreams (Márquez 146).
It is possible that the man will be able to meet the woman in reality, but he will not recognize her because many persons do not remember their dreams. This idea is related to the woman’s words, “Yet you won’t remember anything during the day” (Márquez 148).
The persons can meet in real life, and these relations can exist not only in dreams, but this situation is possible only if a woman intends to continue her searches. On the other hand, the man will not be isolated in his reality, but he can feel dissatisfaction because he cannot meet his perfect woman with sad eyes.
Works Cited
Márquez, Gabriel García. Short Stories by Gabriel García Márquez: A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. USA: General Books LLC, 2010. Print.