Metamorphosis 'And A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings'

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In the stories ‘‘Metamorphosis’’ and ‘‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’’, the use of magic is what makes the stories dynamic. In both stories, through magic realism, the ‘‘magical’’ elements are physical aspects of the body that have changed, due to unknown circumstances. Even so, the unreality of the short stories is not what the reader tends to focus on since the main characters’ rejection / isolation bring up realistic existential problems in society. In the short story ‘‘Metamorphosis’’, by Franz Kafka, Gregor wakes up as a cockroach and is rejected by society, but most importantly, his family. Though the plot is unrealistic, the questionings are representative of existentialism. Gregor loses himself through his dehumanization of being…show more content…
It is through magic realism that his physical transformation leads him to this epiphany.In the short story, ‘‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’’, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a family finds an old man with wings and uses him as a circus animal to make money. This story has a realistic setting, but the plot is of the fantastic genre. One of the ‘‘magical’’ element is the old man’s wings. This angelic concept works in contrast to his physical appearance. He is ‘‘dressed like a ragpicker’’, there are ‘‘very few teeth in his mouth’’, and he is in a ‘‘pitiful condition’’ (Marquez, 1). He seems to have had a very difficult life, is suffering from his past, and he does not take care of himself. Also, his wings seem to be making him sick; the description makes them look like a burden to the rest of his body: ‘‘his huge buzzard wings, dirty and half-plucked where forever entangled in the mud’’ (Marquez, 1). Though his angelic features are the opposite of what people expect from an Angel to the reader, he is not a magical creature because he would use his powers to better himself. The author contradicts this belief at the end of the story when he managed to cure himself and fly
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