Post 27 | The Angel

The first thing I noticed after reading “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children” was its relation to the nature of ungratefulness. The story starts with a couple, Pelayo and Elisenda, who find an angel on their back porch. The angel is oddly an old man with wings who rarely talks and less than often moves. The entire city when discovering that an angel had landed in town came to inspect it. They poked the angel and prodded it but the angel did not budge. At one point they even branded the angel with a hot iron to wake it from its sleep. Through all of this the angel kept patience, the only definable trait of the angel that is given. In the towns desire to view the angel, the couple took advantage of the situation and sold tickets to view the angel. The angel consequently brought them great prosperity as it offered them another source of revenue. Despite all of these events, the thing I find most intriguing is that when the angel finally gains strength to fly away and leave, the couple felt relief at its departure. How could the couple feel relief at something leaving that had brought them so much prosperity? It seems that this phenomenon is almost speaking to human nature. The couple and the town seem to desire to their need for curiosity, or in the couples case prosperity, over the welfare of the angel. Although when the angel is freed, they are pleased. I feel they knew they were doing wrong, although decided to take advantage of the angel nevertheless. Its not however that they don’t want the right thing for the angel, its just that they do not want to give up their sinful nature for the better good. This story presents a good chance for some soul searching. Are things that we knowingly do that are wrong, although cannot give up because of our sinful nature? For example we learned that most of America’s clothing is produced unethically in sweatshops. We know it is wrong to support this injustice, but cannot help but participate. Its just food for thought.