Writers and Fiction in Literature
Writers are given the ability to express themselves through literature in the form of tales. The patterns in the stories convey the author's intended message. The writers of fictional stories explain the message using remarkable illustrations that clearly present the subject. Gabriel Garcia Marques uses fiction to illustrate the love displayed to the elderly in his short story, An Aged Man with Huge Wings. The elderly are a sign of wisdom, and the locals openly consult them on difficult occasions. Furthermore, the author establishes the idea of angels as God's messengers who come to earth to present God's word. Fiction is a literary skill that describes extraordinary people and creatures as a way of communicating the intended themes in the story.
The Description of the Old Man
The first exposure of fiction was the description of the old man. The man was ancient and had enormous wings which impeded his efforts to stand up or walk. The character of the old man was something strange to the couple as well as the villagers. The old man could not communicate or fly despite the enormous wings (Weatherson 1-27). The people found the man to be extraordinary due to the wings attached to his back. People from the village came in large numbers to view the remarkable creature. In a bid to explain the situation, the old woman from the village told that the creature was an angel coming to the sick child. Here, the author introduces a woman whom the villagers consulted on the unfamiliar situation.
Fictional Elements: Children as Little Angels
Using the woman, the author presents the situation that children are little angels who go back to heaven when they die. Apart from the situation, the explanation of the creature was also fictional. It is a general knowledge that when people die, burial ceremonies occur where the people dispose the body. The presence of the angel creates the fictional impression that angels came for the dead people and left with them. The perception is different from the regular practices. Secondly, the fictional creature exposes the reader to the presumption of the knowledge that the older adults in the society have. When Pelayo and Elisenda saw the creature, they consulted the old woman who the society considered as resourceful with information. The theme of the extraordinary creature helped in showing the respect that they had for elders and the fictional perception of angels taking children to heaven after death.
Fictional Language
The second fictional element was the language spoken by the creature (Appel and Tobias 113-134.). When the wise old woman went to talk to the creature, he could not comprehend the dialect because it was very strange. However, Father Gonzaga spoke to the creature in Latin to test whether the creature was from heaven. According to the father, Latin is the language of God, and a creature from the sky would understand the language. In his understanding, the comprehension of the tongue was the surest way of determining whether the creature was from God. The association of the language with God is fiction. God has a clear understanding of all dialects. People from all over the world have the ability to communicate with God in all dialects. Therefore, the declaration of Latin as the language of God was an imaginative point of view from the Father.
Fictional Conditions and Perceptions
Gabriel Garcia Marques goes ahead to present a further display of fiction in the short story. For example, many people came to the creature with the hope that it had the power to cure them. The conditions that the people suffered show the utilization of fiction in the story. For example, one of the women had the problem of counting her heartbeat since birth. Secondly, another Portuguese experienced hardships in sleeping because the stars made too much noise which disturbed his sleep. Another patient was a sleepwalker who woke up at night and repeated the same actions done during the day. The conditions experienced by the people whom the creature was to address were fictional. It is quite weird to consider that people would be suffering from such conditions. However, the author uses the situation to show that people associated the creature with powers to resolve their problems especially with the mentality that it came from heaven (Whitlock, 965-970.).
The Spider Girl and the Thunder
Pelayo and Elisenda capitalized on the situation and charged the people to view the creature, raising a lot of money. Apart from the angel, there was also a girl changed into a spider for disobedience. The girl had a sad face and the size of a ram. According to her, a thunderclap stroked her in the middle of the night and turned her into a spider. The girl was coming from a dancing event despite the restriction by her parents not to attend the event. However, the thunder that stroked her turned her to a spider in a fictional process. Thunder is famous for the enormous energy in the system. When it strikes an object, it burns up the object completely. For a human being, the Thunder is capable of ending the life of the creature. However, the author uses the extraordinary event as the explanation of the looks of the girl. Secondly, the looks of the girl were fictional. The girl had the look of a spider despite the shape of a human being. When the thunder hit the girl, it retained the looks of a girl but also introduced looks similar to those of a spider. According to the author, the looks of the girl were the repercussions of displaying a disobedient character to the parents. The girl attended a concert which the parents were disapproving. The fictional side of the story tries to show young people the need to obey the parents and the repercussions of being disobedient (Bodycott 349-354). Many people pay to view the creature and communicate with her. Despite the looks, the young girl is capable of communicating fluently, making the villagers understand her.
The Role of Fiction in the Story
Gabriel Garcia Marques made good use of fiction in the story. Elements of fiction include the shape of the old man and the spider girl, the conditions that people suffered who consulted the angel for a cure, and the events that changed the little girl into a spider. The fictional elements communicated the desire of the author, such as respect for parents and the elderly in the society. Using the fictional elements, it was easier for the author to communicate the repercussions of disobedience through the thunder that changed the girl into a spider. Therefore, fiction is an important part of literature that describes the will of the author using extraordinary events such as the falling of the angel and the thunder that changed the girl into a spider. The fiction made the story clearer and the message precise.
Works Cited
Appel, Markus, and Tobias Richter. “Persuasive effects of fictional narratives increase over time.” Media Psychology 10.1 (2007): 113-134.
Bodycott, Peter. “Choosing a higher education study abroad destination: What mainland Chinese parents and students rate as important.” Journal of research in International education 8.3 (2009): 349-373.
Weatherson, Brian. “Morality, fiction, and possibility.” Philosophers’ Imprint 4.3 (2004): 1-27.
Whitlock, Gillian. “Autographics: The seeing” I” of the comics.” MFS Modern Fiction Studies 52.4 (2006): 965-979.
