What is the irony of A very old man with enormous wings?

Answer 1

Irony is displayed in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" through the audience's reactions and perceptions of the Old Man who is believed by many to be an angel. When Elisenda and Pelayo, the owners of the house where the Old Man landed, notice the fascination of their neighbors at the man's wings, the decide to lock him up and exploit him, putting him on display and charging admission to see the "oddity" that crashed in their backyard. The irony lies in the fact that the man was, as far as they could tell, an angel; yet he was treated no better than a farm animal. Angel or no, the Old Man was a wounded, majestic creature who deserved the townspeople's reverence and compassion. When the Old Man regains his strength and is able to fly away, Elisenda lets escape a sigh of relief, not recognizing that the Old Man's presence in their home was what brought her and her family out of poverty and enabled them to build a crab-proof, and "angel-proof," mansion. She exclaims, "it was awful living in that hell full of angels." Although the angel brought her family wealth, she only thought of the Old Man as an annoyance. Elisenda's ironic relation of the "Angel" with hell eximplifies all of the characters' perceptions of the Old Man. The people of the village are not elated, as they should be, with the appearance of a possible angel; but instead seem to be burdened by the arrival of a freak. It is also ironic that the man is even thought of as an angel, while the sole differentiating factor between him and the villagers is his wings. Most people expect him to be and angel, and therefore generally benefit the entire town. However, the Old Man disappoints. He performs no extraordinary miracles; in fact, his only power seems to be his unwavering patience with audiences' abuse. Perhaps the author is trying to convey to readers that patience is not merely a virtue, as the old saying goes, but true patience may be a miracle of its own. Through the author's combination of what is expected and reality, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" leaves the impression that most people's learned perceptions often do not coincide with the truth. What actually happens can sometimes be the antithesis of what should be because people often allow their judgment to be clouded by their own greed.