Merriam-Webster’s definition of an angel is “ a spiritual being of higher power and intelligence: one in the lowest rank in the celestial hierarchy”, but “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, seems to differ. An angel appears on a beach outside of Pelayo’s house and keeps him captive for their economic advantage. Everyone treats him poorly by branding him to see if he is alive, plucks his feathers, and offers him mothballs because “they were food prescribed to angels”(Paragraph 9). In the final paragraph, the angel flies away. Marquez uses religion and superstitions, greed, and human nature through satire to point out flaws in humanity. Marquez uses characters and actions to express his opinion of religion
