The two stories “Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez had undertones and themes which related to humanity and philosophical viewpoints on human nature. In the story Metamorphosis the theme of adaptation when a constant is changed are presented through a newly changed family. Compared to this the short story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, expresses the themes of greed, and how when the opportunity arises people will turn to exploiting things and people despite how immoral it may seem. Although these two stories vary, the prominent theme of childhood ignorance and maturity is executed between these two literary pieces.
The story Metamorphosis portrays a theme that parallels the …show more content…
When Pelayo and his wife Elisenda come across a real life angel they cage him within a chicken coop, using his abnormality to gain profit. “But when they went out into the courtyard with the first light of dawn, they found the whole neighborhood in front of the chicken coop having fun with the angel, without the slightest reverence, tossing him things to eat through the openings in the wire as if he weren’t a supernatural creature but a circus animal.” (Marquez Paragraph 4) They charge 5 cents for people to see the angel and in turn make a fortune from curious neighbors who wanted to view this abomination. For this family their first instinct when encountering a winged man was to imprison him and treat him like an animal. They ignored the fact that he could’ve been a powerful deity and instead used him as a freak show. When he would not move to attract more money they would abuse him to gain even more profit. The fact that they would exploit abnormalities that they do not understand can relate to how the author views human nature as greedy and selfish. This can be seen when the family uses their newfound riches to buy expensive clothes and to remodel their house, leaving the angel to rot away in the chicken coop. “ Especially during the first days, when the hens pecked at him, searching for the stellar parasites that proliferated in his wings, and the cripples pulled out feathers to touch their defective parts with, and even the most merciful threw stones at him, trying to get him to rise so they could see him standing. “ (Marquez Paragraph
The story Metamorphosis portrays a theme that parallels the …show more content…
When Pelayo and his wife Elisenda come across a real life angel they cage him within a chicken coop, using his abnormality to gain profit. “But when they went out into the courtyard with the first light of dawn, they found the whole neighborhood in front of the chicken coop having fun with the angel, without the slightest reverence, tossing him things to eat through the openings in the wire as if he weren’t a supernatural creature but a circus animal.” (Marquez Paragraph 4) They charge 5 cents for people to see the angel and in turn make a fortune from curious neighbors who wanted to view this abomination. For this family their first instinct when encountering a winged man was to imprison him and treat him like an animal. They ignored the fact that he could’ve been a powerful deity and instead used him as a freak show. When he would not move to attract more money they would abuse him to gain even more profit. The fact that they would exploit abnormalities that they do not understand can relate to how the author views human nature as greedy and selfish. This can be seen when the family uses their newfound riches to buy expensive clothes and to remodel their house, leaving the angel to rot away in the chicken coop. “ Especially during the first days, when the hens pecked at him, searching for the stellar parasites that proliferated in his wings, and the cripples pulled out feathers to touch their defective parts with, and even the most merciful threw stones at him, trying to get him to rise so they could see him standing. “ (Marquez Paragraph