"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" - Exploring Magical Realism

The short story, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", by Gabriel Garcia Marquez explores how people treat things that are unfamiliar to them. The old man fell into the yard of husband and wife, Pelayo and Elisenda. They were frightened at first by the strange sight before them, but then very quickly realized they could use this man with wings as a way to make money. Elisenda charged a fee and people from all over came to view this never before seen sight. However, soon after the arrival of the old man, a new and more interesting sight came to the town, a traveling freak show. People quickly abandoned the old man who was now considered old news by the town. The old man was never treated well by the couple, but he was treated even worse after he stopped making them money. Elisenda considered his presence annoying and just another burden to her life. Pelayo and Elisenda never gave thanks to the old man for the wealth that he gave them nor tried to understand why he was here with them. 

The unfamiliar makes people uncomfortable. As a result, people do not think rationally when faced with the unfamiliar and instead contort the situation as quickly as possible into something that they can make sense of. For Pelayo and Elisenda that was to make money off of the old man with wings that fell into their yard. They did not begin charging fees to see the man with cruel intentions in mind. They did it because they were poor, had a sick son to take care of, and could always use some extra money to help them get by. This then changed this unfamiliar situation before them into something that they could start to make sense of. The old man became like another job for the family. Not a job that they particularly enjoyed, but did so that they could get by.