What is the magical realism in the story, "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," by Gabriel Marquez?

Magicalis
the blending of fantasy and reality. This style is a cultural aspect of Marquez's native
Columbia and is a notable genre in other Hispanic cultures. In this story, the blending of
fantasy and reality serves to question notions of truth and . 

Marquez plays
with uncertainty and this mix of the miraculous with the "every day" gives the reader
a challenge in trying to make sense of what is real and what is not. In the end, there is no
clear indication of the differentiation between reality and fantasy. This literary style allows
the author to stretch the imagination and gives the reader an unconventional reading experience
wherein he/she must deal with the uncertainties. Thus, the reader is forced to
"wonder" and this is 'wonder'fully imaginative but also frustrating for a reader who
wants things spelled out logically. 

In the story, the couple and the people
of the town debate whether or not the old man is an angel. They seem to ignore the fact that,
regardless of whether or not he is an angel, there is an old man with wings. In fact, the doctor
thinks that the man's wings are so "natural" that he wonders why more people don't
have them: 

What surprised the doctor most, however, was
the logic of his wings. They seemed so natural that he couldnt understand why other men didnt
have them too. 

In the end, the old man's monetary cache
is trumped by a spider woman, another instance of magical realism. 

Here is
one interpretation that deals with a way that magical realism is used in a critical respect. If
this story is interpreted as a critique of commercialism and materialism, the elements of
magical realism illustrate how mindlessly people pursue monetary gain. Even though they have a
miracle (angel or 'natural' man with wings) on their hands, they treat him as an annoyance
unless he is bringing them money. This shows how single-minded people can be and how they might
miss miraculous things in life, not to mention the opportunity to be generous and
caring. 

Portraying the old man as an angel or winged, Marquez shows how
thoughtless and unimaginative people can be when they are too concerned with the trivial
things.