However, the people of “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” react very differently to the arrival of a stranger. They react rather negatively despite the appearance of a possibly celestial being. Upon finding the old man, main character Pelayo is frightened by the man with wings, and rushes to his wife. Instead of helping the old man, they are rather wary, and they call to a neighbor woman who tells them that “He must have been coming for the child” and that “He is an angel”. Pelayo, instead of revering this divine being, decides to arm himself and lock up the angel “with the hens in the wire chicken coop”. After the angel appears, the ill child recovers from his or her ailment, and the parents refrain from killing him. Instead, they “[feel] magnanimous” and decide to put the angel on a raft with three days worth of provisions and “leave him to his fate on the high seas”. But, this is hardly magnanimous, and these acts pale in comparison to the way the people in “The Handsomest Drowned Man Alive” treated their strange visitor. Not only do the people in this story disrespect a divine being, but they act as though sparing his life is a magnanimous act on their part, which is horrifying. And, once they discover that they can profit from showcasing the angel, Pelayo and Elisenda imprison him in a chicken coop outside, where strangers pelt him with stones, gawk, and throw food at him, as if he weren’t a celestial, divine being, but a “circus animal”. Marquez uses what the major and minor characters do and say to demonstrate the people’s reaction to the newcomer. Marquez uses characterization not only to accurately portray the effect of the angel’s arrival on the people, but also offers a parallel of this to the effect of a stranger’s arrival on the people in “The Handsomest Drowned Man Alive”.
Marquez also uses setting in order to demonstrate how one’s reaction towards strangers can affect their lifestyle. In “The Handsomest Drowned Man Alive”, the story takes place at a fishing village by the sea. It’s important to note how the arrival of Esteban drastically affects the scenery of the village. At the story's beginning, the village is simply a "desertlike cape" with "no flowers”. Later on, the village is also described as “arid” and “windless”. This village appears desert-like, and the residents are fine with that. However, once Esteban appears, the women imagine that the drowned man would have planted flowers everywhere if he were alive. Once Esteban’s funeral rolls around, flowers began popping up indiscriminately. Women went to neighboring villages to get flowers, and they “brought more and more until there were so many flowers...that it was hard to walk about”. And finally, when the locals start to envision their futures, where their homes are filled with flowers, bright colors, wider doors, higher ceilings, etc...This demonstrates finality, where the drowned man actually belongs to the village. The extraordinary drowned man helps make the village extraordinary as well, not by his speech or actions, but by the locals’ reaction to his very arrival, which helps them prepare for their future.
The arrival of the old man in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” also affects the setting of the town. We are told that the town was experiencing its “third day of rain” and “The world had been sad since Tuesday. Sea and sky were a single ash-gray thing…” etc. This is not normal for the people of the town, so it is plausible that the impending arrival of the angel is what caused this upset in weather. The angel’s arrival also seems to coincide with the sick child getting better. This is not explicitly stated, so ambiguity still reigns at this point, but it seems plausible. As the story progresses, Pelayo and Elisenda use the old man as a carnival attraction, getting mountains of money out of exploiting him. Also, many miracles seem to occur that were attributed to the angel, such as the growing of teeth, or the man who almost won the lottery. The people’s reaction to his arrival affects the setting greatly- the angel helps the owners of the house experience prosperity, and the other locals experience “miracles”.
The arrival of strangers to the people in both stories undoubtedly had a profound effect on both, and their reactions to this arrival definitely helped shape their lives. In the “Handsomest Man”, by belonging to the village, the extraordinary drowned man helps make that village extraordinary, but not by any action of his own. Rather, his arrival gives them the possibility and the means to be extraordinary on their own. He makes them look at their own lives in the light of his supposed greatness. What they find when they look is "the desolation of their streets, the dryness of their courtyards, the narrowness of their dreams" (12). This new possibility of greatness takes root in the villagers, and they end the story not with the funeral, but with a hopeful vision of the future. Their villages, and the people in it, are definitely changing. In “The Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”, the locals reaction is rather sad- they treated a celestial and magnificent being with disrespect and cruelty, by making him out to be a common animal. His arrival lets the locals experience mystical things, such as miracles, and helps the owners of the house experience prosperity. By the time the old man finally flies away, Elisenda sees him go with a twinge of regret. One major characteristic of the old man was his extreme patience with the villagers, and it is that which ultimately transforms Pelayo’s and Elisenda’s lives. Seen in this light, the old man’s refusal to leave might be interpreted as an act of compassion to help the impoverished couple. Marquez effectively uses setting and characterization in order to demonstrate just how big an effect the arrival of a stranger can have on people.
