A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
I enjoyed this story very much, and for some reason it reminded me of the Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka. But anyways, the first discussion question listed after the story is:
1. The central figure of the story apparently really is an angel, despite the villager’s reactions to him and his less than clean appearance. Why it is that everyone in the story, including the priest, finds it so difficult to believe that this is really an angel? Is theirs a failure of imagination? Of faith? Does it tell us something about the modern world? Finally how do the stories style, descriptions and title contribute to our sense that this is or isn’t a real angel?
I think that part of the message of the story is that we don’t want to understand the world around us. We want to rely on this image of a perfect higher power and anything less than perfect would disappoint us, that is part of the human condition. We thrive on the chance that there may be something, glorious and “perfect” which we cannot understand. However, I think that the author is urging us to see that perfection lies within the imperfections around us. Our faith is conditional, we have faith when it suits us, and when we need it, however when we feel secure without it we denounce our faith. I don’t know if the story is as much a message about the modern world as it is about the human condition. Satisfaction does not exist for more than a moment in time. We NEED to set goals which we may not be able to reach, and we NEED to believe in a place which we cannot even imagine. If the things we desire were presented to us we would no longer desire them. The knowledge which we now take for granted was once the foundation for questions which serve as the groundwork for religion, humanity, society etc.
As far as the title, descriptions etc I think that it goes back to us needing something which we cannot understand, the quest for knowledge is what defines us. For all we know we encounter “angels” on a daily basis, many would argue that miracles surround us all the time. Yet we continue to take them for granted.
I enjoyed this story very much, and for some reason it reminded me of the Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka. But anyways, the first discussion question listed after the story is:
1. The central figure of the story apparently really is an angel, despite the villager’s reactions to him and his less than clean appearance. Why it is that everyone in the story, including the priest, finds it so difficult to believe that this is really an angel? Is theirs a failure of imagination? Of faith? Does it tell us something about the modern world? Finally how do the stories style, descriptions and title contribute to our sense that this is or isn’t a real angel?
I think that part of the message of the story is that we don’t want to understand the world around us. We want to rely on this image of a perfect higher power and anything less than perfect would disappoint us, that is part of the human condition. We thrive on the chance that there may be something, glorious and “perfect” which we cannot understand. However, I think that the author is urging us to see that perfection lies within the imperfections around us. Our faith is conditional, we have faith when it suits us, and when we need it, however when we feel secure without it we denounce our faith. I don’t know if the story is as much a message about the modern world as it is about the human condition. Satisfaction does not exist for more than a moment in time. We NEED to set goals which we may not be able to reach, and we NEED to believe in a place which we cannot even imagine. If the things we desire were presented to us we would no longer desire them. The knowledge which we now take for granted was once the foundation for questions which serve as the groundwork for religion, humanity, society etc.
As far as the title, descriptions etc I think that it goes back to us needing something which we cannot understand, the quest for knowledge is what defines us. For all we know we encounter “angels” on a daily basis, many would argue that miracles surround us all the time. Yet we continue to take them for granted.
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