In A Very Old Man, Gabriel Marquez is exploring as to how much control has over judgment. Marquez can convey how much your beliefs,setting, and desires all influence how you view and treat others. The old man was misjudged at the start of the story due of his appearance. People mistreated him without considering the possibility that he was an angel. They were distrustful of him and questioned his story. Some people thought he was an angel, but others didn’t. Religion and setting both had a role in shaping everyone’s opinion of the old man. Pelayo did not treat him well, yet he was able to gain a lot from him in the end. Perspective and how much it can influence how others are treated is a recurring theme throughout the short narrative.

• Marquez uses metaphors in order to set the tone for the short story. He starts the story of by saying Pelayos newborn child is sick and describing the setting as being dark and grey.  This is a very sad way to start of a story, we the readers sympathize for Pelayos child being sick and can picture the setting. Marquez then uses the metaphor, The world had been unhappy since Tuesday (Marquez 1). The world cannot be unhappy, but perhaps this is predicting what is to come. An angel was brought into the village, he was able to bring a light about to this situation. The old man was able to give the people in the village hope. 

• Marquez uses imagery to lead to the notion that someone’s assumptions and perspectives can contribute to that person’s mistreatment. He was dressed like a rag picker. There were only a few faded hairs left on his bald skull and very few teeth in his mouthHis huge buzzard wings, dirty (Marquez 1). He is described by Marquez as a “rag picker,” a homeless person who tries to make a life by gathering things from the streets. The old guy is described in a bad light, as someone to whom you would not even devote your time and attention to. Pelayo allowed his bad judgment and perspective of the old man to influence his treatment of him, refraining him in a chicken coop and exploiting him for entertainment and even gaining a profit out of it. 

       In A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, different people have views about the old man which has to do with religion. Some people are religious while others are not, therefore are able to view the old man in different perspectives. Pelayo views him a being a rag picker, while the neighbor initial reaction to him was viewing him as an angel. Hes an angel. She told them (Marquez 1). Despite the fact that the angel is in a Christian setting with extremely devout people, some people are unable to identify him for who he is due to his appearance. Nobody gives the old man the respect he deserves because he does not conform to their preconceived notions of what an “angel” should look like, which is bright and vivid.

       Religion is influential on treatment of the angel. He spent his time trying to get comfortable in his borrowed nest, befuddled by the hellish heat of the oil lamps and sacramental candles that had been placed along the wire (Marquez 5). People surrounded him with sacramental candles as a form of prayer and to express reverence for the sacred sacrament. The people thought they were doing the right thing by the angel by following Christian faith, but he just saw it as “hellish.” Candles and light were placed around him to show that they wished for a miracle, but it simply made him feel uncomfortable. 

      The angel was mistreated by Pelayo. Pelayo took in the old man and treated him so badly that he confined him to a chicken cage and even placed him on a raft to survive on his own. This is not how you should treat anyone, let alone an angel. At first they tried to make him eat some mothballs, which, according to the wisdom of the wise neighbor woman, were the food prescribed for angels (Marquez 5). Pelayo would put the old man through a lot for his own advantage. They took advantage of him and his well-being in order to make a profit. They simply didn’t care about his well-being; all they cared about was themselves. They listened to what the neighbor believed was best, but they didn’t even consider the old man before treating him badly. Pelayo tortured him and subjected him to a variety of traumatic experiences for his own benefit.