While you read

a. Why does the sight of the old man frighten Pelayo?

Pelayo was frightened by the sight of the old man because his appearance was quite strange. He had huge wings. Pelayo had never seen a human being with wings before.

b. Why was the old man unable to get up?

The old man was unable to get up because his enormous wings were entangled in the mud. Also, he was very weak.

c. The couple considered the old man a lonely castaway. Why?

He was found after a storm. When they found him, he was in a very pitiful condition and looked like a rag picker. Also, he spoke in an incomprehensible dialect with a strong sailor’s voice so they thought that he was a lonely castaway from a foreign ship wrecked in the storm.

d. Why was the neighbour woman sure that the old man was an angel?

The old man had wings so as soon as the neighbour woman saw him, she concluded that he was an angel. She thought that the old man had come for the child but because he was old and weak, he was knocked down by the rain.

e. Why did Pelayo arm himself with a club?

Pelayo armed himself with a club because he was afraid of the old man. He didn’t know if the old man would attack him or his family. So, he armed himself with a club.

f. What made the couple suddenly decide to treat the old man with some kindness?

Shortly after the old man came, their child who was sick woke up without a fever and with a desire to eat. They thought that it was due to the blessing of the old man so they decided to treat him with some respect.

g. Why does Pelayo lock the old man in the chicken coop?

Pelayo was initially afraid of the old man. He didn’t know who the old man was or what his intentions were. As he didn’t want the old man to hurt him or his family while they were sleeping, he decided to lock him up the chicken coop.

h. Why do people treat the old man like a circus animal?

People treated him like a circus animal because his appearance was strange. He had wings and none of them had seen a man with wings before. He didn’t show any miracles. In fact, the only supernatural virtue he seemed to have was patience. So, the people treated him like a circus animal.

i. Do you think Elisenda is shrewd and clever?

Yes. She is. She and her husband charged an admission fee from the people who flocked to see the old man and thus made a lot of money. When they became rich, the old man became a nuisance in their life. She was actually very happy to see him fly away. She profited from his presence; yet, she didn’t treat him with respect.

j. His only supernatural virtue seemed to be patience. Why does the author say so?

People treated him like a circus animal. They threw stones at him in an attempt to make him stand up. The chickens pecked at him. Still, the old man didn’t react. He didn’t show any miracles and accepted all kinds of inhuman treatment without any complaints. That means the only supernatural virtue he had was patience.

k. Why do more people flock to see the woman rather than the old man?

More people flocked to see the woman because the admission fee to see her was less than the admission fee to see the old man. Also, people were allowed to ask her any kind of questions. The old man, on the other hand, didn’t respond to any of their questions. He was silent and didn’t even bother to stand up.

l. Why is the doctor surprised by the ‘logic’ of wings?

The doctor was surprised by the logic of wings because they seemed quite natural on a completely human organism. The wings seemed so natural that he started wondering why other people didn’t have them.

m. Why does Elisenda let out a sigh of relief?

Elisenda let out a sigh of relief when she saw the old man flying away. He had become a nuisance in her life. He no longer earned her any money and was now totally useless for her so she was relieved when he flew away. She was also happy to see that at last the man had managed to rescue himself from his pitiful condition in her shed.

Let’s rewind

1. What is the old man’s role in the story? How does his presence affect Pelayo’s family?

He is a representative of the poor, weak, old and vulnerable. His plight depicts how the society treats the helpless. While the old man doesn’t really do anything, he has a significant impact on Pelayo, his wife and the entire neighbourhood. His arrival made Pelayo a rich man. However, they are not exactly grateful to him. In fact, they think of him as a nuisance. When he flew away his wife actually felt a huge sense of relief.

2. Mention any two traits of the old man that impress you.

One trait that truly impressed me is his patience. Nobody treated him with kindness; yet he accepted all forms of inhuman treatment without any complaints. Another trait is his courage and fortitude. He was quite old and pale. Yet, in the end, he managed to fly away.

3. What elements of the story do you consider magical? Why?

There are mainly two magical elements in this story. The first one is the old man with wings. It is not possible for human beings to have wings; still, this man had wings and the doctor who examined him felt that those wings were completely natural on his body. Another magical element is the woman who had been turned into a spider by a stroke of lightning. In the real world, lightning can kill people; they don’t convert them into spiders.

4. Describe the old man’s first clumsy attempts at flight.

The old man was very weak and clumsy and couldn’t get a grip on the air when he attempted to fly. He couldn’t easily lift himself up in the air and it seemed as if he was going to knock the shed down. The flapping of his wings was similar to that of an old vulture. However, eventually, he managed to gain altitude and flew away.

5. What happens to the old man’s popularity in the course of time?

In the course of time, his popularity diminished.  When a spider woman arrived in the town as part of a traveling show, people stopped flocking to see the old man. Instead, they went to see her. The admission fee to see her was less than the admission fee to see the old man.

6. Pick out instances of the following from the story

Imagery – enormous wings, stray dying man, senile vulture, drenched great-grandfather, Half-plucked feathers
Simile – Like a rag picker, like the feathers of a scarecrow, like a senile vulture
Magical elements – wings, a woman who turned into a spider, the old man surviving on very little food in a dirty chicken coop

7. The old man finally manages to fly away. Elisenda watches him till he disappears. You may discuss in groups and attempt alternative endings to the story.

When wind blew into the kitchen while Elisenda was making lunch, she came out to see what was happening. She saw the old man attempting to fly. She watched curiously. She made no attempts to stop him. She really wanted him to fly away as he had become a nuisance for her. She was overjoyed when the man finally managed to fly past the houses with his frail wings. When she turned around to go back to her house, she noticed that her mansion had gone. In its place, stood the old house they had. She realized that the wealth they had been enjoying for years was the blessing of the old man whom they didn’t really treat with kindness or respect. Elisenda realized her mistake and repented it.

8. Who suffers the most in the story? What does the story tell us about the need for compassion?

The old man suffers the most in the story. He made the couple rich. He was also a source of entertainment for the people of the neighbourhood. Yet, he got nothing in return. People treated him like a circus animal. Pelayo and Elisenda didn’t really do anything to improve his situation. If they had shown a little compassion, he wouldn’t have had to suffer so much. The story tells us that little acts of kindness and compassion go a long way in making the world a better place.