Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” shows that as a people we persecute and torture people who are different because we refuse to make the effort to know and understand them as people. No one in the entire town shows any form of sympathy or support for the old man, especially Pelayo and Elisenda. This highlights the almost non-existent humanity within the village. Society has always exiled anyone who is different. Any minority in this society is pushed around and treated as an inferior. These groups are mistreated and reject even the most basic forms of kindness all the time, which is not so different from Elisenda's treatment of the old man. Only until the old man flies away can Elisenda reflect on his disgusting and savage behavior. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Marquez's depiction of Elisenda's abuse and exploitation of others Elisenda's exploitation of the old man for his own gains Selfish expresses that people do not recognize their horrible treatment of others until they are alone with themselves to reflect on themselves and their unforgivable actions. It is clear that the old man wanted nothing to do with what Pelayo and Elisenda did to him. He had to “force himself to be comfortable in his dug nest” and endure the “hellish heat”. He is trapped like cattle and must live in a chicken coop. They force him to live in a place where animals are supposed to live, and the townspeople never try to help him. At one point, the old man had parasites eating away at his wings, chickens were pecking at him, and he was thought to be dead. No one stepped in to help; Elisenda started charging a fee to see the old man to earn some extra money. None of that money went to help the old man anyway. It was used to buy Elisenda and Pelayo a mansion and to improve Elisenda's wardrobe, and no money was spent on building a better house for the old man. Elisenda emptied him all the money she could. The town's treatment and torture of the old man demonstrates how cruel people can be to others simply because they are different. In addition to being exposed to the townspeople, the old man was also tortured. Stones were thrown at him, his feathers were plucked out, he was branded with a hot iron, and they beat him until he began to move with tears in his eyes. his eyes. It's mind blowing to think that a town full of people would treat this old man in such an inhumane and absolutely selfish way. At first the reader gets the impression that this must be a town of truly vile people, but as they dig a little deeper it becomes apparent that it is just like any other town. This sends the message that we, as people, are wired to take what we can to make others better. Elisenda and Pelayo never try to communicate effectively with the old man. When the old man first lands in Elisenda's yard, she calls on a neighbor "who knows everything about life and death" to give her judgment on the man. Elisenda doesn't try to talk to him or get to know him to pass her own judgment on him. The neighbor declares him an angel and says he should be beaten to death because he must have done something wrong to have fallen from the sky. She never met the old man.