Good or Bad Wings?

I really enjoyed this story and was engaged the whole time. When I usually read, I get so sidetracked and have to reread passages. Marquez has such an interesting writing style that sets him apart from others. In his biography, it stated that he traveled, which seems to be a common theme with good writers.

At first, I was confused on whether the angle represented light or darkness, but towards the end, I feel as if he represents darkness. Not in the way that he acted, but more so how the "curious," responded. They had no idea who this angel was and treated him like an idol. They did not have a clue whether or not he was of truth, but still sacrificed everything for him. I think it represents “earthly,” idols that come to distract us. He appears to be good because of his wings like an angel, but had a bad odor. He also left people confused, and our God is not a God of confusion.

The line, “ But the mail from Rome showed no sense of urgency,” reminds me of when I make requests to God and he doesn’t answer right away. There have been many instances where God has waited to give me conformation or guidance on certain things that I have prayed about. Instead of just giving me the answers, he has instead guided me to try and figure things out on my own. Similar to what the mail from Rome did; asking more questions about the man. It is so vital to discipline yourself to wait on God and his timing. Our society is so fast paced and it is a challenge to stick to this discipline.

So what does this short story mean? What does it matter? This all depends on how the reader views it and what the reader is going through at this time. If the reader has a sick child, they might see the angel as a healer. On the other hand, if the reader struggles with idolizing earthly things that may appear “holy,” might have a different view. Instead, they might view the angel as being an angel of disguise; portraying that is good but is really evil.