Marquez: The Cheesecake with Real Butter

Some very important lessons can be learned from reading "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" and also "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World." Both contain similar, even opposing ideas in which things are not always as they should appear.

Unfortunately, most images that I have seen of angels are entirely surreal and divine. White and gold are most usually the dominant colors. If a non-typical angel fell from the sky and looked as if it belonged to a species of vermin, I would probably be alarmed at first. But I feel as if after getting to know the angel, I would change my feelings. Didn't people expect Jesus to be a royal king? To wear jewels and a crown? I always remember the story of Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version. "...a young prince had everything his heart desired: he was spoiled,

selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night,

an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle."

What can be learned from treating those who look common and ordinary like filth? Hopefully, one can learn that it is always best to treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Marquez also made another very valid point when he wrote "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World." In my own interpretation, helped along by my professor, I was asked how Estaban related to Playboy magazine. Because Estaban was dead, the only way to get to know him was through his physical being, his body. Possibly the women were so overcome with emotion because they had never been allowed to handle a man like this before. They could touch him with their hands and explore with their eyes. This is so similar to the purpose of Hugh Heffner's genius creation. Issue after issue, women pose scantily clad for the cover and nude on several inside pages. The concept is pretty direct: you can feast with your eyes. It might be best to have fun by yourself so that you can have a more intimate experience. This is a very one-dimensional way to look at things. Perhaps Marquez suggests that viewing the human body by lustness alone is a very shallow thing to do. Or possibly he is offended that people become so distracted with the idea of external beauty that they forget about internal beauty? However Marques really feels, I do share his feelings. Nobody is meant to be just a pretty picture.