"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and "Like Water for Chocolates" by Laura Esquivel both use magical realism. The way they use it is very different though. Marquez's magical realism is more on the realistic side, for example he says that Pelayo and Elisenda had killed so many crabs because of the rain that he had to throw them into the sea. You can see how a big storm could have made a lot marine life wash ashore. It also makes sense how an old man who was drenched and weakened could wind up in their courtyard. Even though the old man is an angel how he got there is somewhat realistic. Esquivel however leans more to the magical elements in her writing. She uses more in her story to lighten it up. Her story would be a little sad if she if she did not include her magical elements, like when Gertrudis accidentally sets the shower on fire with her "passion" and then runs away to a brothel, that would come off as really sad and disappointing but with that bit of magical realism it comes off as more comical. Esquivel also uses it a lot more in her story. It's used in every chapter and almost in every situation. The characters reactions to it are different as well. Marquez's story it seems strange to them but in Esquivel's it almost seems normal. In conclusion both Marquez and Esquivel use magical realism in their stories. They both use it in in different ways though; Esquivel uses it in greater amounts and stays more on the magical side while Marquez uses it less frequently and is a bit more realistic than her. |
1 Comment
|