a. How does the narrator describe the weather and its effects in the exposition of the story?
b. Describe the strange old man as Palayo and his wife first encounter within their courtyard.
c. Why did Pelayo and Elisenda imprison the old man in the chicken coop?
d. Why was Father Gonzaga not sure about the old man being a celestial messenger?
e. Many people gathered at Palayo’s house to see the strange old man. Why do you think the crowd assembled to see him?
f. Some miracles happened while the crowd gathers to see the strange man. What are these miracles?
g. State the irritating things that the people did with the strange old man.
h. How and why was the woman changed into a spider?
i. Describe how Elisenda saw the strange man flying over the houses.
a. In the exposition of the story, the narrator describes the weather as gloomy and dismal. It is mentioned that the world had been sad since Tuesday, and the sea and sky were a single ash-gray color. The beach, which was usually picturesque, had become muddy and filled with rotten shellfish due to the rain. This weather creates a sense of melancholy and sets the tone for the story.
b. When Pelayo and his wife Elisenda first encounter the strange old man in their courtyard, they find him lying face down in the mud. He is described as a very old man with huge, dirty, and half-plucked buzzard wings. He is in a pitiful condition, and his appearance takes away any sense of grandeur he might have had. Despite his wings, he appears more human than angelic.
c. Pelayo and Elisenda imprison the old man in the chicken coop because they initially believe him to be an angel. However, they are not sure of his intentions, and they fear that he might be a threat to their newborn child, who has a fever they attribute to the stench emanating from the old man. They decide to keep him locked up until they can figure out what to do with him.
d. Father Gonzaga is not sure about the old man being a celestial messenger because he finds several aspects of the old man's behavior and appearance suspicious. He notices that the old man does not understand Latin, the language of the Church, and he questions why the angel's wings seem more natural on a human body. Father Gonzaga suspects that the old man might be an imposter or that his presence may be the work of the devil.
e. Many people gather at Pelayo's house to see the strange old man because he is a novelty and a curiosity. The news of an angelic figure in their village spreads quickly, and people are drawn to witness the miraculous and unusual spectacle. They are intrigued by the idea of an angel and want to see this supernatural being for themselves.
f. While the crowd gathers to see the strange man, some miracles are attributed to him. These miracles include a blind man who does not regain his sight but grows three new teeth, a paralytic who does not walk but almost wins the lottery, and a leper whose sores sprout sunflowers. These miracles, however, are more like ironic and comical outcomes rather than genuine divine miracles.
g. Some of the irritating things that the people do with the strange old man include throwing things at him, trying to make him stand up, pulling out his feathers, and burning him with an iron. They treat him more as a spectacle or a circus attraction than with reverence and compassion.
h. The woman was changed into a spider because, as a young girl, she disobeyed her parents by sneaking out of her house to attend a dance. While returning home through the woods after dancing all night without permission, a thunderclap and lightning bolt struck her, transforming her into a frightful tarantula with the head of a sad maiden. This was her punishment for her disobedience.
i. Elisenda sees the strange man flying over the houses when he finally regains the ability to fly. She watches him as he flaps his wings clumsily, creating a furrow in the vegetable patch, and struggles to gain altitude. It is a moment of both relief and amazement for her, as she witnesses him leave, becoming a tiny dot on the horizon of the sea.
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