In Christian theology, the relationship between God and man began with God's creation of Adam through a mixture of earthly clay and divine spirit (Genesis 2:7). The angel's appearance in the mud highlights the duality of this relationship -- that it is at the same time spiritually mystical and mundanely physical.
The religious symbolism of the text is continued in the reaction of the citizens. The community's skepticism, callousness, and demand for "miracles" from the angel (222) calls to mind the treatment of Christ when he appeared to the Jewish community. While some recognized him as an embodiment of God, the Bible contains many accounts of his being ridiculed, doubted, and ultimately dismissed as a fraud by all but a few.
What is Marquez saying about faith by centering his story around these religious symbols? The angel certainly serves a function for Pelayo and Elisendra and for the community. The baby recovers from his fever after the angel appears; though a causal relationship is not made explicit, it is implied. Pelayo and Elisendra clearly benefit financially from the curiosity of the population. Even the citizens who come for miracles derive some small, if strange, benefits -- a paralyzed man was not healed but "almost won the lottery" (222). When the angel finally does go on his way, Elisendra watches him leave with a faint bit of tenderness, but only because "he was no longer an annoyance in her life" (225).
Perhaps, despite our preconceived notions of how the supernatural should be acknowledged...
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