The Angel as Commodity: A Critical Examination of Consumer Culture in Gabriel García Márquez's a Very Old Man with” Enormous Wings" Man With Enormous Wings

Abstract

This study employs a theoretical framework combining Zygmunt Bauman's theory of consumer culture and Alan McKee's textual analysis methodology to examine Gabriel García Márquez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings." The narrative is analyzed through the lens of Bauman's concepts of commodification, disposability, and liquid modernity, highlighting how consumer culture shapes human relationships, experiences, and identities. The study reveals how the old man is commodified, disposed of, and represented as a spectacle, reflecting the dehumanizing tendencies of consumer culture. By combining Bauman's theory and McKee's textual analysis framework, this study provides a nuanced understanding of the intersections between consumer culture, literature, and society.