The old
man isn't actively pretending to be an angel, but due to his wings, he is certainly believed to
be one by many. The spider woman, on the other hand, is a fraud, a charlatan, a confidence
trickster. She immediately spots a gap in the market and exploits it to the fullest. She sees
straightaway that the pilgrims who come to see her demand results from their faith, and she sets
out to give them what they want.
Over time, the old man proves unable to
perform the kind of wondrous miracles people expect from an angel. This creates an opportunity
for the spider woman, who soon attracts visitors from far and wide, dispensing glib platitudes
and passing them off as profound nuggets of wisdom. Here, Marquez appears to be satirizing a
particular kind of folk-religion, one that is amenable to being exploited for personal gain by
all manner of hucksters and con-artists.
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