orld.Upon discovering the angel Pelayo and Elisenda reveal a common fear held by humanity-- that of the unknown. This fear is overcome when they looked at him so long and so closely that ...they overcame their surprise and in the end found him familiar(441). The arrival of the angel disrupts the familys daily routines and threatens their home. As news of the captive angel spread, the curious overwhelm the courtyard: ...they had to call in troops...to disperse the mob that was about to knock the house down(442). Elisendas conception of charging the inquisitive for a peek at the angel brought great wealth to the family. With this wealth Pelayo exchanges his position as bailiff, guarding dangerous criminals for that of running a rabbit warren, guarding the gentlest of creatures. Meanwhile, Elisenda becomes a lady of high social status. As days turn into years Pelayo and Elisenda accept the angels presence, but yet do not wish to repeat the experience. This fact is evidenced in the design of their mansion: ...high netting so that crabs wouldnt get in...and with iron bars on the windows so that angels wouldnt get in(444). Throughout the years the angel lives with the family, the sickly infant is strengthened into a healthy schoolboy. This young boy is the only one who never knows the angel to be foreign, and therefore truly accepts him. The bond between them is so close that they even share chickenpox. The storys participants from outside the nucleus household include the wise neighbor, Father Gonzaga, and the Spider woman. The wise neighbor called in by Pelayo and Elisenda at the discovery of the old man is responsible for the angel label. This wise woman represents superstitious beliefs. She believed ...angels in those times were the fugitive survivors of a celestial conspiracy... and advised Pelayo and Elisenda to club him to death(441). Father Gonqaga and his correspondence with the church symbolize the inability of the c...
