Faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof
In "A Very Old Man, with Enormous Wings", the theme of loosing ones faith is a very subtle, yet central point in the story. When the news that an 'angel' had come to earth spread, masses and masses of people filled the owners court yards. They came to watch the angel preform great miracles. However, when the angel failed to preform miracles to the grand extent that the spectators had hoped for, they went about looking for something else that was unique and supernatural and fulfilling, which came about in the form of the spider girl.
This scene is a great representation of the way people look at faith today-- in a faith, one begins to look for a tangible way to prove that their faith is real (the angel) or justify it (the expected miracles). However, when the proof of the faith does not come in the exact way that one seeks, that person grows tired and unsure (people beginning to question whether the angel really was an angel). Often, they turn away from their faith an go seek something else that is more concrete and tangible to place their faith it (leaving the angel to go and look at the spider girl).
Overall, the ability to wholly trust something that is unable to be seen or proven is an ability that is becoming less and less coming among people. Humans would rather place their faith in something that they can see, or something that is predictable and relates to them, then something that 'does not listen' or makes no logical sense or cannot not physically be seen. "A Very Old Man, with Enormous Wings" illustrates this concept very well.
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