“The world has been sad since Tuesday” is a figurative way of saying what in the story?

García Márquez’s story is a great example of "magic realism". It is the melding of both fantasy and realism. The line "The world had been sad since Tuesday" Is written very much in the fashion of a fairytail. The sadness not only refers to the rain but the world in general. An angel has apparently come to the village. He is in the form of a ragged old man. There is sadness about him much like the opening line. Angels. however, offer redemption and hope if the people choose to see it.