Flight: an innate human desire shrouded in mystery, harbored away by elusive creatures nervously pondered from below. Far above, what hidden knowledge do birds glimpse that we cannot? What sly deceptions can be carried out from the sky? For millennia, as humanity gazed upward in recognition of unattainable feats, it also recognized the tainted potentials the ability of flight enabled. Accordingly, throughout history birds can be observed to symbolize dubious intentions and twisted turns of fate. Attesting to the darkened symbolism of birds in literature is Masha Hamilton’s Staircase of a Thousands Steps. As the main protagonist, Jammana, struggles to overcome internal and external adversities in the town of Ein Fadr, tragedy and betrayal is …show more content…
During Jammana and Rafa’s initial journey to Ein Fadr, they stumble across a duo of falcons consuming another dead falcon. In regard to the strange occurrence, Hamilton accounts: Two large falcons are devouring the remains of one of their own. Only the dead bird’s head is untouched. One falcon looks up as the travelers approach, but neither bothers to fly away. Black-and-white striped feathers are strewn at their talons. Jammana stares. “Do they know what they’re eating?”. …show more content…
Keeping in mind the portentous nature of birds in Hamilton’s novel, it would seem the crow is being used to symbolize Faridah’s death. Zuzana Starovecká, writing for Comenius University’s Department of English and American Studies, offers insight into the historical symbolism of crows and other birds, stating, “In most North European mythologies birds such as ravens, vultures, and others feeding on carrion—the flesh of the dead—commonly pass as symbols of war, death, and misfortune” (Starovecká). Carnivorous birds, such as the crow, have long been viewed as symbols of death and misfortune. Ingeniously, Hamilton uses this age-old symbolism to foreshadow tragic future events in Ein Fadr, while at the same time referencing the town’s dangerous obsession with the past, thus enhancing the novel’s central idea of nonlinear time. Through this interpretation, Harif confusing Faridah’s voice with the caw of a crow intertwines the symbolism of birds with their well established usage of foreshadowing, confirming the reader’s suspicions regarding Faridah’s status and the ongoing malevolent symbolism of