ipl-logo

The Symbolism Of Birds In All The Light We Cannot See

1343 Words6 Pages

The Symbolism of Birds In the history of literature, birds have always been a positive omen. In the novel “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr, birds appear numerous times throughout the novel, for many different characters and storylines. Characters like Marie-Laure, Werner, and Fredrick are all tied together through the reappearance of birds; comparing them and their storylines, almost as a symbol of their connection (from so far apart). In the novel, the impactful imagery of birds symbolizes freedom and individualism to make your own choices. Birds play a key part in a lot of the characters' story, they represent something slightly different for each person. One of the main mentions of birds is with the character Frederick, …show more content…

Just like with Werner and Frederick they symbolize a positive omen, of freedom, individualism, or in Marie-Laure’s case: trust. A trusted bond with not only herself, but her father; who at one point was the most important thing in the world to her. One of her memories of him specifically mentions birds, and symbolizes a trusted connection to her father. “All she has to do is cross the tiled floor and turn left and there Papa will be behind the counter, standing at his key cutter. He’ll say What took you so long, bluebird? He'll say, I will never leave you, not in a million years.”(pg, 342). That nickname was undoubtedly a comforting gesture to Marie-Laure; with her father she was a bluebird, she had freedom, and she had faith that he would help her get out of this situation (this war). Yet when Von Rumpel came to confront Marie-Laure in search of the stone, she started to believe that not only was her father not coming to save her, but her only hope of surviving was to save herself. As we know, Werner was the one who came to her rescue, showing that Marie-Laure can no longer rely on the idea of her father returning to ensure her safety. This was a point of no return for Marie-Laure and her personal growth, as she was learning that it is necessary to find your place in the world; and sometimes that has to be without the help of

Show More
Related
509 Words | 3 Pages

Symbolism Birds are associated symbolically with Turtle. When Turtle begins to grow and change so do the birds since they symbolize her. When Taylor laughs for the first time Kingsolver connects Turtles laugh to a mother quail and her babies as they pass them on the road next to the car that they were in. That is used to show how Turtles starts to trust Taylor, like the baby quail following their mother. After Turtle gets molested in the Park, a bird becomes trapped inside the house.

Read More
1270 Words | 6 Pages

Kingsolver relates this to various characters in the book, particularly Taylor, Turtle’s adopted mother. In addition to that, the birds in the throughout the story are also a nature based form of symbolism used widely in the book. As Taylor’s life changes so do the sounds the birds make; each of these bird sounds representing different emotions like comfort when the mother quail and her chicks are walking in

Read More
1259 Words | 6 Pages

This leaves the reader under the impression that the birds are symbols of love because the author writes, “[We used] birds to stimulate [our] hearts” (Reed). Their hearts were disappearing and to gain back what they were about to lose they used birds to fill that void. However, the author decides to make a quick turn and establishes that the use of birds is no longer needed. They decided to let their birds fly into the sun, and they

Read More
845 Words | 4 Pages

These characters stand in for the novel's opposing destructive and protective forces. The addition of The Hunger Birds by Gaiman enhances the book by adding a sense of impending doom and a touch of horror. These nefarious birds represent the dark sides of the world and the difficulties the protagonist must overcome on his journey because they cause chaos and havoc. The Gryphon, on the other hand, represents defence and power. Its presence balances The Hunger Birds' destructive influence by providing a source of hope and fortitude.

Read More
507 Words | 3 Pages

“Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty”(Hurst). The author mentions how the bird was lying on the ground to show how still and lifeless the bird was. The broken vase of red flowers gave a sense of a calm death and the breaking of life and love in the bird. When Hurst mentions the standing around the bird and awing its exotic beauty it puts a symbol of how beautiful the bird was before it let go and gave its life

Read More
708 Words | 3 Pages

There are many in here, but I think my favorite is her name. The name “Birdie” alone can be two different types of literary devices. The first is imagery. This is a possible option because all she wants to do is fly. Birds fly, so it shows a direct comparison of Birdie to an actual bird.

Read More
336 Words | 2 Pages

He continues on with figurative language up until line 19, giving the reader a vision of some mass of individual objects that one can only assume to be the birds. He ues diction again to describe how

Read More
394 Words | 2 Pages

Flannery O’Connor’s The King of the Birds is a narrative explaining the narrator’s obsession with different kinds of fowl over time. The reader follows the narrator from her first experience with a chicken, which caught the attention of reporters due to its ability to walk both backward and forward, to her collection of peahens and peacocks. At the mere age of five, the narrator’s chicken was featured in the news and from that moment she began to build her family of fowl. The expansive collection began with chickens, but soon the narrator found a breed of bird that was even more intriguing; peacocks.

Read More
631 Words | 3 Pages

Catherine relates to her birds as she keeps her birds in cages and she feels as if she is being trapped in her position as a noble women who is to be married off and do the duties a women should do. The contrast in her perspective at the end of the novel, which is when

Read More
1624 Words | 7 Pages

The bird, representing Edna, foreshadows her one-way trip into the sea as it, with an injured wing, falls into the water just as Edna, with a damaged mind, walks into the sea. She feels as though suicide is the only way to find a reprieve from the gender standards that have been forced onto her. As she stands underneath the bright sun “[s]he felt like some new-born creature” signifying her awakening (120). Edna departs this world with dignity as she ultimately found her freedom

Read More
874 Words | 4 Pages

The bird is Mrs. Wright. It was locked up in a cage as was Mrs. Wright when her husband was alive. He wasn’t a very “cheerful” man, therefore, people didn’t come to visit them. Over the twenty year time period of their marriage she became lonely, which resulted in her buying a bird and the drastic change in personality. The broken door to the cage represents Mrs. Wright’s freedom from her husband.

Read More
838 Words | 4 Pages

By placing the bird so high up, yet incredibly close to the family, it can be taken as a warning. The bird only appears in this single line throughout the excerpt, acting as an observer but also as a predator waiting for a chance to strike, providing an unsettling truth to death being out of our control. Though many efforts may be made to create a sanctuary, there are things out of one's control and when power is exercised, there will be forces fighting back. The opening sections of the novel A Bird in the House demonstrate this clearly by how Margarets Laurence's’ use of literary devices can be interpreted.

Read More
1175 Words | 5 Pages

The broken birdcage and the dead bird the women discover represent the silencing of women in a patriarchal society, and their successful attempt to hide their discoveries signifies the solidarity of women. As Mrs. Peters looks in the cupboards for paper and string, she states, “(looking in the cupboard) Why, here’s a bird-cage, (holds it up) Did she have a bird, Mrs. Hale?” (Glaspell 6).

Read More
408 Words | 2 Pages

It shows that the pheasants are innocent, “ And the pheasants looked like unborn birds glazed in egg white.” It’s symbolism because it compares the pheasants to unborn glazed in egg whites. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. It helps support the theme of maturation because when they saw the pheasants condition they decided not to hurt the pheasants. Onomatopoeia is also used in the short story by the author, “To pounce on a pheasant, or to yell Bang!”

Read More
791 Words | 4 Pages

Birds are gifted with the extraordinary ability to fly. Their wings propel them above the ground and over people below. They are able to view the world from an angle that no one else gets to see. This is what makes birds and wings such powerful symbols in literature. These symbols characterize characters, move the plot and develop one more of the book’s ideas.

Read More

More about The Symbolism Of Birds In All The Light We Cannot See

Open Document