Jealous Husband Returns in the Form of a Parrot examines the formal aspects of conflict and setting are crucial in forming the story's primary themes of love, jealousy, and the battle for self-understanding. The protagonist, a parrot who was formerly a jealous spouse, has internal strife as he adjusts to his new avian life and battles his old feelings. The Parrot’s unfulfilled impulses to face his wife's adultery and reclaim the intimacy he lost in human form give rise to the outward conflict while the birdcage in the den symbolizes the setting where the protagonist's emotional captivity and his incapacity to flee the upheaval of his previous life is manifested. In the story, conflict is manifested through protagonist’s internal conflict. Butler (1) says “I wonder whether it's the same for other parrots, if someone is trapped within each of them and pays a price for spending their life in a specific manner.” The quote demonstrates the jealous husband's suspicions and ensuing behaviors which later have enormous ramifications for the persons concerned since it acts as the primary source of tension in the tale. The jealousy leads him to think that his wife is having an affair, which is the root of the external conflict. …show more content…
“I attack that dangly toy like it's the guy's balls, flapping my wings and screeching, fluffing up and slicking down, hurling seed, but it doesn't work.” (Butler 2). The quote shows that the protagonist’s desire to recover his old human position and defend his wife by fluffing up his feathers and hitting a toy representing the man's genitalia. The dispute is resolved when the Parrot acknowledges his limits as a bird and eventually comes to terms with his current circumstances. He considers the past, admits his inner strife, and accepts the pointlessness of his acts as a