Things That Fly Symbolism

In the short story “Things That Fly” by Douglas Coupland, the author uses various symbols to convey the theme of escape and freedom. The protagonist feels trapped and depressed in his mundane life and longs for a change. Three symbols that help create this theme are the whooping cranes, Superman, and the birds. The whooping cranes are a symbol of escape and freedom and represent the protagonist’s desire to fly away from his problems and experience love and joy. The protagonist envies them and wishes he could be like them. He says, “If only I could be a whooping crane and was able to float and fly like them, then it would be like always being in love.” (Coupland, 5). This quote shows how the narrator longs for something more than his ordinary

The protagonist feels powerless and lonely in his life and wants to escape from his reality. He says, "I myself often have dreams in which I am flying, but it's not flying the way Superman does. I simply put my arms behind my shoulders and float and move. Needless to say, it is my favorite dream. (Coupland, 5). Superman symbolizes the narrator’s desire to escape his mundane and lonely life and become someone powerful and heroic. The narrator feels inadequate and hopeless in his life, so he fantasizes about being like Superman, who has extraordinary abilities and a clear purpose. The protagonist says, "I have always liked the idea of Superman because I have always liked the idea that there is one person in the world who doesn't do bad things. And that there is one person in the world who is able to fly." (Coupland, 5). Superman is a character that embodies the theme of escape because he is considered to be perfect, and as a result, he is free from all the sadness and misery that humans experience. The reason why Superman is so revered is that he has attained a state that is free from human worries and material possessions. He is

Throughout the story, the narrator feels powerless about his situation, and he envies birds for their ability to fly and be free. The protagonist says, "I told Mom my theory of why we like birds –– of how birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.” The protagonist of the story uses birds as a metaphor for freedom, escape, and finding nobility in what he views as a harsh world. The protagonist is saying that birds are a symbol of hope and freedom and that they represent a simpler way of life that we should strive to achieve. The narrator expresses his desire to become a bird, as he says, “just make me a bird - that’s all I ever wanted - a white graceful bird free of shame and taint and fear of loneliness.” (Coupland, 5). Birds symbolize the narrator’s hope for liberation and happiness. He continues and says, '"and give me a sky so big and wide that if I never wanted to land, I would never have to."' (Coupland, 5). The desire to fly represents the protagonist's desperation to escape from life's problems and be completely and utterly free. He explains how he wants a sky so big, that he would never even have to land. This is a metaphor for the protagonist’s desire to be free of any constraints to be able to live life on his own terms as birds are capable of flying anywhere they want. He envies how they have the capability of controlling their own fate. The