Analyzing “The Birds”

Allegory: A poem, play, picture, etc., in which the apparent meaning of the characters and events
if used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning.
Satire: A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked in order to expose the weakness
and/or bring about change.
Archetype: A constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting, etc.

The short story “The Birds” is an allegory, because the birds symbolize the Nazi invasion. The
birds are known to be unforgiving, violent, feral, and seemingly unprovoked to act the way they
did towards humans. This could also be a satire because it pokes at the human insecurities of
questioning your safety in your own home.

Characters in the
Birds

Character(s) Nat Nat’s Wife Their children The Triggs

names:

Who/what this This character This character Their characters Their character
character represents the represents the represent the represents the
represents: effectual person. ineffectual person people of the ignorant people
The person who or groups of world that are of the world. The
acts accordingly people in the aware of the ones who are
and nerved when world. The people problem but are informed of the
given who are unreliable unable to fix it. problem
information and unable to act Because the beforehand and
about something unless they are responsibility they know to
upcoming. They given direction. doesn’t fall on take action but
can change when Not because of their shoulders. chose to ignore
given the correct anything else, they They are usually the problem for
evidence. need support and frightened or their reasons.
without it, they scared because They cannot
aren’t useful. of the situation. change when
given evidence.

Quotations “Nat looked “His wife clung to “Jill was “He tried to tell
from the story about him, him. She had seen chattering Mrs. Trigg what
to support your seeing what the living birds upstairs and had happened,
opinion about furniture he young Johnny but he could see
from the open
what this could destroy to crying once from her eyes
character fortify the door. door. again.” that she thought
represents. The windows “Take us with his story was the
Consider the were safe you,” she begged. result of a
methods of because of the “We can’t stay nightmare.
characterization dresser.” here alone. I’d
as you look for “Sure they were
rather die than stay
evidence: real birds,” she
here alone.” said, smiling,
“with proper
feathers and all?
Not the funny-
shaped
kind that the men
see after closing
hours on a
Saturday night?”