Birds are referenced to frequently throughout ‘Book 2’, particularly when danger is approaching. The birds present themselves to Robert as a warning whenever a crisis lies ahead of him. I first noticed this when Robert and his fellow soldiers took a wrong turn into “the fog full of noises” (Findley 80), echoing of the sounds of birds. After the birds make a quick appearance in front of Robert he soon after encounters the sinking mud where he nearly dies. In this scene, I thought Robert should have taken the birds crossing his path as a warning sign of preventing him from going any further. Later on in the novel, another warning bird appears when Robert and the other soldiers are closing in on the German lines. As the bird began to make noises, Robert looked up attentively, and quickly noticed that there was a deadly gas approaching them. Essentially, the birds singing caused Robert to react quicker and save many of his soldiers. In specific, these birds are later identified as crows; and consequently I came to know that crows are symbolic of death and dark uprisings. This is seen whenever the crows are mentioned, an act of terror follows. In addition, crows are black, another archetypal figure for death and darkness. After discovering the crows, Robert came to acknowledge the floating bodies and debris in the mud he was sinking in. This allowed me to connect the crows to be feasting on the corpses in the muddy field, reinforcing the idea of the birds representing a nearing crisis.
This representation of animals was much different from Robert’s usual affinity towards them because they were something he did not want to encounter as they bought along impending doom. These feelings Robert felt towards animals was very opposing to what he used to feel, he typically associated animals such as rabbits to be a symbol of innocence and purity. In addition, the horse and dog he met with were a strong representation of companionship. All of his prior encounters with animals were positive and helped shape Robert into a better person, even helping to mature him. Whereas the crows contradicted his affection for animals and gave Robert nothing but bad experiences as he almost encountered death.
This representation of animals was much different from Robert’s usual affinity towards them because they were something he did not want to encounter as they bought along impending doom. These feelings Robert felt towards animals was very opposing to what he used to feel, he typically associated animals such as rabbits to be a symbol of innocence and purity. In addition, the horse and dog he met with were a strong representation of companionship. All of his prior encounters with animals were positive and helped shape Robert into a better person, even helping to mature him. Whereas the crows contradicted his affection for animals and gave Robert nothing but bad experiences as he almost encountered death.
Comments
OmarAlam97: An exceptional analysis of the text, and comparison between the crows and danger. The crows are indeed a huge factor in the outcome of the events that happen to Robert. They are completely the opposite of what the author made resemble for all of the other animals in the novel. This perfectly exemplifies the notion of crows are a symbol of negativity and danger.
A.RailzZ1123: Good Job. Connect to how birds symbolize freedom and how the crows represent evilness and death. The crows were all huddled in one spot, so do you think when the birds were all in one spot together contradicts the primary representation of birds being "free"?
Ennis_N: Great Job on this blog, you were spot on and picked up on things I did not even consider. I agree with you that the crows symbolize death and dark uprising and I also believe that the crows following Robert is Findley foreshadowing the bad experiences that are yet to come. Although crows represent death, I find it strange that Findley did not use vultures instead, what do you think?
Author's Reponse
Thanks for all of your responses!
@OmarAlam97: I'm glad you agree! Referring again to the point of all of the other animals in the novel, they did in fact hold a positive vibe and this is due to the archetypal associations. For instance, the rabbits in the beginning of the story are white, representing purity and innocence and also standing as a symbol for Rowena. Whereas the crows represented death and gave Robert an over all negative aspect to war.
@A.RailzZ1123: At first when the birds are mentioned I immediately thought they would symbolize freedom, but upon discovering the species of the birds we can interpret them further as a negative symbol representing evilness and death. When the birds were all huddled together it ultimately is putting together their negative characteristics to represent a larger scale of doom approaching. In addition the main reason of the birds not representing freedom is due to the fact that they are crows, giving them a whole new meaning in the novel.
@Ennis_N: I do agree that vultures and crows both have archetypal characteristics of evil, darkness and death so it is reasonable to question why the author chose crows instead of vultures. I think crows were chosen over vultures because vultures, though having a devious sense to them, can also embody characteristics such as strong, willing, and adventurous. Thus misguiding the true symbolism behind the birds, crows on the other hand are much smaller and cannot carry those characteristics of a vulture, therefore making them ideal in the role of warning Robert of upcoming terrors.
@OmarAlam97: I'm glad you agree! Referring again to the point of all of the other animals in the novel, they did in fact hold a positive vibe and this is due to the archetypal associations. For instance, the rabbits in the beginning of the story are white, representing purity and innocence and also standing as a symbol for Rowena. Whereas the crows represented death and gave Robert an over all negative aspect to war.
@A.RailzZ1123: At first when the birds are mentioned I immediately thought they would symbolize freedom, but upon discovering the species of the birds we can interpret them further as a negative symbol representing evilness and death. When the birds were all huddled together it ultimately is putting together their negative characteristics to represent a larger scale of doom approaching. In addition the main reason of the birds not representing freedom is due to the fact that they are crows, giving them a whole new meaning in the novel.
@Ennis_N: I do agree that vultures and crows both have archetypal characteristics of evil, darkness and death so it is reasonable to question why the author chose crows instead of vultures. I think crows were chosen over vultures because vultures, though having a devious sense to them, can also embody characteristics such as strong, willing, and adventurous. Thus misguiding the true symbolism behind the birds, crows on the other hand are much smaller and cannot carry those characteristics of a vulture, therefore making them ideal in the role of warning Robert of upcoming terrors.