“The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier an Allegory

Literary Meaning

• Black winter has descended• sudden cold• birds are gathering a storm driving them in• Cold blown in by the east wind

Literary Meaning

• attacks come in waves as if controlled by the tides

• attacks of birds are suicide

Literary Meaning

• Nat’s family isolated and alone• Nat’s family huddled in the kitchen• supplies are running out• Nat goes to the Trigg farm to take supplies• planes and warships no match for the bird

Literary Meaning

• radio is silent• Nat’s last cigarette

Symbolic Meaning• Black winter has descended-darkness, death,

Nuclear Holocaust• sudden cold-rise of communism• birds are gathering a storm driving them in-

the storm = war, the birds=soldiers/warriors, driving=spread of communism

• Cold blown in by the east wind-Eastern Europe, Communist Block Countries, Communism vs. Democracy

Symbolic Meaning

• attacks come in waves as if controlled by the tides-controlled, the Blitz over Britain, war planes bombing London

• attacks of birds are suicide-Kamikazes, Japanese suicide attacks

SymbolicMeaning• Nat’s family isolated and alone-bomb shelters

during the Blitz• Nat’s family huddled in the kitchen-bomb

shelter• supplies are running out-rationing• Nat goes to the Trigg farm to take supplies-

WWI, destruction, left to scavage, looting • planes and warships no match for the birds-

man cannot overcome nature

Symbolic Meaning

• radio is silent-end of the world, end of humanity

• Nat’s last cigarette-end of the world, mankind being extinguished