Risking It All

Waking up every day to birds chirping, listening it to the sound in your cabin in the middle of the forest. Putting on your jacket; walking outside to a big open clearing of animals. Throwing bird seeds on the dirt filled ground, waiting for the birds to pick them up with their little beaks, then throwing a net over and capturing them. Seeing that one special dove that stands out from the rest, and it’s hard just not to marvel at its beauty. While knowing you have to kill the beautiful creature, for the kings table. In the short story, “The Hundredth Dove,” by Jane Yolen, teaches readers that if you don’t listen, consequences will follow.
A lesson many children learn when their younger is listen and respect your elders. In this case the fowler Hugh, was loyal to his king, so whatever he says goes. As we get older this respect never wares away, people need respect for: jobs, everyday communication, and just to any person or thing. What some people don’t understand is listening and respecting skills are not something you are forced into learning it’s something you should naturally execute. If you don’t you could be fired or get killed or all I know. For example if your boss is asking you to print him some copies and another worker said don’t do it, you would still do it because that was your job. Unless your boss says no then you follow the command. That’s how this main character felt, he wanted to listen to the bird but he couldn’t, because in his eyes the king was first and the forest was second. The character didn’t want to let the king and his new fiancé down, plus he wanted money; he was not ready to give that up for some talking bird. That just goes to show how loyal this fowler was.
This story reminds me of a personal experience were someone that worked for my mom was always: late, didn’t get things done on time, and never listened to her instructions. Within just one week he was fired. That’s why the fowler didn’t want to let the king down because he knew if he did good things would not happen.
What made all of the pieces of this story come together was the symbolism scattered throughout the piece. The largest piece of symbolism stored in this story is the white dove. With the reason being the dove was like the fowlers conscience, he was following orders but the dove was trying to give him signs. Some signs were: escaping the net not once but twice, being the only white bird, and the only bird that could talk. This symbolized that he should let the birds go, because the king didn’t need them anymore. Overall this story was mostly a Tragedy/Comedy. The reason for that is because it has mixed symbolism between the two. It is partially comedy because it begins with normalcy, but it is also Tragedy because it ends in the death symbolism of the white dove.
While reading this story although the fowler was a loyal man he never listened to the thing he should’ve the unique white mythical dove. Which makes me think a story called, “Papas Parrot,” by (……….author), because in that story the main character never listened conscience and came back to visit his dad. Similar to the story, “The Hundredth Dove,” by Jane Yolen, because the fowler never listened his conscience the dove, and ended up killing 99 birds for no reason. In, “Papas Parrot,” he never realized that family always comes before friends. Within both of these stories the main characters never took time and really thought things through.
Although listening is a huge factor in this story respect follows and that’s one thing the fowler defiantly had towards his king. For the bird It was kind of one of those I told you so moments.