preview

The Painted Bird Analysis

Good Essays

The Painted Bird, written by Jerzy Kosinski, follows the perspective of a young boy throughout World War II. To keep him protected and to decrease the threat of being taken by Nazi soldiers, his parents send him to another village under the care of an elderly woman. After his foster mother dies, the six year old boy is forced to travel from village to village in search of food and shelter. Along the way he finds temporary homes, with some hosts kinder than others, and is met by brutal peasants suspicious of his dark hair and eyes. Being tortured, and facing harsh brutality, the young boy loses his innocence and becomes insecure of his appearance. This book helped me further understand how badly people were treated, simply because of their …show more content…

As the book unfolds over many years of the narrator’s childhood, several of his strengths and weaknesses are revealed. One of his many strengths is that he is extremely strong and remains hopeful in difficult situations. Also, after working for many peasant villagers in return for food, the narrator learns many skills that are helpful to his survival. The text states, “I was frightened to find myself entirely alone. But I remembered the two things, which according to Olga were necessary for survival without human help. The first was a knowledge of plants and animals...The other was possession of fire…” The young boy, being less than 10 years old, is able to remain hopeful in a frightening situation, and is able to recall important information about survival. Although the narrator seems like a very kind and knowledgable boy, he does have a few weaknesses, as every human does. One of his weaknesses is that near the end of the novel, the young boy ditches his faith in God and his prayers, and turns to his anger and revenge from the way he has been treated in the past. The boy (who remains unnamed throughout the book) says, “How many times had I dreamed of the time when I would be strong enough to return, set their settlements on fire, poison their children and cattle, lure them into deadly swamps...eventually my hatred and appetite for evil would grow like a noxious weed…” This shows how the narrator’s hopeful attitude

Get Access