The Painted Bird

The painted bird is the same as its fellows in all but appearance; though it tries to assimilate, it’s distrusted for its appearance and torn apart by its kin. Similarly, the dark-complexioned boy is tortured by the fair-complexioned peasants. The fact that the bird has been painted with artificial colors reinforces that “outsiderness” is nothing but a human construct. On a broader level, the painted bird is every man: in the last chapter, the boy offers that individuals are divided by mountains and that we are all, in fact, alone. The boy witnesses this rejection of “other” in every culture, whether it be in the villages, where he is abused; among the Nazis, who exterminate Jews; or in the Communist Party, which casts out those not worthy enough.