This is an extremely sad, yet very romantic story about two people in love. They are in a parked car along the shore looking at birds. She is fascinated with the big white birds that are flying by, and they start reminiscing about the past. It is easy to tell how much they still love each other after all the years that have passed, by the way they have a playful banter with each other.
The story is about an older couple who drives out to a marshy shoreline to kill themselves. They spot a few very big birds that she take an interest in.She wants to know what kind of birds they are. They lean forward in the car, and the shower curtain spread over the front seat crackled and hissed. (2) They talk and decide the birds make the little ones look like clowns. The man laughs about it, and the woman puts her hand on the mans arm and says,"I feel I'm responsible. Maybe this is the wrong thing."(6) He convinces her it is not, and that he is alright with it. She is coughing and he is complaining about all the things he cannot due any more.He picks up an object wrapped in a plaid towel and puts it between the two of them. She is concerned that her children's lives are not settled . He tells her that They will be fine, and anyway, they are not children anymore.(22)She closes her eyes, as though she is ready for what he is about to do. The two cranes suddenly spread their wing and fly away. I believe that is was the shot of a gun that rang out and scared them off.
Other animals mate for life, why not one of those, why cranes?
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I think Meinke chose cranes for their grace and elegance. They are calm and regal among the grass and stand out among the other birds. This is like the couple themselves. They are calm and royal in their age and confidence. They know they want to be together forever and not in their failing bodies. They stand out among their own peers in their acceptance of their fate. Good question. What other animals mate for life and have that kind of grace?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Don, I also think the cranes were a good choice, in that in the end after, or during the suicide, the cranes fly up into the sky, almost representing the couple themselves, flying to the great beyond; together, which was what was most important to them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other comments. Cranes are elegant looking birds. The cranes can be found in open grasslands, meadows, and wetlands. Cranes represent life.
ReplyDeleteI think the author wanted to represent the couple with an animal that we associated with beauty. The fact that they could fly also created the image of the souls passing at the end of the story. I think if the author had chosen another animal, it could have ruined the image and overall feeling of the story.
ReplyDeleteI liked your summary of the story, it was definitely one of the most abstract stories so far. I think one of the reasons for the cranes, which may sound odd, is the almost angelic look to them as they ascend into the sky, which could represent the passing of the couple. Just my thought, though.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know they wanted to commit suicide? What is the shower curtain they are talking about spread under the front seat? I read it like 3x and I couldn't figure it out. But it does make sense after you say it now.
ReplyDeletethe vietnamese believe cranes carry our souls to heaven on their wings.
ReplyDelete