Chae Eun Symbolism of Harry
Throughout the chapter, Harry takes a significant role of representing the
biggest issue, social relationship. Harry is a bird that Young Ju and Joon Ho find and take care of until it dies. Author, to symbolize and represent many themes such as dreams, hope and characters themselves, uses this in the whole chapter.
In this chapter, author uses a baby bird to represent many things, of which
one of the most obvious and direct is hardships. For Harry it is vital for him to learn how to fly, as it needs to find its own shelter for survival. Like this bird, Young Ju and Joon Ho are also finding some difficulties under abusive parent. Even when Harry wants to fly and escape for freedom and survival, it eventually dies and this indicates that one that all other birds accomplish doesn’t happen to it. Young Ju and Joon Ho, even though they want to escape from boundaries and restrictions from their parent, it is always hard for them as Apa treats them severely with violence. This indicates that no matter how they try to escape severe situations, nothing has changed but only they are “growing fast”.
Most importantly, the symbol Harry gives in the chapter is hope within them.
Their parents let them down innumerably, Young Ju and Joon still had a hope their futures and better life. They decide to love Harry the way good parents are supposed to because they saw themselves as if they are looking at the mirror when they has found it crying alone, being vulnerable. As they never treated the way good parents are supposed to, they wanted to fulfill the feeling of affection and warmth at least to the bird and feel the empathy for it.
Death of Harry symbolizes and emphasizes the point that “it never happens
the way we want. Never” as from the time they were born, they have been living with the parent who abuse and treat them harshly and no matter how many times they look for care from their parents, it never worked and never will be.
By reading this chapter, it can be observed Harry as a reflection of the
children. This is the reason why Young Ju and Joon wholeheartedly and perhaps desperately want to save the baby bird left all alone. Along with death of Harry, Young Ju and Joon’s dream and hope have flown away and never came back.