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Jealous Husband Returns In Form Of A Parrot Analysis

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Out of all the birds in the Amazon, the parrot is probably the most well-known because of its ability to mimic noises or words. Many people see this as intelligent speaking, but it 's actually not speaking at all. The author of the short story by Robert Olen Butler, "Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot," had an interesting thought: to write a story in the perspective of a parrot. He imagined an entire story from the viewpoint of a bird that had come back from his other life as a loyal but jealous husband, to a newfound life a pet store copycat. Based on this unique point of view, the story is different from a story told by a human. This story is limited by the amount of words that the main protagonist can say because of his limited vocabulary that he happens to pick up from conversation. His creative use of language and metaphors give the story a light element of fun and keeps the reader interested. The story leaves many things unanswered that the reader has to figure out on their own by reading between the lines, things such as what his relationship was with his wife was before he was a bird, why the author chose a bird to trap the protagonist in, or whether or not the wife was cheating on the husband, even though the protagonist was a bird. …show more content…

He started writing as a playwright as his major in 1969 at the University of Iowa. After he graduated with his M.A., he was drafted into the armed forces to serve in Vietnam, his draft leading to most of his other works. Because of him being deployed in Vietnam, his ability to communicate with others after the war was diminished and a continual struggle for him. This can be seen as a link to the story in the form of the parrot, actually showing his true struggle in the story, as well as the symbolism that he feels caged by his mental disability, much like the caged bird in the

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