Bird Box

“You are saving their lives for a life not worth living.”

In a moment of self-doubt, Malorie wonders whether her protective parenting style defeats the purpose of raising children, which is to offer them happy and meaningful life. It is Malorie’s desire to see the children not only survive but also prosper that motivates her to leave the home where they lived safely for several years and embark on a dangerous journey down the river. To her, it is a risk worth taking.

“‘Whatever they are,’ Tom says, ‘our minds can’t understand them. They’re like infinity, it seems. Something too complex for us to comprehend. Do you see?’”

The mechanism by which the creatures affect people is never fully explained, but Tom offers a credible, if vague, explanation. Lacking motives, characterization, or descriptive details of any kind, the creatures take on symbolic significance as emblematic of unknowable, things. Curiosity and, in Gary’s case, arrogance, thus lead people to look at them, while fear keeps others, like Malorie, from looking.

“‘You know, in a way, time doesn’t mean a thing anymore. But it’s one of the only things we have that resembles the lives we used to live.’ ‘The passing of time?’ ‘Yeah. And what we do with it.’”

Tom explains that, although civilization ground to a halt around them, they continue to track time. Doing so provides perspective and allows them to maintain a semblance of normality while emphasizing that time is a commodity that can and should be spent conscientiously. His views contrast with those of Don, who sees time as something to be passively endured while waiting for outside help.

“There’s nothing out here with us, miss. Take my word for it. We’re all alone.”

The man on the riverboat denies that anything unusual threatens them. His words ring hollow as Malorie and the children hear him become increasingly unstable, due to an encounter with the creatures whose existence he denies. The man’s example illustrates the human tendency to underestimate certain dangers until it is too late.

“We’ve lost mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, [...] We’ve lost wives and husbands, lovers and friends. But nothing stings as much as the children you’ve taken from us. How dare you ask a child to look at you?”

Rodney Barrett, the last active radio host, laments the loss of children as the most profound cost of the Problem. His anger at the deaths of children implies that their deaths are particularly tragic because children are considered innocent and because children have the potential for full lives ahead of them. His reasoning mirrors Malorie’s thinking and feelings towards her own children.

“Malorie smiles. So do the others. It’s funny, in a dark way, right now, asking what drinking a glass of water was like.”

The scene where the housemates ask Tom about the potentially infected glass of water that he drank shows just how much their lives have changed because of the Problem. Formerly mundane things now carry significant risks. Tom’s willingness to risk his wellbeing for others foreshadows the later risks he takes to solve problems and improve their living conditions. His example inspires Malorie to take similar risks.

“We left because some people choose to wait for news and others make their own.”

Thinking to herself, Malorie justifies her decision to leave the safety of home and travel on the river. Her words echo a similar assertion Tom made years prior, showing his ongoing influence. Like Tom, Malorie learns to take calculated risks in the hope of progressing towards a better life instead of waiting and hiding.

“But she understands that the reason the house needs Tom is because he’s the kind of man who would do what he is doing today.”

Malorie thinks on several occasions about how much the “house,” needs Tom around to function properly. Whether reference to the house is Malorie’s way of obscuring her own need for Tom or an accurate observation that their community benefits from his presence, her comment takes on symbolic significance: The house becomes a microcosm of civilization, and Tom’s efforts demonstrate the need for continual progress.

“They’ll eventually get us [...]. There’s no reason to think otherwise. It’s end times, people. And if it’s a matter of a creature our brains are incapable of comprehending, then we deserve it. I always assumed the end would come because of our own stupidity.”

When Victor’s barking leads the housemates to suspect a creature is nearby, Don expresses this cynical outlook. Not only does he presuppose that their exposure to the creatures is inevitable; he also implies that humanity deserves to be eradicated. While Don’s views change significantly under Gary’s later influence, his cynicism and general disdain for humanity remain constant and contrast with Tom’s warm optimism.

“It opened the door to a realm of harrowing possibilities, things that might need to be done, actions she might have to take that nobody from the old world could ever be fully prepared to endure.”

When Don suggests that Malorie blind her child at birth, Malorie rejects the suggestion even as she recognizes the logic behind it; later, after the children’s birth, she even reconsiders her stance on blinding the children. Though she stops short of doing so, her thought process prepares her for the other rigorous parenting techniques she employs to ensure her children’s safety. Malorie’s susceptibility to Don’s thinking also reveals the difficulty of her struggle to follow Tom’s example in being proactive and hopeful.

“In all this cold, painful world, the Boy, hearing her struggle, is helping her row.”

During a difficult journey down the river, Malorie finds momentary comfort in the Boy’s kind and thoughtful actions. Among other things, the journey downstream shows Malorie that the children are not only smarter and more resourceful than she thinks, as her baby book once told her; they are also kinder and more attentive to her. This suggests that, thought the responsibilities of parenting can be heavy, even small children can reciprocate by supporting their parents.

“Even in this newer world, here on the river, as the wind starts to howl, cold water splashes across her jeans, wild animals stalk the banks, where her body is broken, her mind is a prisoner of the grays, even here Tom comes to her as something bright, something right, something good.”

Tom’s influence does not die with him. Instead, Malorie finds that his principles are more meaningful than ever. Specifically, as she steels herself prior to opening her eyes outside, she imagines Tom affirming and encouraging her. This factors into Malerman’s discussion of Taking Meaningful Risks, which are unavoidable in the search for progress.

“Are you prepared? And what scares you more? The creatures or yourself, as the memories of a million sights and colors come flooding toward you? What scares you more?”

As Malorie prepares herself to open her eyes to navigate the boat, she wonders at the effect that seeing the world again, if only for a moment, will have on her. Her anticipation and amazement at what she expects to see serves as a comment on the beauty and wonder of the way she used to live, which offers readers a new perspective and potential appreciation for their own way of life.

“She cries for too many reasons to locate. But she knows part of it is because she’s discovered that the children are capable of surviving, if only for a moment, on their own.”

Malorie’s relief on finding that the children are okay after she fell unconscious symbolizes her broader concern for their success if she were to be incapacitated or even die. Though the children are far from independent, their momentary success gives her hope for their long-term survival. That hope, in turn, gives her the courage to recommit herself to the difficulties of the moment.

“I think of it more like a 3-D movie. At first, the audience thinks the objects are really coming at them. They hold their hands up for protection. But the intelligent ones, the ones who are very aware, know they were safe all along.”

Malorie overhears Gary explaining the theories he attributes to Frank to Don. Gary’s comments appeal to Don’s sense of individualism and superiority, since they suggest that a certain set of exceptional individuals can withstand the creatures’ effect. This comparison to a 3-D movie is apt since it relates directly to sight and perception.

“The discrepancy between the bright, progressive actions of those in the living room and the hushed conspiratorial tones of those in the dining room is all Malorie can think about.”

Malorie distinguishes between the two informal groups that form in the household based not only on the content of their discussions, but also on the way they conduct themselves. Gary and Don speak in hushed tones, as if they don’t want to be overheard, reflects that they know that their views are disturbing to the others. Meanwhile, Tom’s willingness to work in the open shows that he is willing to engage with those who do not agree with him.

“It was clear that Tom was on a path of his own, prepared to repeatedly risk his life in the name of advancing life in the house.”

As Tom prepares to leave on his second excursion, Malorie reflects on his willingness to take risks to benefit others. She fears that he will die as a result. Instead, one of the novel’s central ironies is that Tom dies not from a calculated risk that he opts to take, but due to a needless risk that Don takes by letting a creature into the house.

“Think about that, Malorie. It all kind of happened in a row, each step allowed the next to happen. All because we weren’t stagnant. We took risks. Now you’ve got to do the same.”

Tom’s voice encourages Malorie to leave her comfort zone and take steps to improve the quality of her life. His suggestion that each action prepares the way for future action mirrors Malorie’s progress, as she gradually builds up the strength and courage to find microphones. Smaller journeys like this prepare her for her eventual trip down the river.

“It feels like Gary is everywhere outside.”

Convinced that Gary means to get back at her for her role in ejecting him from the house, Malorie lives in constant fear of his return, even years later. Her fear of Gary matches her fear of the creatures, lending credence to Gary’s claim that “MAN IS THE CREATURE HE FEARS” (188). Malorie’s fear of Gary fits into her fear of all the people she encounters, who may or may not have seen a creature.

“I think you’re going to be a wonderful mother. I think you’re going to raise this child so well it won’t matter if the world continues this way or not.”

Tom’s words of encouragement to Malorie as she goes into labor set the stage for her later, internal debates about whether she is a good mother or an overprotective, too-controlling one. Though she sometimes adopts strict measures with her children, she does so to facilitate their survival; she also leads them to what she hopes will be a better place for them to grow up.

“If there’s one thing she can lean on in the new world, it’s that she has trained them well. She trusts them. She has to.”

Malorie finds that her training of the children benefits her, not just them. Eventually, she must trust them with her life, since she removes her blindfold only after they insist that the creature has left them. Her trust pays off, further reinforcing their bond.

“As she approaches the second channel from the right, it feels like she is rowing with the years. The memories. [...] She is stronger now. She is braver.”

As Malorie nears her destination, she recognizes how far she has come personally as well as physically. Through years of struggle, she has developed greater courage and strength. Her resilience is apparent in the way she perseveres despite injury, while her increased assertiveness comes into play when she holds her blindfold in place during the encounter with the creature.

“It’s as if this is the first time the question has ever mattered to Malorie. Suddenly there is room in her life for such luxuries as names.”

Only after arriving in a place where Malorie expects to be able to live safely with the children in a community does she give, or reveal, their names. While Olympia is named in memory of her biological mother, Tom has no genetic relationship to his namesake. By naming her son Tom, Malorie honors her good friend and guide her son to model his life after him.