37 pages • 1 hour read
Stephen KelmanPigeon English
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Harri’s Pigeon
Harri’s pigeon is a symbol of divine energy and innocence. Harri imagines the pigeon’s wise, insightful monologue that opens and closes several of the novel’s sections. Often, these discourses touch on general social and cultural issues, and though they are often in terms of the animal world (pigeons vs. magpies) the intention is to extend and connect the message to the human realm. The pigeon at times stands in as a God-figure, functioning more like the Holy Spirit in the traditional Christian Trinity. He watches over Harri and does what he can to assist him, but, ultimately, he must resign to a higher power to let Harri live out his path.
Burns
Burning or marking of skin is a sign of two-fold aggression. In the case of Auntie Sonia, it is an act of self-defense when she burns her fingertips to mask her prints, but she is doing such a harm to herself because of the larger issue of being bullied or abused by those around her. For Lydia, the burn mark from the hair straightener is Miquita’s way of reminding her to know her place and stay silent. Killa marks Miquita, signifying his power and ownership over her. The power dynamic that involves burning highlights the larger concerns about abuse in relationships and how individuals seek to constitute and understand their personal identities.
Suffering and Death
The novel begins with death, as Harri witnesses the dead boy at the crime scene. From that moment on, he is preoccupied with what death feels like and the pain associated with it. He thinks about how he would spend the last five minutes of his life and tries to embody the visceral sensations of no longer having blood moving through his body. When he thinks about whether or not he would like to be killed with a bat or a knife, he opts for the bat, considering that it would keep more of his spirit intact, which will live on after the physical body’s death. This notion of spirit returns when he and Dean try to find signs of the dead boy, hoping to catch a glimpse of him somehow still existing around them. Harri does not seem to truly fear death, more so just the unexpectedness of it all and not being able to complete all of the things you would like to do before death arrives.
