It is interesting in this book how pigeons are an important part of the community and how pigeons can show people's greed. This book has things in it that are bizarre to us as readers because the real world is not like the world in which this novel is taking place in. In the real world people do not fly pigeons like this and pigeons are not made pets, let go far away from the home, and the travel all the way back to the people's home who made the pigeons a pet. Pigeons also do not go and get messages to deliver to people. But maybe there is a point that the author is trying to make by having these pigeons play this role in this novel. I think the message is centered around money and the greediness that can come along with it. Many people go to Batista and Tania's home to see if they will get some luck by finding out the pigeons message. If the pigeon brought some message about wealth, the people would go buy lottery tickets in hopes that they would become wealthy. But those who receive wealth are greedy with it, except for Kazamasa. He is not greedy even when he wins the lotteries, everyone is actually greedy trying to get Kazamasa's money! As it says in the novel, "everyone seem[ed] to have an idea of what he or she would do with sudden wealth, but Kazaumasa was a true exception" (Yamashita 59). Kazaumasa does not even spend his own money, he gives it away and everyone else spends it for him. Kaxamasa is so generous with his money, but the people take advantage of him because of his generosity.
I think the reason the Pigeons are used so prominently in the story is to show how capitalism can twist and corrupt the world around us. Remember, pigeon raising and racing started as a hobby for Batista that quickly became his passion; he did it for his love of the birds more than anything else. It wasn't until his wife began to make a business out of it that the process lost its allure; it failed to bring him joy once there were deadlines to meet and his once sage messages were replaced by corporate slogans. In this way, the author shows how capitalism as the potential to strangle out the affection for things we once loved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt and also see the pigeon as a way to remind us that the goal of this book is to educate us about the rainforest and how nature is suffering at the hands of man, the pigeons start off being loved and cared for but soon they are dropping out of the sky carrying ads for soap, I can't see that the same level of love and care is being given to each of the birds.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the novel, I found that the pigeon's situation evoked compassion. I think that the description of the pigeons changing lifestyle and condition is meant to create sympathy from the reader to highlight even more how capitalism corrupted what was good in the world and could so alter these pigeos', who were innocent, lives.
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