The Birds is a 1952 horror short story by Daphne du Maurier, originally published in her collection The Apple Tree. It is set post World War II in Cornwall, and told from the perspective of disabled war veteran Nat Hocken, who works at the farm part-time. The story deals with a series of strange phenomena surronding birds followed by their inexplicable attacks on humans.
This book provides examples of:
- Admiring the Abomination: Nat expresses some admiration for the birds for being so determined and persistent despite how futile their attempts to break through his fortifications appear to be.
- America Saves the Day: Discussed when Nat's wife asks if he thinks the Americans will intervene. Nat does not answer.
- Bolivian Army Ending: The book ends with Nat and his family locking down for another attack, without a clear idea of what the plan going forward will be and unsure of how long they can hold out.
- Call to Agriculture: Nat is a war veteran who currently works at a farm. He works part-time due to his disability.
- Cassandra Truth: When Nat tells Mrs Trigg about being attacked by birds, she naturally expresses disbelief. Similarly, when the press starts reporting on bird related incidents, the newscasters sound incredulous.
- The Cavalry: Subverted. The military tries to intervene, but the planes are brought down by the birds launching themselves at the propellers to break them down, while the navy can't do much of anything without risking friendly fire.
- Curb-Stomp Battle:
- The people at the farm don't take the threat seriously enough, and instead see it as an opportunity to bring out their guns and go hunting. They're quickly overrun by the birds.
- The military don't do much better, with the planes being brought down when the birds jam their propellers and the navy being unable to do much without risking friendly fire.
- Determinator: The birds just don't give up, even as they struggle to get through the fortifications Nat set up around the house.Nat: You can't help admire the beggars, they've got persistence. You'd think they'd tire of the game, but not a bit of it.
- Eye Scream: Whenever Nat is attacked, his first instinct is to protect his eyes. We never actually see any eye injuries in the story.
- Have a Gay Old Time: Nat gets the idea to use the dead birds from a previous attack as additional fortification for the next, leading to this line of narration:It was queer. He hated touching them.
- Hive Mind: Implied. The birds are very coordinated in their attacks, and they all start and stop at once according to the tide.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Nat peers into the Trigg household just enough to confirm the couple died, and turns away to spare himself the more graphic details.
- Lunacy: Implied. Nat figures out that the birds launch their attacks when the tide rises, and pause during low tide.
- Meaningful Name: The farm is run by Mr Trigg, and he sure is trigger happy, thinking the incidents surrounding the birds are a good excuse to head out and shoot at them, instead of going home and locking down.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After the first major attack, Nat regrets having sent the other kids back to their families, thinking that maybe he should have taken them to his own home.
- No Name Given: Nat's wife. Everyone else in the family is named, but she's only ever referred to as "his wife".
- Not Even Bothering with an Excuse: Nat brings a hoe along to pick up his daughter Jill in case he gets attacked by more birds. When Jill asks what the hoe is for, he doesn't give an actual reason, only saying: "I just brought it along".
- Nothing Is Scarier:
- A lot of the horror comes from the loss of contact with the outside world, leaving the precise extent and impact of the attacks unclear. As far as the characters and the audience know, the bird attacks could be happening anywhere from only in Britain, to all around the world.
- There's also the fact that we never learn the cause of the birds' sudden aggression towards humans that overrides all of their other instincts. Nat figures out that the attacks are cyclical, determined by the tides, but there is no indication of why or how the whole thing started in the first place, nor of whether it will eventually stop.
- Only Sane Man: Before the attacks escalate, Nat is the only one who takes the matter as seriously as he should, between having been attacked himself and the fact he had been noticing unusual avian behavior for days beforehand. His wife is doubtful at first, but gets increasingly concerned as she hears more about the birds from the press, and the people at the farm underestimate the danger, thinking they can just get their guns and go for a hunt. Even the newscasters, while reporting accurately, sound like they don't buy it for a second.
- Suicide Attack: The birds have lost all regard for self-preservation. They will fly straight to their deaths if it has a chance of killing their targets.
- Uncertain Doom: The kids Nat sent to their homes before the attacks got worse. We never learn what happens to them or their families.
- Zerg Rush: The birds attack through overwhelming numbers, and given the sheer amount of them, this is all they need to overrun the country. Even the military is at a loss against them.
