T. Coraghessan Boyle’s Rara Avis – which is an interesting and at the same time rather entertaining read – describes the events that take place surrounding the arrival of a bird (which was a cynosure of all eyes) – the species of which is unknown. Upon reading, the reader almost immediately picks up on all of the different ways the author refers to the bird, “it looked like a women or a girl…” and “ as if it weren’t a bird at all but a plastic replica…”. All of these different ways in which the author refers to the bird each, individually and collectively, help to add depth to the story in their own way. The comparisons he makes between the bird and women or the comparison between the bird and an opening act at a musical, or the comparison between the bird and …show more content…
One can argue that the author has provided references to the bird that can fit into three distinct categories, namely female references, incidental references, and mysterious references. These three categories all provide their own meaning and help to add depth through their own unique way.

If we reread the story and ignore the commotion and obscene behaviour occurring in the background and rather read for meaning, we are able to point out how the different references fit into these three categories. Lets start with how the author uses words associated with females to reference the bird, such as “long leg,” and “skirt of feathers”. In fact, in the very first sentence of the story the authors says, “It looked like a women or a girl perched there on the roof of the furniture store, wings folded like a shawl, long legs naked and exposed,” leaving nothing up to the reader’s imagination to determine what the bird looked like. Instead the author tells the reader exactly what they should be picturing the bird as – “It looked like a women or a girl.” Next the author is found linking the bird with events that one may find incidental, merely there to add depth