Textual analysis about Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot - Essay Example

Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot The story, “Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot” is a short story written by Robert Olen Butler which was published in the New Yorker in the year 1995. The story revolves around the narration of a jealous husband who has been reincarnated in the form of a parrot. He is bought by his wife from a pet shop and is brought back into his own house where he directly observes the relationships of his wife with other men. The story signifies the theme of love and jealousy. It explains the importance of relationships and how broken relationships can serve to affect the entire life of a person. Butler puts forward the theme of love by portraying the fact that the man is truly in love with his wife. The husband loves his wife and his love is eternal owing to which he becomes reincarnated in the form of a parrot. His love for his wife can be seen in these words, “"Hello," she says, and she comes over to me and I cant believe how beautiful she is. Those great brown eyes, almost as dark as the center of mine. And her nose--I dont remember her for her nose but its beauty is clear to me now.” He praises her beauty and he wishes to be with her. But he is also highly possessive of her. The love of the husband can be seen by the fact that he wills to stay with his wife and even though he is a parrot, he is moved when she touches him. The theme of jealousy is also portrayed in the story. The parrot is looking at his wife and he is admiring his beauty but as soon as he sees another man with his wife, he becomes jealous and he starts remembering the previous occurrences in his life. He was a jealous husband even when he lived in the form of a man with his wife. This can be assessed by the fact that he used to check his bed for the presence of hair of other men to confirm the fact if his wife was involved with other men. He also went to check the house of a man whom he suspected was seeing his wife. He loved his wife but he was very protective about her. He did not wish to see other men with his wife. The story signifies the importance of relationships and it highlights the significance of proper communication for the success of a relationship. The parrot was a jealous husband for his entire life and he used to suspect his wife. But there was always a lack of communication between them and owing to this gap he never conveyed his thoughts and insecurities to her. The same communication gap exists for his entire life as he is reborn as a parrot. This is because he cannot talk to her anymore as she would not understand him. He is now sure of the fact that his wife is involved with other men but he cannot do anything about it. He just observes the occurrences in his house and feels jealous but he cannot put forward his thoughts to his wife. Thus, the husband was in trapped situation even when he was a man and the same problem existed even now when he was a parrot. The situation was worse now because he could openly see the involvement of his wife with other men. Butler utilizes the story to present the importance of trust in relationships. He explains the theme of the significance of letting go of relationships that do not have any future. This is because clinging onto relationships which are one sided would yield nothing and would further trap an individual. The husband lives a difficult life owing to this. He does not wish to leave his wife because he loves her but he also suspects her. He believes that she has relationships with other men but he is not strong enough to confront her. This is because he has the fear that he would lose her. He just suffers alone and tries to find answers to his questions. Even when he turns into a parrot, he still loves his wife and wishes to stay in the same house. He gets opportunities to escape but he does not avail the opportunities because he does not wish to leave his wife. He stays in this tortured state of mind as he sees the intimate contacts of his wife with other men but he is helpless. His cage is kept in a den where on one side; he can see his wife’s bedroom. On the other side, he sees peace and freedom but he is stuck in the middle. His desperation can be seen in these words, “I flap my wings and I squawk and I fluff up and I slick down and I throw seed and I attack that dangly toy as if it was the guys balls, but it does no good. It never did any good in the other life either, the thrashing around I did by myself.” His relationship with his wife is scarred. He finally realizes the situation and opts for a life of freedom over this entrapped life. He decides to fly away and live a life of peace. Thus, he only achieves peace by letting go of the relationship. The story “Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot” by Robert Olen Butler is very fascinating. The story explains the emotions of love and jealousy. It portrays the life of a husband who is trapped in a relationship as he loves his wife a lot and does not wish to leave her even though he thinks that she is seeing other men. The husband reincarnates as a parrot and his emotions of love for his wife still persist. He lives in a difficult emotional state as he sees his wife with other men regularly. He finally chooses to fly and live a life of freedom and peace. Read More