The Birds (story)
| "The Birds" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Daphne du Maurier | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Genre(s) | Horror, thriller, novelette |
| Publication | |
| Published in | The Apple Tree |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | 1952 |
"The Birds" is a horror story by the British writer Daphne du Maurier, first published in her 1952 collection The Apple Tree. It is the story of a farmhand, his family, his community, and all of England, under attack by flocks of birds in kamikaze fashion. The story is set in du Maurier's home county of Cornwall shortly after the end of the Second World War. By the end of the story, it becomes clear that all of Britain is under aerial assault.
The story was the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's film The Birds, released in 1963, the same year that The Apple Tree was reprinted as The Birds and Other Stories. In 2009, the Irish playwright Conor McPherson adapted the story for the stage at Dublin's Gate Theatre.
Plot
In a small Cornish seaside town, wounded war veteran Nat Hocken works part-time for a farmer, Mr Trigg. One day in early December he notices a large number of birds behaving strangely along the coast, behaviour he attributes to a recent cold snap. That night, Nat hears a tapping on his bedroom window and a bird pecks his hand, causing it to bleed. As the night progresses more birds congregate, including some that flock into his children's bedroom, but they leave at dawn.
The next day, Nat tells his fellow workers about the night's events but is not believed. As he walks to the beach to dispose of some dead birds, he notices that what appear to be whitecaps on the sea are actually a large mass of seagulls apparently waiting for the tide to rise. On the radio, the BBC reports that birds have been massing all over Britain and that people have been attacked. Nat boards up the windows and chimneys of his cottage as a precaution.
Rushing on foot to pick up his daughter from the school bus stop, Nat spots Mr Trigg and persuades him to give him a lift home in his car. Mr Trigg professes to be unfazed by the announcements and says that he plans to shoot the birds for fun. Nat declines an offer to join him and walks home. Just as he arrives, the gulls descend and attack. Nat manages to reach his door with only minor injuries.
Massive flocks of birds gather, attacking anyone out in the open. A national emergency is declared, and people are told not to leave their homes. The radio news announcer states that due to the "unprecedented nature of the emergency", the BBC will be going silent for the night and will resume broadcasting the next morning. Nat brings the family into the kitchen for safety. During dinner, they hear what sounds like aeroplanes overhead, followed by the sound of planes crashing. The attacks from the birds eventually die down, and Nat guesses that the birds will only attack at high tide.
The next morning, radio broadcasts do not resume. As the tide recedes, Nat and his family walk to Mr Trigg's farm to seek supplies. They pass piles of dead birds, with those still alive peering at them from afar. At the farm, they find that Mr Trigg, his wife, and their workman have been killed, and the postman's body lies by the road. The family gather supplies and return home, but soon the birds attack once again. Nat smokes his last cigarette, then throws the empty pack into the fire and watches it burn.
Interpretation
One interpretation of the story suggests that it reflects the British experience during the Second World War, evoking anxieties about the government's failure to protect their citizens and intrusions into domestic spaces by aggressive interlopers.[1]
Background
Du Maurier's inspiration for the story was the sight of a farmer being attacked by a flock of gulls as he ploughed a field.[2]
Radio and TV dramatisations
The story has been dramatised for radio and TV on several occasions, including:
- Episode 838 of Lux Radio Theater on 20 July 1953 with Herbert Marshall
- Episode 217 of Escape on 10 July 1954 with Ben Wright and Virginia Gregg
- Episode 240 (final show in the series) of CBS-TV series Danger on 31 May 1955 with Michael Strong and Betty Lou Holland
- BBC Afternoon Theatre on 20 November 1974 with Howard Goorney, Chris Harris, and Elizabeth Boxer[3]
- A three-part BBC Radio 4 Extra adaptation, read by Charlie Barnecut, first broadcast 23 April 2008[4]
- An adaptation by Melissa Murray, for BBC Radio 4's The Friday Play, first broadcast on 30 April 2010[5]
References
- ^ Cengage Learning, Gale (2016). A Study Guide for Daphne du Maurier's 'The Birds'. Gale Division of Cengage Learning Incorporated. pp. 1–3. ISBN 9781410341372.
- ^ Maunder, Andrew (1 January 2007). The Facts on File Companion to the British Short Story. Infobase Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-8160-7496-9.
- ^ "Afternoon Theatre strand".
- ^ Daphne du Maurier – The Birds from the BBC website
- ^ The Birds from the BBC Radio 4 website
External links
Streaming audio
- The Birds on Lux Radio Theater: 20 July 1953
- The Birds on Escape: 10 July 1954
