Analysis of birds in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant

Abstract

Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant (2015) is a fantasy novel about an old couple’s journey across the land to find their son, which becomes a quest to find their memories and face their past. The thesis explores the meaning of birds in the novel, focusing specifically on memory studies and ecocritical theory. I argue that birds have symbolic and material relevance in the novel, which is connected to the main themes such as memory, environment and religion. The thesis consists of an introduction, two main chapters – the literature review and empirical analysis – and a conclusion. The introduction provides background for the thesis and gives an overview of the contents of the thesis. The aim of the thesis is also stated in the introduction. The literature review provides an overview of previous research. It focuses on articles that explore topics such as environment, metaphors, memory, and intertextuality in The Buried Giant. The second chapter consists of empirical analysis of the birds in the novel. It is divided into four parts. In the first sub-section, I provide examples from the novel to argue that birds symbolise transition. The second sub-section focuses on the depiction of birds at the monastery. The third sub-section discusses the three ghost-women who are resembling birds, and the last sub-section in this chapter focuses on the wren-eagle. The conclusion summarises the main findings of the thesis.