The Writer As Explorer

In chapter one of Audubon’s Watch, we follow the point of view of a father. The father goes in between talking about himself, his life, the people around him, and birds. He often intertwines these factors throughout the story. Upon my first read, I found that there is a slight feminist agenda taking place. We follow a man who is in a wonderful relationship and has a wonderful family. In today’s media we see a lot of examples of marriages in which the man “holds the power.” The man is the one who is unhappy in the relationship, so he cheats. The man sees the woman as an object or tool and not as a human. The man is the one who isn’t getting his needs met, while the woman raises the children, does all the housework, and has a job. We often do not see a man who adores his wife, supports his wife, or even enjoys his wife. You may be able to blame this idea on the mass influx of media this generation has lived through, but it could be just in the nature of it all. Later on, we realize that everything was not as pure as it seemed. The rose-colored glasses come off and it doesn’t anger me while reading, it is merely another disappointment from a man.

Another underlying theme that I found compelling was the main character grappling with his dwindling youth. He compares himself to birds, having the ability to “climb up the trees”(13) and move as they as he could in his youth. He worries about his mind being in “ruins” and his “wits”(14) being dulled. Somehow, the connection between the grief of growing old and birds just works. When you think of birds, you imagine free flying, energy-filled, and song singing animals. When you think of aging, those do not come to mind. If that is what you crave, by the writing it seems like the narrator does, then grief would be expected.

At the near end of the chapter, it writes “Always your mother has welcomed me back with innocent wonder and gratitude, her fidelity unwavering, her faith steadfast and pure” (20). The feminist agenda I once saw has now been ripped out of my hands. Not only speaking of infidelity while the woman, the partner, still remains without knowledge of the fact, but also, the themes of sanctity, pureness, faithful, innocent, and naive are excruciatingly present.

I failed to understand the themes of the family and the letter. I would love to hear others’ thoughts on these and why it feels important to have these themes.