59 pages • 1 hour read
Farley MowatOwls in the Family
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1961A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
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BetaSymbols & Motifs
Wise Owls
The owl is employed as a symbol in many different cultures. Typically, it is representative of wisdom, and the owls in this story are no different, although their particular brand of wisdom differs substantially from the imagery common to literature and mythology. The owls’ own knowledge and sagacity within the context of the story is most aptly found in the various ways through which their actions offer valuable lessons to Billy as he grows and matures during the three years that they all spend together.
Within Owls in the Family, both of the owls are given a nontraditional start to life. Unlike owls raised in the wild, they do not have their biological parents to live with and learn from. Yet despite this handicap, the owls both seem to manage their lives by remaining true to their own preferences, thus displaying an innate inner wisdom that translates into their everyday actions and even conveys an abstract sense of what their personal philosophies might be. For example, Weeps avoids conflicts, almost universally refusing to risk entering unpredictable situations and remaining “grounded” in a flightless life in and around Billy’s home. In an abstract way, this behavior is similar to Billy’s tendency to avoid conflicts with the many bullies of Saskatoon. He does not feel compelled to be drawn into battle with them, and even when he rescues Weeps, he knows that his only way to avoid a fight is to barter for the owl. He knows his limitations and works within them, just as Weeps does.
Wol, by contrast, demonstrates his own particular brand of wisdom in his wild and untamable aspects. Even with his domesticated upbringing, he remains true to himself. When he wants something, he gets it. He does not want to remain in his cage, so he learns how to break out. He wants to stay with Billy even at school, so he flies after the boy even though he prefers to walk rather than fly. When Wol makes the decision that he wants to be a house owl, he continuously bangs on the windows, forcing Billy’s family to let him in. Wol knows what he wants, and he will not let anything stop him. Thus, his determination mirrors Billy’s.
Crows as Bullies
The crows in Owls in the Family are the animal equivalent of the bullies that Billy encounters in his hometown of Saskatoon. With the crows, Billy and his friends and family are able to punish the bullies, whereas in real life, the bullies usually go unpunished. Although the bullies in Billy’s town do not often factor into the overall arc of Billy’s stories about his life with the owls, he references them often, indicating that they still impact his day-to-day activities, and he remains quite aware of their whereabouts.
The crows act similarly to the bullies in that they often engage in unprovoked attacks on both people and owls, and they seem to be found everywhere. But while they cannot gain much control over the human bullies, Billy and his friends can respond to the crows and put an end to their behavior. They can maintain power over these particular bullies, which perhaps explains why their responses to the crows are so cruel and destructive. When the crows attack both Billy and Bruce as they search for owl nests, Bruce first threatens them and eventually climbs a tree to steal and crush their eggs. His tendency to equate the natural behavior of the crows with the cruel behavior of human bullies causes him to consider his own cruel acts justified. Rather than just running from these “bullies,” Bruce exerts his power over them—something he’d never be able to do with the boys in town. This behavior is also exhibited by the otherwise responsible adults in the boys’ lives, for when the crows attack the owls in Dundurn, rather than avoid any type of conflict and move on, Billy’s dad exacts revenge on them the next day. Thus, the crows are symbolic bullies and appear in this capacity multiple times throughout the story.
Spring
Spring in Saskatoon takes on a primal force and presence that almost makes it a character in the novel. Its siren song of adventure and new life calls to Billy. The season represents the only time of year that he hates school, particularly in May “when the birds were busy nesting on the prairies” (19). With the advent of each spring season, new life comes into the world and brings “another breath, a gentle one, blowing across the distant wheat fields” (1). Spring is a time of change and newness both for the wild animals of the prairie and for Billy personally, for animals are being born, just as parts of Billy are being reborn or reimagined. Thus, it is significant that spring is when he “completes” his family with the addition of his owls. For Billy, there is a sharp division between life before the addition of his owls and life after his owls. The owls create chaos and protect him from well-known bullies, rendering his daily existence dramatically different. From this spring forward, Billy’s adventures involve his owls, whether he wants them to or not, and his entire family unit is reborn in a new shape as they welcome the owls. Accordingly, the novel comes full circle and concludes with yet another spring full of changes, as Billy must ultimately part with his beloved owls and pursue a whole new way of life in Toronto, leaving Saskatoon behind. Billy must now reimagine his life in a completely new way. In a sense, he will experience a rebirth as he learns to live in a new city and makes new friends. Thus, spring always represents change, whether those changes are welcome or not.
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