The birds are used as a recurring motif that embodies the theme of The Tyranny of Life and reflects the inevitability and harshness of life’s realities. Birds are portrayed in various forms, each illustrating different aspects of life’s constraints and the human response to them.

Birds feature prominently and subtly throughout the stories, serving as constant reminders of life’s inevitability. Grandmother MacLeod’s hair, described as “white-feathered in the snare of her coarse night-time hairnet” (40), and the blue Chinese carpet in the living room with “its birds in eternal motionless flight” (42) symbolize Grandmother MacLeod’s static existence, trapped in her inability to accept the reality of her circumstances.

In the case of Grandmother Connor’s canary, Vanessa’s reflection highlights her evolving understanding of life: “When I asked my grandmother if the bird minded being there, she shook her head and said no, it had been there always and wouldn’t know what to do with itself outside” (6). Initially, Vanessa sees this as a form of entrapment but later recognizes it as a naturalized aspect of the bird’s existence.

This motif also helps connect characters, as Vanessa and Chris share a heightened awareness of the bird imagery at Shallow Lake.