The swan in the story symbolizes Peter. “The Swan” is the most brutal narrative in this collection of stories. Peter experiences one act of violence after another at the hands of his classmates and is nearly killed more than once. Despite the continuous onslaught of physical and psychological abuse from his bullies, Peter is steadfast in his moral character and holds onto his innocence. When Ernie and Raymond approach Peter in the woods, they find a boy engaged in the harmless pastime of bird watching. The narrator reveals that Ernie has never been able to understand Peter because the two boys are different in every way. Ernie hates Peter for his difference and feels justified in treating the small boy cruelly simply because Peter is not like him. Similarly, when the boys see the swan, she is sitting in a nest, caring for her young. Like Peter, the swan represents something Ernie cannot understand. Instead of admiring her for her beauty as Peter does, Ernie immediately wants to kill her, reiterating his need to enact violence when he sees something innocent and pure.

Ernie’s mother tries to dissuade her son at the beginning of the story from shooting birds.