“The woodpecker rose in the air with a whirling, corkscrew motion, darted to the right, struck a tree-trunk,-to the left, and struck another. Up and down, backward and forward among the tangle of branches it flew, raking its feathers, falling and recovering itself” (17).

The bird seems lost, just as Mrs. Forrester does through out the novel. In a way, Mrs. Forrester is the bird. Niel tries to save the bird and he tries to save Mrs. Forrester, Ivy shoots the bird down and lets it fly lost, just as he shoots down Mrs. Forrester, and Mrs. Forrester falls and recovers and runs into trees just as the bird does.

At the beginning of the novel, Niel sees Mrs. Forrester as a kind, gentle, and loving adult. Not having any parents, Niel looks up to Mrs. F

“I’ve drained the old marsh and put it into wheat. My brother John does the work, and I boss the job. It is quite profitable. I pay them a good rent, and they need it. I doubt if they could get along without” (88).

“It was Captain Forrester’s wife that most interested Niel, and it was in her relation to her husband that he most admired her. Given her other charming attributes, her comprehension of a man like the railroad-builder, her loyalty to him, stamped her more than anything else. That, he felt, was quality” (65).

“There was something wild and desperate about the way the darkened creature beat its wings in the branches, whirling in the sunlight and never seeing it. Presently it managed to get its feet on the same limb where it had been struck, and seemed to recognize that perch. As if it had learned something by its bruises, it pecked and crept its way along the branch and disappeared into its own hole” (17-18).

Ivy Peters is a bully throughout the novel. He always gets what he wants. At the beginning of the novel, Ivy spots a female woodpecker and shoots it down with a slingshot. He then grabs it once it wakes up. He does the same thing to Mrs. Forrester when he takes control of the marsh.

Some topics in this essay:
Ivy Peters, Willa Cather, Forrester Niel, Forrester Ivy, Captain Forrester’s, Forrester Frank, Frank Niel, Niel Forrester, Forrester Forrester, forrester niel, tries save, ivy peters, forrester bird, bird niel, niel tries save, trying perch, help decides, decides help, ivy peters shot, shoots forrester, ivy shoots bird, ivy shoots, tries save bird, tries save forrester,