The Birds Analytical Response

The Mysterious Murderous Birds

Question: Scholars and critics have argued for years over the CAUSE of the bird attacks. In the original story, the author is careful to provide one, while Hitch leaves it ambiguous. What do you think is the cause and do you like the fact that Hitchcock does not provide a cause for the attacks? Remember that your answer could be more literal or purely symbolic- you can make a decent argument either way.

            I actually quite enjoy the fact that Hitchcock does not provide a cause for the bird attacks. I don’t really think that any explanation would make very much sense or be realistic and therefore if a reason was given I would have been annoyed at the absurdity of it and it’s inadequacy to explain the birds behavior. Omitting the explanation let Hitchcock play with the randomness and outrageousness of the attacks without being constrained to justify them with a fictitious reasoning system. The ambiguity of the bird attacks plays well to the confusion of the characters themselves, for although prior attacks are referenced they are also not explained, which creates an even greater sense of fear due to the uncertainty of the bird’s actions. I think this is the cause of Hitchcock’s choice to omit the cause of the bird attacks from the movie; the lack of explanation creates greater drama and more shocking horror. The high contrast of a boring, ordinary town with the scenes of enraged, murderous birds preying on unsuspecting, defenseless everyday people is only amplified by the deficiency of an apparent motivation for the bird attacks. The neglect of a thorough backstory for the bird’s actions creates confusion in both he characters and the observers, and the movie concludes without satisfying the viewer’s expectation of a typical and fulfilling wrap-up. This movie’s culmination that is insufficient in understanding the cause of the bird attacks furthers the horror of the movie for uncertainty breeds anxiety, and the confusion built up in the observer by the unexplained occurrences leaves a lasting impression and annoyance. If the cause of the bird attacks were to be explained in the movie it would have created resolution for the spectators which would have made The Birds duller, for part of the allure of the movie is the horror created by it’s unsettled nature. I believe Hitchcock made a brilliant theatrical decision to omit the cause of the bird attacks from his adaptation of the book into movie form because it made the film more memorable and horrific.