Feather on the Breath of God

“A Feather On The Breath Of God” By Sigrid Nunez, is one of the most touching novels that I have had the opportunity of reading. It tells the story of a young girl, the daughter of two immigrant parents , a German mother and a Chinese/Panamanian father, who grew up in a New York City housing project during the 1950’s. She drifts off into dreams which are inspired by both of her parents’ stories and tries to piece them together, hoping to get a better understanding of the two. It’s a very powerful story, with a powerful title to match.

I believe the female narrator represented a bird. A bird is an animal that is meant to be free. To fly without restraints. The narrator was restrained. It was if she was caged by her environment and the people around her. Continuously ignored by her father and completely overruled by her mother, she was trapped. Trapped in her own world. She went to school, and returned home to the housing projects greeted by the constant violent quarrels of her parents. It became a daily routine. She later had to deal with the death of her father due to Cancer. Trying to piece together the little things she did know, about him and having no luck, she came to terms that it was too late to understand him. Desperate to find a way to escape such drastic circumstances, she soon found one. Ballet became her form of escape.

Her newfound dream was to become a Ballerina. She stated that “the dream begins with being beautiful”. It was there that she would find escape, discipline and self worth. Any problem she was going through, she got through it with ballet. When she put on her ballerina slippers its as if all her cares went away. It took her on a journey to a different world. A world where she felt she could do and be anything she wanted. She felt everything that she had missed in the misconstrued world that she lived in. She felt love, acceptance, and a sense of self confidence.

I believe the Authors true message behind the story is...