The Birds and The Boys

As we have discussed in class, magic, fantastical elements, and the human interaction with nature play a key part in the characterization of fairy tales. The transformation stories that we read 2 weeks ago as well as the Juniper Tree exemplify these three key elements of fairy tales. In both stories, boys are cursed and transformed into birds. However, the types of transformation are significant. In the stories such as the "Seven Ravens" and the "Twelve Brothers," the boys are transformed while they are living as a result of some magical element such as a wicked witch or a malicious wish. In these stories the boys are more animalistic than the Juniper Tree transformation. The boys cannot communicate with humans, however they clearly maintain their humanistic morals and thoughts.
Conversly, in the Juniper Tree story, the boy is transformed into a bird only after he is dead. The transformation, many people would argue, represents a reincarnation or afterlife. I believe this transformation represents the middle ground between death and life- the boy cannot die an unjustified and unavenged death. I believe this speaks to the supposed purity of children and the sense that children should not die a wrongful death (I realize this may be a stretch). Therefore, the boy is reincarnated to a bird like exterior, but maintains his human interior. I dont think he is purely animal or human- he is a mixture of both (animal exterior and human interior). That is one of the advantages of using fantasy and magic in fairy tales- anything is fair game. The song the bird sings represents this hybrid of bird and boy. In the other tales, the birds were unable to communicate with humans. I think the fact that the bird in the Juniper Tree can communicate with humans demonstrates his human like qualities. For one of the main characteristics of a humans is their ability to communicate with one another.
The fact that the boy comes back from the dead, only after the malicious step mother who wronged him in the first place, represents the righteousness of justice. When justice is served, the wrong doings of the accused is made right. The boy comes back to life because he was not meant to die in the first place and when the step mother dies, she takes his place in the afterlife. And in fairy tales authors can bring people back from the dead- they can do whatever they want.