Editor's Choice
In "The Birds", what minor incidents involving the farmer and Nat on December 3 foreshadow the story's conflict?
Quick answer:
On December 3, two minor incidents foreshadow the conflict: Nat notices the birds' restless and agitated behavior, lacking purpose or hunger, and Mr. Trigg observes an unusual increase in bird numbers, indifferent to the tractor. They attribute these changes to the sudden weather shift. These seemingly trivial observations create interest and subtly foreshadow the impending threat, as Daphne Du Maurier uses them to hint at the story's escalating tension.
The story opens on December 3 with two seemingly minor incidents: Nat observes a change in the behavior of the local birds. He finds them restless and agitated, completely lacking in any intent. Furthermore, the birds do not seem to feel hunger nor any desire when they feed.
Similarly, the farmer, Mr. Trigg, has also noticed some changes, as he explains to Nat:
There are more birds about than usual…And daring, some of them, taking no notice of the tractor.
The men believe that the weather has brought about these changes, that the sudden shift from autumn to winter has caused them to act unusually, as Mr. Trigg confirms:
It will be a hard winter. That's why the birds are restless.
By referring to these events as she sets the story's scene, Du Maurier creates an interest in the behaviour of the birds while also foreshadowing what will happen. To reinforce this sense of interest, Du Maurier makes these events seem minor and irrelevant which, in fact, has the reverse effect.
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