What are Nat Hocken's struggles and motivations in "The Birds"?

In “The Birds,” Nat Hocken has the apparently impossible struggle of keeping himself and his family safe from the vicious attacks of killer birds. Nat's efforts to survive form the heart of the story, allowing the author to explore the human response to extreme danger, and Nat is motivated primarily by a desire to protect himself and his family.

Nat is especially attuned to the natural world, so he is immediately aware of the birds' changing habits. They are becoming aggressive and nasty, yet Nat seeks some kind of natural explanation. This is a normal human response; Nat wants to understand the world around him.

Yet this world has quickly become extremely unfamiliar, and Nat must focus on keeping himself and his family alive. He blocks and fights the birds in every way he can think of, and survival becomes a priority in a way it has never been before. Du Maurier spends so much time on these efforts to survive in order to explore the lengths human beings will go to keep on living and their emotional responses to such stress.

Nat actually does very well at keeping his fear under control. Guided by his reason and knowledge, Nat works logically to secure his house the best he can. He also strives to calm his wife and children in their fear. He thinks of small tasks for them to do and cheers them up as best he can, always putting their needs and safety before his own. Nat would sacrifice his life for his family if necessary, and in the end, he brings them close to him to await the final attack, consoled that at least they will die together.

Finally, Du Maurier uses this story to reflect on how little control human beings actually have over the natural world. We humans like to think that we are in charge and that we can change our circumstances and our environments according to our own will. Very often, however, this is not the case, and Nat Hocken's story allows us to see that clearly.

What are some of Nat Hocken's internal conflicts in "The Birds"?

In the story "The Birds," by Daphne du Maurier, Nat Hocken finds himself in a situation filled with conflict of virtually every nature.  The internal conflict facing Hocken is a driving force for many of his actions.  As the head of his household, Hockens must face and overcome his own emotions in order to protect those he loves and feels he must protect.

Near the beginning of the story, Hocken struggles to make sense of the attacks of the birds.  Hocken has been taught to find scientific reasons for occurences in nature, as most people have.  However, he finds that his reasoning skills cannot unveil the force motivating the birds to attack, though his clearness of thought does enable him to understand patterns and other aspects of the birds' behavior.  The violence of the birds is especially unnnerving because of its unknown origin.  Hocken fulfills his role as provider and protector despite his own fears and misgivings.

"How are we off for food?" he said.

"Now, Nat, whatever next?"

"Never mind.  What have you got in the larder?"

"It's shopping day tomorrow, you know that.  I don't keep uncooked food hanging about, it goes off.  Butcher doesn't call till the day after.  But I can bring back something when I go in tomorrow."

Nat did not want to scare her.  He thought it possible that she might not go to town tomorrow.  He looked in the larder for himself, and in the cupboard where she kept her tins.  They would do for a couple of days.  Bread was low.

In addition to caring for his own family, Hocken struggles with feeling he must convince others to take precautions against the birds.  Other people, such as the Triggs, fail to take the warnings of Hockens and others seriously; this is upsetting to Hocken, since he has a sense of the importance and implications of the birds' presence.  Hocken must struggle within himself to accept his inability to persuade others to follow his lead.