What are Jonathan Livingston Seagull's characteristics?

The novel is intended as a transparent allegory of the human condition structured as a kind of “hero's-journey” narrative, in which a pure soul is beset by conflict on its way to redemption and transcendence of their previously held limitations. While manifestly rooted in the practical self-help genre, Richard Bach's novel is nonetheless replete with a late 1960's hodgepodge of Eastern and Western religion and philosophy that came to his mind, fully written as a kind of prophetic revelation. Just as the novel is a composite of form and idea meant to be universally relatable as a blank screen for the reader to project their own consciousness and experience, the title character is a composite of certain qualities intended to serve Bach's main purpose.

Johnathan is committed to an authentic existence, and his self-possession and empathic awareness mark him not just as an outsider but as a mythic literary type of questing hero. Johnathan's passion and curiosity drive him to seek out the mysteries of the unknown world, not for his own enrichment or enlightenment but for the ultimate benefit of the Flock. In that way, Johnathan resembles not just an Arthurian knight but a messiah-type figure chosen by the creator/almighty to reveal the truth of existence to the doubters and haters and whose benevolence and teacherly vocation also resemble the life of the Buddha. In other words, Johnathan is a combination of very human virtues like kindness, curiosity, and daring that define his character as distinct from the other seagulls. Yet, he also illustrates the divine characteristics of selflessness, compassion, and forgiveness embodied by history's great sages and prophets that human beings strive for in their search for meaning and fulfillment.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is nothing if not an individualist. Like all individualists, he feels different from everyone else, as if he somehow doesn't belong with the common herd or, in his case, the common flock. Whereas the other birds are content to fly simply in order to catch food, Jonathan wants to understand the mechanics of flight in order to be able to soar higher and fly faster than any other seagull.

Jonathan is so determined to assert his difference from the other birds that he's prepared to risk turning himself into an outcast by his daring flight experiments. As well as demonstrating his individualism, Jonathan's actions also show him to be quite brave, as it takes a lot of courage for someone to break free of an established community and go it alone.

In case anyone might think that all this means that Jonathan's a little bit on the arrogant side, it's important to recognize that this remarkable seagull does have the humility to learn from those with superior knowledge. Jonathan is the willing student of Chiang, the Elder Gull, who encourages him to transcend the limitations of his physical body and achieve a state of spiritual well-being.

Having reached a state of spiritual and technical mastery, Jonathan is keen to return to earth and teach the other seagulls what he's learned. This shows us that Jonathan wants to put something back into his community, even though the other gulls treated him like an outcast.

Jonathan is a loner and a visionary. He is isolated because of two related characteristics: his love of flying, and his refusal to accept the flock's statements about the way things should be/work. (Given author Richard Bach's longstanding love for flying, we could see him as a stand-in for the author as well.) He's brave, and driven by a vision he feels more than understands: the need for speed. As a result, he becomes transcendent, a kind of hero figure who is self-transforming. You might call him an avatar for the New Age.

What is the theme of Jonathan Livingston Seagull?

The themes of Jonathan Livingston Seagull build on one another, culminating in the theme (message) that love and forgiveness are the all-important values in life. As Jonathan's mentor Chiang tells him,

Keep working on love.

But realizing the centrality of love comes only after Jonathan embarks on a long journey of self-discovery. This journey leads him, first, to understand he is different from the other gulls. They care about flying as a practical means to an end: for them, it is a tool to find food. Jonathan, in contrast, falls in love with flight as a thing itself. He spends all his time on the act of flying. He wants to soar ever higher and fly ever faster. He doesn't care if flying brings him food.

This non-conformity is not understood by the rest of the gull community, and the gifts of what he has learned are rejected by the other gulls. He is cast out. This angers him, though he is fortunate to be able to learn the knowledge of "perfect speed" by the gull Chiang in the higher realm he, Jonathan, has achieved.

All of Jonathan's wisdom and appreciation of flying is good, as is his arrival at a higher plane of existence, but—and this is key message of the book—the highest value lies in Jonathan's ability to forgive those who wronged him and give back to his society in love. Jonathan comes to understand this message and is able to go back to his flock as a loving and wise guide.

Sometimes sticking to your beliefs comes with a great price. Resisitng the current of ideas held to be true or acceptable can make you very unpopular or even bring ridicule and alienation. Going against the crowd can be a lonely road, but if you believe in yourself and your convictions, you are still a 'winner' at heart: "To thine own self be true."

Another theme is that isolation is often necessary for the transmission of knowledge. A leader must often distinguish himself from the crowd before he has any followers or before he can offer a different path from that which is already known.

The overall theme of the book is that we should all strive to reach our greatest potential and break out of the boundaries that limit us.  Bach tries to fuse the enlightenment thought that man (or gull) himself can overcome all obstacles with both New Age and Christian concepts of the soul and the afterlife to create his own spiritual philosophy.

What is the point of view in Jonathan Livingston Seagull?

The literary technique "point of view" is generally described in three categories:  first person, second person or third person. 

First person is the narrator, or writer or speaker, talking about himself or herself.  "I" did this, and "I" did that. 

Second person is the narrator, writer or speaker describing what is happening to "you."

Third person is talking about someone else, using words like "he," "she," and "they." 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is written in third person.  A narrator is telling you the story about Jonathan, so Jonathan's name is used many times, along with descriptions of what "he" is doing. 

There is another element to this, however, and that is the "viewpoint," which is slightly different.  This is a description of the focus of the narration.  In Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the viewpoint is clearly focused on Jonathan.  The whole story is about what Jonathan is doing, thinking, and feeling.  There are no conversations that do not involve him.  We, the readers, are not told anything that happens to anyone else, except what Jonathan sees and experiences.  This viewpoint keeps the feeling of the book very close, very tight, so that our experiences are Jonathan's experiences, and nobody else's. 

Many novels may use a third person narrator, but will have split viewpoints, as the novel jumps from one scene with some characters, then tells us about someone else in another time or place, then jumps back again, etc.  This keeps the reader completely involved in everything related to the novel, but not as closely tied to a single character. 

The point of view is third-person limited omniscient. The omniscient view extends to all events and the novel's exposition, but it is only into Jonathan's heart and mind that we are taken. The effect is to bring us closer to Jonathan than to the others in the novel. We can relate to him very strongly because we share his feelings as well as his experiences.

What is the moral of the story "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"?

The overarching moral of the story is that individuals need to 'do their own thing' instead of blindly following the often restrictive rules and regulations of society. Jonathan feels held back by his family. They have certain, limited expectations of what a seagull is and how it should behave. But Jonathan can't accept such a stifling worldview. He wants to achieve perfection in flight, to soar as high in the sky as his talents will take him. That means defying his family and breaking the rules. Only by doing so can Jonathan achieve his dreams.

Jonathan provides an example of someone going against conventional wisdom and showing others what they're really capable of if they put their minds to it. There are countless examples in history of great artists, scientists, and innovators who challenged the accepted values of their society to achieve what had previously been thought impossible. And that's precisely what Jonathan does. His single-minded pursuit of excellence lights a path for others to follow, instilling in them the confidence that they too can achieve greatness and individual fulfillment.