realize that this is a behavior that does not come from the heart, but from an inner desire to grow and become independent. Either way, it is a sad realization that sometimes comes to us a little too late in life. 

Just take a look at the symbols in the story. The fact that Harry's dad was "fat" and worked in a candy store denotes the innocence of Harry, who had no issue with it, and whose friends also visited the candy store...when they were very young.

Later on, as things become more sophisticated and aesthetic in the eyes of the growing youths, the candy store becomes instantly associated with childhood; this is why Harry and his friends quit going to the candy store and prefer to use the newer, "cooler" penny machines to get their candy from it; they are still young, but now they are growing. Everything associated with their childhood is to be rejected, and the people associated with it, as well. 

When Harry's dad gets the parrot, it is clear that he does it because he felt lonely. In fact, he speaks to it more than he does to people. When he has his heart attack, Papa can no longer tend to the candy shop, so Harry steps up and promises to take care of it. It is then when he hears the parrot speak the words that he hears his owner say the most:

Where is Harry? I miss him.

Feeling pained and guilty, Harry realizes that his Dad loves him and misses him. Harry breaks down and cries, saying, maybe a little too late,

I am here.

Therefore, the key theme is family, its dynamics, and coming of age. It is very hard for parents to see their children grow and leave the "nest". While their children do not realize it, that need to separate hurts parents sometimes at the very core. That is one of the "growing pains" of life. 

The answer to this question can be found in the response of Harry when he goes to his father's shop and hears the words that Rocky, the parrot that belongs to his father, utters to him. The fact that these words must have been said many times for the parrot to learn them makes their import even more significant. Harry hears Rocky say "Where's Harry?" and then "Miss him! Miss him!" This causes Harry to experience intense guilt and sadness as he realises for the first time just how much his father loves him and has missed him whilst he had been desperate to avoid him because he was embarrassed by him.

The story's theme therefore is two-fold: firstly it focuses on the way that time is so short and we must make the most of the relationships that we have now rather than ignoring them. Secondly, it also comments upon the tendency of adolescents to move too far away from their parents and to miss out on that crucial relationship because they are going through a stage where they choose not to associate with their parents at all.

The main idea in the short story "Papa's Parrot" is how hurtful innocent lack of awareness of others' needs can be.

Harry Tillain has always been close to his Papa, who runs a candy store. When Harry was younger, he would frequently come with his friends to visit his Papa at work, and his Papa looked forward to those visits, and appreciated them with all his heart. As Harry grows older, however, his interests begin to change. The candy store no longer holds the allure that it did when he was younger, and, truth be told, Harry is a little embarrassed by his Papa's habit of talking out loud to the parrot that he bought when Harry began hanging out with his friends at places more interesting to him than his Papa's store. Absorbed in his own interests, Harry never even thinks about how his actions affect his Papa, until one day, his Papa has a heart attack. Papa is laid up in the hospital for a time, and Harry offers to take care of things at the candy store until he is better. While he is cleaning up at the store, Papa's parrot repeatedly utters the words, "Where's Harry? Miss him!" The parrot has learned the words from his Papa, who clearly has repeated them a lot during his long, lonely hours working at the store. Harry has never thought about how his changing interests and activities have affected his Papa; the parrots words make him realize how very much his innocent neglect has hurt the older man.

The moral of the story is the same as the main idea in this case. Through his experiences, Harry realizes the importance of being aware of the needs of someone he loves, with the understanding that his actions have a great impact on his Papa, whom he really does love deeply.

Cynthia Rylant's story "Papa's Parrot" is one of a collection of short stories in her book Every Living Thing. All of the stories in the collection depict how animals influence human relationships. In "Papa's Parrot," a boy named Harry has been neglecting his father, who he once spent a lot of time with and enjoyed his company. In recent years, Harry has been embarrassed by his father and stops to visit him at work. However, when Harry's dad has a heart attack, Harry begins running the store, and learns from his dad's parrot that his father often thought about Harry and talked about him often to the parrot (judging from the parrot's mimicked phrases). The main idea is that Harry learns an important lesson from listening to the bird: he should not be embarrassed of those who love him, and he should cherish the time he has with his father. Harry comes to this realization and rushes off to be with his father in the hospital. It is assumed that Harry will spend more time with his father in the shop now when his father returns to work. If it were not for the parrot, Harry wouldn't have realized that his father so often talked about his son.