If These Wings Could Fly
Chapter Fifty-Eight
by McCauley, KyrieThe chapter opens with a sense of fragile restoration as the narrator observes that the physical damage from the previous night has mysteriously healed, yet the emotional wounds remain palpable. The mother’s tactile recognition of the once-shattered glass and wall underscores a shared awareness of the violence endured. Despite this, the oppressive presence of the abuser continues—he withholds keys, restricts movement, and monopolizes the phone, reinforcing a climate of control and fear. The narrator’s usual courage is replaced by a profound feeling of powerlessness, highlighting the intense emotional toll of living under such domination.
Amid this turmoil, the narrator turns to writing, focusing on a final column about local crow folklore, specifically the Morrigan, a Celtic goddess symbolizing war, fate, and death. The imagery of crows darkening the sky parallels the narrator’s internal struggle, while the town’s efforts to dispel the birds serve as a metaphor for confronting the darker realities lurking beneath the surface. The fleeting presence of the crows reflects the temporary nature of external disturbances, contrasting with the enduring, unseen conflicts within the narrator’s life and community.
The arrival of a scholarship flyer with the slogan “Auburn born, Auburn proud” triggers a critical reflection on the town’s culture. The narrator associates pride not with honor but with silence and complicity, revealing how local loyalty often masks the abuse and injustice inflicted upon women. The community’s tendency to ignore desperate cries for help and to protect male reputations at the expense of truth exposes a deep societal failure. This pride enforces shadows of secrecy and stigmatizes those who dare to speak out, perpetuating cycles of violence and denial.
Concluding the chapter, the narrator resolves to confront these harsh realities through writing, beginning with a bold thesis: “It is not the crows that make Auburn ugly.” This statement challenges the town’s willful blindness and calls attention to the true ugliness rooted in human behavior and social indifference. The chapter thus blends personal pain with broader social critique, using the motif of the crows to symbolize both the visible and invisible forces shaping the narrator’s world and the urgent need for truth and change.
FAQs
1. How does the narrator describe the atmosphere and events following the violent incident in the household?
Answer:
The narrator describes a quiet, long weekend after the violent incident, noting that everything broken the previous night appears mysteriously restored, with picture frames and walls smooth again. However, despite this outward calm, the oppressive control remains: the abuser never returns the keys, restricts their movement by not allowing them to leave the house, and keeps the phone, cutting off external contact. The narrator feels powerless and no longer fearless, highlighting an atmosphere of silent fear and control despite the physical restoration of the environment.2. What is the significance of the Morrigan and crow imagery in the narrator’s writing and how does it relate to the chapter’s themes?
Answer:
The Morrigan, a shape-shifting goddess of war, fate, and death in Celtic mythology, is closely associated with crows and is depicted as a harbinger of death. The narrator’s column about the Morrigan symbolizes looming danger and the inevitability of fate, reflecting the dark presence in her own life. The crows filling the sky, blocking out the sun, serve as a metaphor for the pervasive darkness and threat overshadowing the narrator’s world. This imagery reinforces themes of impending doom, struggle, and the weight of unseen or unacknowledged violence within the community.3. How does the narrator critique the concept of “pride” within the context of their town, Auburn?
Answer:
The narrator critiques Auburn’s pride as a harmful force that conceals painful truths and perpetuates silence around abuse. Pride is depicted as a barrier to seeking help, protecting the reputations of men at the expense of women’s safety, and fostering a culture where victims are labeled selfish for speaking out. This pride leads the townspeople to ignore cries for help and avert their gaze from uncomfortable realities, comforted by the belief that such issues are “none of our business.” The narrator’s reflection exposes pride as a mechanism that maintains oppression and denial rather than community strength.4. In what ways does the narrator’s scholarship essay serve as a form of resistance or empowerment?
Answer:
The scholarship essay becomes a platform for the narrator to confront and challenge the toxic silence and denial pervasive in Auburn. By beginning with a strong thesis—“It is not the crows that make Auburn ugly”—the narrator asserts a critical perspective that implicates the community’s moral failures rather than external factors. Writing this essay allows the narrator to articulate truths about abuse, complicity, and pride, transforming personal and communal pain into a public critique. This act of writing is empowering as it demands acknowledgment and accountability, breaking the cycle of silence and invisibility.5. What does the narrator imply about community responsibility and bystander behavior in the chapter?
Answer:
The narrator implies that the community’s failure to intervene or acknowledge abuse is a significant part of the problem. People in Auburn often look away or ignore signs of violence, such as frantic knocking in the night, because they prioritize protecting reputations or maintaining a comfortable status quo. This bystander behavior, motivated by pride and fear, effectively enables abuse to continue unchecked. The narrator’s observations critique this collective inaction and suggest that true community responsibility requires confronting uncomfortable realities rather than hiding behind indifference or denial.
Quotes
1. “This time, I don’t feel like challenging him. This time, I don’t feel fearless. I feel powerless.”
This quote captures a pivotal emotional shift in the narrator’s experience of domestic control and fear. It highlights the raw vulnerability and loss of agency that contrasts with previous moments of resistance, setting a somber tone for the chapter.
2. “In Celtic mythology, she was the shape-shifting goddess of war, fate, and death. She was most often depicted as a crow flying over battlefields and crying out for the dead. Sometimes she was seen as a predictor of death, landing on the shoulders of those who would soon meet their fate.”
Here, the author introduces the Morrigan as a symbol, linking local folklore to the chapter’s themes of fate, conflict, and foreboding. This mythological reference enriches the narrative by framing the crows as more than natural creatures—they become emblems of ominous change.
3. “This is what I know of pride. I know that it keeps the secrets of cruel men. I know that it holds us in the shadows, because we are too proud to admit we need help. I know that pride values a man’s reputation over a woman’s life. It calls her selfish for speaking up, even when she speaks the truth. Especially then.”
This powerful passage defines the corrosive nature of pride within the community, revealing how it perpetuates silence and injustice. It serves as a critical commentary on societal complicity and the cost of protecting appearances at the expense of truth and safety.
4. “This is a town where people see only what they want to see. This is a town where they see nothing at all.”
These sentences encapsulate the chapter’s central critique of denial and willful ignorance in the community. It sharply conveys the collective blindness that allows harm to persist unchallenged, emphasizing the narrator’s isolation and frustration.
5. “It is not the crows that make Auburn ugly.”
Concluding the chapter, this thesis statement reframes the narrative’s conflict. Instead of blaming the visible nuisance (the crows), it implicates deeper social and moral failings as the true source of ugliness, signaling the narrator’s resolve to expose uncomfortable truths.