Essay Questions

Show how the fear of being abandoned and deserted is explored in J. M. Barrie’s The Little White Bird.

The fear of being abandoned, rejected or deserted is well brought out in the work. Both the narrator and the character David share one common trait, that is, they both exhibit this fear. As a result of having been involved in a sequence of rather unsuccessful and defective relationships, th narrator convinces himself that he is not worthy of being loved or being in a relationship. Even though this is a rather selfish idea, the narrator expresses the same in a relationship with David thinking that he would leave as was fate in earlier relationships. In this way, this fear of being deserted is brought out.

Show how deception is brought out in The Little White Bird.

Deception and lies are central to the relationship between David and the narrator. As a result of the narrator's previously failed relationships, the idea that they are not lovable is still written within the mind. As a result of this feeling he always employs deceptive techniques to get people to be friends with him and compels them to stay, a concept that works on David as well. David becomes indoctrinated by the narrator to accept him as a replacement father.