Owls in the Family

“[W]e could feel a cold breath rising from it. But we felt another breath, a gentle one, blowing across the distant wheat fields and smelling like warm sun shining on soft mud.”

This use of imagery to describe the prairies surrounding Saskatoon establishes Billy’s connection to the natural world, with which he is intimately acquainted. Additionally, the vivid descriptions in this section serve to highlight a keen awareness that life is different outside of the city in the natural world beyond. The breeze blows differently, the smell of the air is more inviting, and the warmth encourages exploration.

“‘All right,’ Bruce said to the two crows which were swooping and hollering at us. ‘If you want me to snitch your eggs—I will!’ With that he handed me his haversack and began to shinny up the tree.”

While the boys are somewhat fond of their “pets” and respect nature in a general sense, they are not sentimental about all animals, especially those that inconvenience them. Thus, it becomes a short leap for an animal’s status to shift from “pet” to “pest.” Bruce accordingly has no issue with stealing the crow’s eggs in retaliation for the inconvenience of being attacked from the air. He has not humanized these particular birds and therefore sees nothing wrong in acting unjustly and causing them harm.

“[T]here was Mutt, my dog—but he wasn’t a pet; he was one of the family.”

In his initial overview of his life and home, Billy makes it a point to emphasize that there is a distinct difference between animals that are kept at the home, like a pet, and animals that distinguish themselves as family.