The Birds Nat Hocken Character Analysis

In the thriller short story “The Birds”, by du Maurier, there are many characters and events that occur to separate this story from almost any other story. By examining his characterization, morality, and functions, it becomes clear that du Maurier is characterizing Nat as a hero that takes danger and unexpectedness in a straightforward manner to reveal the certain skill and mindset needed in order to survive in the position that Nat is in.

Nat Hocken is one of the essential characters in the short story. He is presented to the reader as a solitary man, sitting down and watching the birds fly around and over the sea. He is also presented as having been in the war, the story stating that he was working on the farm part time, “... because of

a wartime disability…” (1) After the birds had attacked for the first time, Nat became very protective of his family and tended to them before anything else in the story. Although du Maurier tells us some things directly about Nat, his indirect characterization is plentiful.

Nat, although somewhat mysterious at this point, still has some solid personality.

He is very resistant to fear, as he dealt with the birds very calmly and even when he was being attacked or was about to be attacked, he stuck to his mindset and carried out whatever he had planned to do. Using that information and details from many other instances, the reader can infer that Nat will put his family and their protection in front of everything when they are in trouble or need him at all. After the first attack, instead of thinking of it as bad luck, “...He got up and started to work on the kitchen windows…” (10) Nat is also described and inferred to enjoy nature (at least until he was by the birds) and “sitting on the cliff’s edge, he’d watch the birds.” (1) Using all of du Maurier’s indirect characterization, the reader can learn much about Nat’s personality and how he would think and react to certain

events.

The reader can learn several things about Nat’s moral constitution based on how he handles many situations and the choices he makes.

After the birds attack Nat and his family the first time, Nat tries to warn all of his neighbors that they could potentially be in danger. Nat, realizing he and his family could be in danger, as well, boards up the windows, blocks the doors and does anything that would help keep his family safe. Nat’s character is shown most effectively when he is invited by Mr. Trigg to go shooting with several of his neighbors and instead of going decides to “...get along home…” (15) This shows the conflict in Nat and how his choices affect the story. With the choice of going with his neighbors and having some “fun” after a stressful day and terrifying previous night, he once again chooses to stay with his family and keep them safe. This moral constitution of Nat makes him a very powerful and resistant character to the reader and the characters in the book

alike.

Nat is du Maurier’s way of creating a protagonist to step up against all of the other supporting characters and rise to the top of the survivalists. Nat is a static character, with almost no visible changes in the story, disregarding the fact that he might not like nature due to his current situation. He is round, however, with many motivations in the story, such as when he hurried to the bus, in fear of the birds attacking Jill “... although he knew the bus would come to the top of the hill before four o’clock…” (12) and arrived very early. The way of how Nat reacts to the situation at hand sets a thrilling and haunting mood for the reader, as well as giving the bigger picture of how dire the situation is or how calm it is. He also helps suspense and action by giving an insight to his thoughts and what he deals with in the days after and during the bird’s attacks. Nat’s use of purpose in the story is very significant to the plot and helps emit du Maurier’s intended effect.

The development of Nat and his creation at all was crucial to the advancement and growing of “The Birds”. He was a fitting protagonist to face off against the birds and truly create a great atmosphere and plot, unusual to most any other story. By using the birds and his family, Nat is developed as a very caring, resistant, and brave many and hero to many people in the story. Everything together creates a realistic fiction piece sure to make any reader fear birds.