'Flight' - An Overview

'Flight' - An Overview

1. The Old Man

   • Is jealous of Steven and disapproving of Alices' behaviour
   • At the start of the story the old man locks up his favourite pigeon, rather than let it fly

2. Alice

   • Alice has tears on her face, as she stares at her grandfather. But we do not know if they are for her grandfather, for Steven or for herself and we do not know if they are tears of joy or sadness.

3. Lucy

   • The old man complains to Alices mother Lucy about about Alicse behaviour

4. Steven

   • Steven, gives him a present of a new pigeon. This helps the old man accept what is going to happen.

5. Plot

   • An unnamed old man who keeps pigeons, worries about his granddaughter, Alice. The end of the story is ambiguous.

6. Theme

   • Leaving home and becoming independent are things which most people face sooner or later. They can be alarming, but they are natural and almost inevitable. Sometimes this kind of story is described in the phrase “rites of passage” - which fits narratives about growing up, moving on and life-changes.