Perspectives

Here we will help you put “Owl” by Jackie Key in perspective, to reflect on current issues, literary period, and similar works.

Current issues

The story explores universal themes like making the most of life and friendship in a modern context. The story presents friendship as a relationship that can help people overcome hardships and disappointments in life. Parents’ affairs, separation, and getting old are aspects that seem lighter when you have a friend to whom you can talk about them; this is the story’s message. The story makes us reflect on the importance of friendship. How important do you think it is to have good friends around during difficult times? Do you think present generations that live in a society focused on individualism appreciate friendships as much as past generations? 

Literary period

The short story falls within the literary movement called Postmodernism. This movement developed in the last 70 years and is still the movement which defines contemporary literature. Spanning over such a long time implies that the features of Postmodernism are quite diverse and difficult to frame in rigid categories.

Some of the traits associated with postmodernism that you can identify in Jackie Kay’s text are: the focus on ordinary characters with normal lives that are challenged by issues w...