¶ … Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe [...] how the name "bird" represents the characteristics of the main character and describe how his name corresponds to the actions he takes throughout the novel. It will also discuss if he was ever able to outgrow the nickname. "Bird" is the perfect name for a character that flits from person to person, flies away when times are hard, and dreams of migrating to Africa to get away from his troubles at home. Bird is not ready for fatherhood or a family, and so he abandons the "nest" for revelry and excess, until he finally takes responsibility for his actions, and sheds his childhood nickname forever. Bird" is the nickname of the main character in "A Personal Matter." He is so much like a bird that he even looks like a bird, as the author notes early in the story. He writes, "It wasn't only that his hunched shoulders were like folded wings, his features in general were birdlike" (Oe 3). Throughout the novel, the author compares Bird to his namesake, sometimes subtly, and sometimes not so subtly. When he meets his in-laws at the hospital to find out about the baby, Oe writes, "He shivered, not violently as in the driveway, but with the helplessness of a weakened chick" (Oe 17). Thus, throughout the book, the reader cannot forget Bird's characteristics and his weaknesses. He is a bird, and a young bird at that. He is unable to take on the realities of life because he is not mature enough to handle them. He is still a chick that has not found the strength to leave the nest, and relies on others to mask his pain and his naive youthful...

He is flying away from his troubles, and acting as if he ignores them, they will disappear on the wind. This not only represents how Bird is like his namesakes, who fly away on the wind, it shows how immature he is, and how he may be 27 years old, but he is really still a boy. He would rather fly away than take responsibility for his "vegetable" son, and the only thing that gives him pleasure is running away from responsibility. Even his movements mimic that of a bird. He is often tentative, awkward, and gawky, just like an ungainly bird on land. He even reacts to adversity like a bird - regurgitating up his whiskey like a bird regurgitates dinner for their young. He is unable to face his family or his ruined child, and like males in many bird families, he leaves the family alone to fend for themselves, while he is off looking for a new girlfriend.
There is another characteristic that shows Bird is like his namesake, and even worse. Throughout the story, there are small, sometimes subtle references to animalistic violence. For example, "Abruptly, as if hatred had grown too much for him, he bit into Himiko's neck where it joined her shoulder. Again she screamed" (Oe 86). These small, intimate moments indicate that Bird is more an animal than a man, and that he has violent tendencies like an animal. He is unable to face his fears and his problems…