Through the use of characterization, Oates demonstrates throughout the text how humans are indifferent to animal suffering. In the short story, everyone is captivated by the sound of the bird chirping but after an announcement most passengers " ...turn[ed] back to their preoccupations from before" (Oates 129). The characters only show interest towards the bird when it entertains them, but the second they get a different opportunity to get distracted they take it. They all do this knowing there's a little bird trapped somewhere. This further shows how society is indifferent to animals when…