One way to understand Joyce Carol Oates “A Brutal Murder In A Public Place” is through the symbolic treatment of the bird. She highlights societies disregard for animal life and rights. The story begins with a faint sound of a bird chirping which caught the attention of others “The seated traveler’s continue to look around, quizzical and bemused” (Oates 22), however an airport announcement later put a stop to the birds chirping. The people who were once intrigued went back to what they were previously doing, showing how quick interest is lost. Throughout the story the narrator only grows…