The Ogre (Day 2)

Write about 2 things that interest/intrigue you in the text.

Two things that stuck out when reading the novel were the antlers of the elk and the pigeons that were represented as twins. Tournier writes, "He stood with a pigeon in each hand, putting them together and setting them apart like the two halves of one simple harmonious object that has been accidentally broken. Everytime the two russet brothers touched, they formed an egg by an automatic reflex that intermingled all of their parts. It was as if they were drawn together by a magnetic force (143). I am not really sure what these pigeons represent, and the whole idea of the twins but I am guessing it could represent good and evil. After Tiffauges holds these pigeons that are artifically made into twins, as Madame Unruh states, he sees and hears the wings of the silver pigeon flying over him. Madame Unruh trembles because the silver pigeon was supposed to represent the union between her and her husband. Tiffauges does not scare the pigeons, he welcomes them when he places his hands out to get them on his hand. To me, this could mean that when he has one pigeon on one hand, that is the evil side, and when there is one on the other hand, it represents the goodness. I am not sure if the pigeons are a good thing, because Tournier writes that the more pigeons invade Tiffauge's life, the more he remains alone and becomes silent. He then helps a sick bird that he feeds with his own mouth and he feels a sort of connection with it. "He thought he could see in its eyes the look of a mind deepened and disillusioned by premature experience of lonliness and sorrow," which is similar to the way Tiffauges considers his life.


Tournier writes, "Tiffauges threw it open and staggered back before the monster that stood framed there. It was at once like a horse, buffalo, and a deer. It took a step forward and was immediately halted by its enormous antlers, with jagged tips, that got caught on the door posts. I think it is really interesting that the elk is described as a monster. This makes me think that there is some sort of parallel between Tiffauges and the elk. I think the antlers are a symbol as well. Antlers are also a feature of an animal that has two sides. There are two antlers on the elk, that I also think go along with the theme of good and evil and how it relates to Tiffauge's life. Tiffauges was really scared but then he got a piece of bread from the table and proceeded to feed the elk. The elf seemed satisfied and returned back outside, leaving Tiffauges alone. One night when the elk came back, Tiffauges saw that its eyes were covered in two white films, figuring out that it was blind. "Now Tiffauges understood the begging demeanor, the awkward gait, the somnambulistic slowness, and because of his own awful myopia he felt closer to the dark giant" (177).