Wild Bird

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2017

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

Shedding Labels and Embracing Self-Discovery

One of the central theme of the book is hinted at in the title itself, for the “wild” 14-year-old Wren is sent to wilderness therapy camp to deal with a host of issues, from substance abuse to delinquent behavior. As the story unfolds, the isolation and loneliness at the heart of Wren’s issues emerges, and she feels unmoored and unsettled. This dynamic is further exacerbated by a not-yet-cohesive sense of personal identity. Thus, the moniker of “Wild Bird” is a fitting epithet that she comes to embrace as she moves beyond the issues of her troubled past.

Wren’s search for identity and belonging is what draws her to Meadow. It is significant that the two girls bond over their shared dislike of their respective names. In Wren’s case particularly, this dislike signifies her rejection of her family’s expectations, especially because she believes she has tried and failed at living up to them. Wren resents the comparisons made between her and Annabella, who is pretty, popular, and makes friends easily. Similarly, she is constantly irritated by the associations people make using her name, such as Dax’s teasing, or her mother addressing her as “Baby Bird” in a letter.

At camp, however, Wren joins an environment where people know about her past and still take her at face value instead of jumping to unfavorable conclusions. When she denies substance use, she is not questioned further, even though it is a blatant lie. When she yells at the adults to leave her alone, they do—even if it is sometimes to her detriment, though this in turn helps her learn about consequences and accountability. Most importantly, the adults and teens at camp approach her with acceptance and positivity, offering her help and commending her willfulness and intelligence.

Thus, for the first time, Wren experiences positive labels that help her to explore which parts of her feel authentic and which would she like to nurture. She decides to put her willfulness to good use, learning different skills as fast as possible and using her storytelling abilities to bond with the other campers rather than telling hurtful lies as she used to do at home. Even Wren’s inherent need to push boundaries is put to good use; she pushes back against the social hierarchy within the camp to make things more equal and welcoming for both herself and her fellow Coyotes, as well as the new ones that eventually join.

Another major breakthrough for Wren is the three-day quest she completes, for the self-reliance she must exhibit shows her that she is capable of dealing with struggles far more intense than she could have imagined. The physical isolation also forces her to confront her past actions. Witnessing her own growth over these past weeks gives Wren the confidence that she can truly turn her life around. By the time Wren returns from the quest, by her own confession, she is a changed person. However, she is arguably the same person, albeit one that has been on a personal journey which allows her to look beyond the limitations of labels, identity authentic parts of herself and make an empowered choice to live and express herself in healthier ways.

The Struggles of Adolescence

Wild Bird focuses on Wren’s banishment to wilderness therapy camp because of the number of issues she has been facing for the past couple of years. While her journey is one of self-discovery, the novel also emphasizes the reasons and origins of her many behavioral and emotional issues. Accordingly, a considerably part of the narrative is spent on flashbacks and reflections that show Wren’s life before camp, all of which point to a single, underlying idea: the vulnerability of adolescence.

Things begin to spiral out of control for Wren when her family moves to a new city, for a preadolescent Wren is thrust into an entirely new environment that exacerbates her existing insecurities. She feels lonely and unsure of herself, and her lack of confidence is worsened by her sister’s easy social successes. Annabella is older, and supposedly prettier and more confident, and Wren feels cast aside in favor of her sister’s new friends. Thus, Wren feels both abandoned and threatened by her sister, whom she cannot successfully emulate well enough to make her own friends.

Wren’s loneliness and the escalating tension between the sisters goes unnoticed and unaddressed, for their parents not as present or engaged as they used to be. Wren continues to have a close relationship with Mo, but because she is older than he is, she feels more responsible and nurturing toward him; her bond with Mo is a positive one but is not a source of support for Wren herself. Combined with the fact that Wren’s age leaves her thirsty for peer company, these circumstances compel Wren to find unhealthy ways to fill that void by bonding with and emulating Meadow. Furthermore, Meadow also provides Wren with a pleasurable and escapist avenue to deal with her loneliness and frustration, and this causes Wren to first abuse both marijuana and alcohol, spiraling into addiction.

Meadow’s influence is also a potent one, because it comes at a time in Wren’s life when there is a developmental lack of impulse control and a need to push boundaries. Thus, Wren falls into an unhealthy and destructive set of behaviors, including lying, stealing, and substance abuse. She also begins to engage in more deeply illegal activities when she becomes involved with Nico and his gang. When Wren finally arrives at camp, she is in a terrible place, and her deep-seated frustration, anger, and pain cause her to display violent and antisocial behavior.

At camp, Wren learns about other girls’ stories and realizes that many others have experienced far more tragedy than she has, from parental neglect to outright abuse. However, all of the stories indicate that adolescence is a particularly vulnerable phase in an individual’s life and that the same experience can be perceived differently by different people. Thus, Wren slowly begins to unravel her inner conflicts and view her parents’ behaviors and reactions in a different light. Most importantly, however, the camp provides the support system that Wren and the other girls have been lacking during the most vulnerable time in their lives, including structure, discipline, and a balance between accountability and agency.

The Healing Power of Nature, Community, and Storytelling

The journey that Wren embarks on forms the central storyline of the novel, and it is a journey of self-discovery and healing. This healing takes place through three different avenues, which are ultimately interlinked: nature, community, and storytelling. In the unique setting of the wilderness therapy camp, it soon becomes clear that this is a “last resort” solution for Wren’s parents, who have already tried numerous other options. Such camps do exist, though people’s experiences there are not always as idealistic as Wren’s, and the camps are not always as ethically and responsibly run. However, the novel does accurately reflect the healing power that spending time in nature can bestow.

Full immersion in the wilderness helps Wren to join the rhythm of the natural world as she spends her days in tune with the rise and fall of the sun. Without other tasks or distractions, she is also forced to slow down. This inevitably leads her to reflect on the issues she has been trying to escape. This represents a significant step forward, and the camp’s tendency to strip away all the nonessential elements of life and force the girls to focus only on survival allows them to gain a new perspective over time. Wren learns what she really needs to survive, and with the acquisition of key survival skills, she begins to feel more confident and secure in her own identity and competence. Surviving in the wild therefore equips Wren with the self-assurance to face other kinds of struggles in her life back home.

A huge factor that helps Wren while at camp is the community itself, for she lives with other girls her age who come from different backgrounds but face similar issues. The counselors themselves have also had similar experiences. As they all strive to make positive changes, this dynamic models a different way of living and provides Wren with support from people who understand her issues and can genuinely help. This stands as a sharp contrast to Wren’s parents and sister, from whom she feels disconnected. She also prefers the counselors to her previous therapists, and the separation from Meadow and Nico is absolutely essential to regaining her own sense of herself.

Storytelling is the third part of the puzzle that truly helps Wren to heal, and it does so in multiple ways. Most importantly, she reclaims the label of a storyteller as a positive one, which is validating and self-affirming, even finding a place for herself as the official storyteller of the group. She also confronts her deeper issues by sharing and communicating her stories over time, both by talking with the other girls and by writing letters to her family.

Nature, community, and storytelling are also interlinked in the way they help Wren heal and grow. At the most basic level, the pressing need to find food, water, and shelter supersedes all other concerns, for failing to do so has unavoidable consequences, as Wren’s first night in the rain soon teaches her. Thus, the natural world teaches Wren accountability and responsibility, and it also emphasizes interdependency, for Wren needs the community around her to survive and thrive.

Ultimately, in order to work together, the girls must build mutual trust, which necessitates communicating and sharing stories. Thus, storytelling around the fireplace with Mokov becomes a joyful bonding activity. This is balanced by the group therapy sessions that emphasize a different kind of storytelling that is more challenging to engage in. However, having fireside storytelling sessions in an informal way allows Wren and the campers to recognize the value of storytelling as a safe community activity. This helps them to more willingly participate in Tara’s therapy sessions. In this way, an interlinked combination of nature, community, and storytelling all work to facilitate Wren’s healing.