Characteristics of Maggie and Don in the Rainbow Bird Essay

Maggie is a nature-lover & fascinated by nature. Instead of paying attention in class, Maggie’s mind â€Å"had been filled with a vision of the bird.† This clearly shows that she is so enthralled by the rainbow bird that she cannot concentrate in class. From what her mother said, â€Å"It’s a bird now†, I can infer that she may have other interests before. In school, she carried â€Å"beetles’ wings and cowries† about in her desk â€Å"to stare at† and this shows that she is a person who loves nature. Her love for nature is also evident in the way she reacts when she finds out that the Honey Man killed the rainbow bird and its family. Her anger and sorrow reveal how much the bird means to her. She is secretive, loner and is misunderstood by others. Maggie refuses to let her friends know about â€Å"her secret† about the rainbow bird. She is afraid that if they find out about the rainbow bird, they will start teasing and making fun of her. Maggie is very emotional, sensitive and revengeful. Upon hearing about the rainbow bird’s death, Maggie â€Å"lets herself get worked up† and started to curse the Honey Man. This is evident in â€Å"He will die. I know he will.. Serve him right, too† She hates the Honey Man so much that she describes him as a â€Å"devil† and a â€Å"beast† and wished that â€Å"forked lightning would leaped out of the sky and char him to ashes.† This clearly shows that Maggie holds a grudge against the Honey Man and is revengeful. Maggie immediately questioned the Honey Man, â€Å"What’re you doing with that gun?† This shows that Maggie is very straightforward and rude because she did not greet the Honey Man when she saw him. Immediately after school, Maggie â€Å"raced down† constantly urging Don to hurry up. This shows that she is anxious to meet the rainbow bird and impatient. She told Don to â€Å"chuck† the bird away and Don â€Å"obeyed† her. Maggie was able to make Don listen to her and able to control Don. Maggie could identify that it was Cafferty the Honey Man who was the â€Å"big, dark figure† on the slope. She could see a â€Å"lump† in his pocket. Maggie watched the Honey Man’s every move and is therefore observant. Even though the rainbow bird is dead, Maggie is still hating the Honey Man that he killed the bird. She also thought that the people were â€Å"burying the rainbow bird†. This shows that she is unrealistic and was still thinking about the rainbow bird. Maggie is imaginative. Although the rainbow bird is dead, Maggie is trying to â€Å"imagine† the rainbow bird and thought that the people were â€Å"burying the rainbow bird†. This shows that Maggie is very imaginative. Upon hearing that the Honey Man is charging â€Å"six-pence† for every rainbow bird, Don planned to go hunting for rainbow birds with other boys. He was not on his sister’s side and wanted to kill the rainbow birds for money. This shows that Don is greedy. Don â€Å"obeyed† his sister and â€Å"chuck† the rainbow bird away. Don wanted to † feel if there were any little ones† in the nest without considering that the mother bird would go away. He did not know that there was someone near the nest and was about to go on but Maggie stopped him. This clearly shows that he is rash, and do things without thinking. Even though the rainbow is dead, Don â€Å"pretended he did not care† and did not console his sister. He did not feel sad when the rainbow bird is dead. This shows that he is unfeeling and cruel.