Analysis of Margaret Atwoods' short story "The Resplendent Quetzal"

"The Resplendent Quetzal", by Margaret Atwood, is the story of Sarah and Edward, a disparaging husband and wife, who lost their child at birth and consequently lost their love for one another. This story focuses on the individual way that they dealt with the same tragedy and how it led them to become who they are today. Atwood uses symbolism and descriptive character analysis to show how far the degeneration of their relationship has gone. …

…om her moment of distress and "[smoothes] her skirt" (280), resuming her standard functional relationship with Edward. She then asks Edward if he had found his bird. Sarah had said that the one bird she wanted to see on their trip was the Resplendent Quetzal. It is obvious that neither of them will find their "bird" on this trip. Their bird is the happiness of their past that they sacrificed by repressing their problems and fears.