Harry’s Change
October 11, 2011
Cynthia Rylant’s “Papa’s Parrot” tells the story of Harry and the changes he experiences as he begins junior high school. We see a completely different character at the end of the story, and we learn the same lesson that Harry learns. Harry learns that the things he places importance in are not in fact the most important things in his life.
At the beginning of the story, Harry often goes to visit his father at the store, revealing a close relationship. He helps out at the store, and his friends come along with him, buying candies and nuts. Everyone enjoys the afternoon. Harry is a happy child.
When Harry begins junior high, he and his friends have more spending money and different interests. They are no longer children: they’re becoming more interested in spending time with each other than with a parent. Their primary reference group is their peers, not their parents. It is during this time that Harry’s father gets the parrot, adding to Harry’s embarrassment.
The turning point of the story comes when Harry’s father gets sick and Harry must go to his father’s store to accept deliveries and do some organizing. The parrot begins saying the oddest things: “Where’s Harry?” and “Miss him.” Harry, eventually realizing the parrot is only repeating things it heard his father say, realizes that perhaps the change are too drastic: he understands the importance of the relationship with his father. The story explains this change of heart by ending with Harry heading to the hospital to visit his father.