The Hundredth Dove
The usual cycle of nature rings in your ears, birds chirping, streams flowing, and trees swaying in harmony with the wind. You patiently wait for your prey to come, silently sitting anticipating the perfect moment to pounce. The time comes and you leap in the air then wrap your net around the beautiful doves, but something seemingly impossible happens, an angelic white dove flies out of the silk net. Determination to catch the bird hits you like a ton of bricks, and you will not give up until you have served your king well. The short story The Hundredth Dove by Jane Yolen proves that in life our goal is to please others, it also shows that we will go to great lengths to make ourselves feel important.
Hugh the fowl hunter was stunned when he saw how gorgeous Lady Columbia was, instantly he felt the need to impress her, this shows that he would do whatever it took to show that he was the best hunter in the land. The hundred doves needed for the wedding seemed like a simple task but little did Hugh know that it would be nearly impossible. The dove is a symbol of peace, when Hugh finally caught the white dove it wished no more than to be let go without harm, but still Hugh needed the hundredth dove to please not only the king but his fiancée as well so he brought it to the table, dead. Since the wedding was not held Hugh killing the dove seemed like it was a mistake this shows that he made a bad decision as we all do in life.
Determination to hunt the white dove showed that Hugh would not give up until the bird was served at the kings wedding. Keeping a positive attitude was a large part of Hugh’s hunting experience but it started wearing down as he failed to catch the bird. Waiting and waiting for the bird to show seemed like an eternity but for him it was worth serving others. As the dove spoke in a velvety tone Hugh really considered not killing it but thought that his job was more important than the bird’s life. There is a fine line between doing what is right and wrong, Hugh crossed the line and ended without any glory or fortune.
Life has many opportunities that test who we are as a person. Hugh took this chance as time to show that he truly was the best but ended up without anything to show for. Serving others may bring us happiness but we are serving them for the wrong reasons we have to learn that the actions we perform might not be worth the consequences we might receive. Sometimes we need to make our decisions wisely and choose what is right or wrong; we learn from our mistakes and eventually will learn how to make the right choices in life.
