The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang, translated by Chi-Young Kim
This short novel tells the story of Sprout, a hen who was kept caged as a layer, unable to even sit on her own eggs as she laid them. She watched the farmyard as she saw other animals moving about, wishing she could as well, wishing that she could hatch an egg, wishing she could be closer to the acacia tree she could see from her cage. She constantly stuck her neck through the wire, causing it to be always scraped free of feathers. She stopped eating.
As the farmers noticed, they determined she was ill and gathered her and others similarly diagnosed and disposing of them. Buried in a pile of other chickens, Sprout was awakened by an encouraging voice, a voice that drew her up and caused her to make her escape from a determined weasel. Her life as a free chicken had finally begun. It wasn't an easy life, struggling for food, living a lonely existence on the edge of the yard. But then something unexpected happened that made her believe her dreams really could come true. As a reader, seeing her determination and her will to survive, I was cheering for her to live her dreams despite the odds.
This is a tale of hope, although I didn't think much of the farmers, and the way they treated their chickens.
I heard of this one other time and wanted to read it, but then I forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me of it.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine sent it to me, and reminded me of it recently. It was a quick read.
ReplyDelete