Oskar shares this idea with no context whatsoever. He suddenly cuts in with a new invention. "And also, there are so many times when you need to make a quick escape, but humans don't have their own wings, or not yet, anyway, so what about a birdseed shirt?" (2)
The idea of the birdseed shirt strikes me because I have never heard or would have thought of something like that ever. I think it is a great idea and a great way to escape from certain situations. In cases of emergency, the shirt would always be able to help fly away from the situation. This image made me think of people committing suicide on 9/11 by jumping off the top of the tower. If they had all had bird-seed shirts on, theoretically the birds would take them away. the image of birds often is a symbol of freedom and life i.e. A White Dove. this is one think oscar thinks about often, freedom.
"Our laughter kept the feathers in the air. I thought about birds. Could they fly if there wasn’t someone, somewhere, laughing?" (78)
September 11 and birds are related because if people had a birdseed shirt, then they could have just jumped out the window and let the birds fly them to safety. I think this idea of the birds taking him to safty is relating to how the Character might feel presured in day to day life, i think the way he is thinking id reflecting on how he feel about his life. heseems like a strong individule who is sure of his step and who he is. but at the same time the birds can act as a metaphore where he feels cooped up and isnt ready to take on life so he feels he should find an escape.
"Then, out of nowhere, a flock of birds flew by the window, extremely fast and incredibly close. Maybe twenty of them. Maybe more. But they also seemed like just one bird, because somehow they all knew exactly what to do.” (168)
The Gramda she tried to learn idioms to become a "true American" she constantly brings birds into the letter with oskar and that could relate to the idiom two love birds between her and her husband.
"'During the spring and autumn bird-migration season, the lights that illuminate the tower are turned off on foggy nights so they won't confuse birds, causing them to fly into the building.' I told her, 'Ten thousand birds die every year from smashing into windows,' because I'd accidentally found that fact when I was doing some research about the windows in the Twin Towers. 'That's a lot of birds," Mr. Black said. [...] 'Yeah, so I invented a device that would detect when a bird is incredibly close to a building, and that would trigger and extremely loud birdcall from another skyscraper, and they'd be drawn to that."(250)
Birds might be used as a reference to 9/11, he mentions how many birds crash into the windows of the twin towers, and maybe the birds are like planes, but when they hit the window, they die.
"As I was halfway across the street, I heard clapping behind me, almost like the birds' wings outside Mr. Black's window." This quote could show that the "renters" hands are a part of his freedom, just like Mr. Black being able to hear the birds finally was a sort of freedom for him. Freedom from hearing silence...
When Oskar is talking to the Mr. Black , he turns on Mr. Black's hearing aid for the first time in years and the first thing he hears is "a flock of birds flew by the window, extremely fast and incredibly close." (165)
Inventions Oskar's birdseed shirt relates to birds.
Oskar's bird call idea so the birds won't fly into windows invention.
Birds relate very much to Oskar's feelings about the death of his father and the freedom he wishes he had, from the "heavy boots" from his father's death.
Birds also represent freedom (and are also normally a good choice for depicting freedom because of the freeness it seems they have when they fly)for multiple characters in the novel. For instance, when Oskar's grandpa can hear again and he hears the birds outside the window.