Flight Behavior

“title” Barbara Kingsolver’s novel, “Flight Behavior,” strays from the customary novel average readers are used to. Kingsolver’s education in biology is exposed throughout her novel causing the readers to experience a more scientific perspective on the story. The story takes place inside Dellarobia Turnbow’s mind; a restless farmers wife who got pregnant at seventeen and, as a result, had a shotgun marriage. Her life since then has been a wreck. Her marriage is deteriorating, her farm is failing and she finds no more joy in her life. She attempts to rendezvous with a man to temporarily help fill the emptiness in her life. However, on her way to the tryst she sees a remarkable sight which she believes to be a treacherous forest fire. The “fire” happened to be a huge collection of Monarch Butterflies fluttering around the trees. Dellarobia considers this sight to be a vision of glory; a cautionary miracle which causes her whole life to change. This “vision of glory” brings people of all sorts into Dellarobia’s life; including news reporters, scientists, sightseers, and opportunists. These experiences expose Dellarobia to different worlds where not everyone is poor and uneducated. She begins to question her standard of living and compares it to others. Throughout the story the reader notices noteworthy transformations in Dellarobia’s character. What causes Dellarobia’s character to change as the story progresses? Adapting to change is believed to be essential for survival. This instinct is seen in insects constantly. Is Dellarobia trying to survive, or has she always been dead and is now just eager to be resurrected? Kingsolver reveals throughout her novel that nature and humans alike need to adapt to changes in the world in order to survive.
The first instance the reader sees people adapting to their environment in order to survive is when Dellarobia meets the Delgado family. The family heard about the butterflies migrating onto Dellarobia’s families property