Joyas Voladoras Theme

Inspired by his struggles and the life of his son, author Brian Doyle wrote the short story “Joyas Voladoras” to share a message about emotions and the pain of love. He uses metaphors involving comparing the hearts of humans to other living organisms in order to communicate with the reader that all living things feel emotions. In “Joyas Voladoras,” Brian Doyle portrays the idea that every living thing has a heart, and no matter the size, they all have the ability to feel the pain of love. In this short story, the whales represent love and a connection between family members. The whales, after being raised by their mothers, disappear from their families at seven or eight years old to journey the vast ocean with their partner. Doyle states, “But we know this: the animals with the largest hearts in the world generally travel …show more content…
He suggests that no matter how much someone protects their heart, it can be broken down in an instant. Doyle says, “You can brick up your heart as stout and tight and hard and cold and impregnable as you possibly can and down it comes in an instant…” (Doyle). No matter how apathetic people try to be, everyone has had their breaking points. All living things are alike in the fact that we all share the ability to feel no matter the size of our heart or whether or not we have one. “Joyas Voladoras” is an influential story that shares a message about emotions. Throughout “Joyas Voladoras,” the author compares the hearts of humans to the hearts of other living things to explain the pain of love. The whales, bacteria, and humans together represent emotions and its ability to make someone feel pain even in the midst of the most beautiful thing, love. In addition to that, he explains that no matter the size of something's heart, it has the ability to feel