Tarjei Vesaas

"The story of Mattis, with learning difficulties, who lives in a small house near a lake with his sister Hege who ekes out a modest living knitting sweaters. From time to time Mattie encourages her brother to find work to ease their financial situation, but Mattits's attempts come to nothing. When, finally, he sets himself up as a ferryman, the only passenger he manages to bring across the lake is a lumberjack, Jørgen. When Jørgen and Hege become lovers, Mattis finds he cannot adjust to this new situation"--P. [4] of cover.

The birds

Mat Connor

The Birds is an amazing feat of imaginative empathy.  Norwegian author Tarjei Vesaas takes us inside the inner world of Mattis, a mentally challenged man who lives with his patient but tired sister Hege. Vesaas tried to imagine how the mind of a mentally challenged person might work. We experience Mattis’ anxiety and confusion, but also his childlike sense of wonder and growing confidence when he proves his ability on a job. The parts that really touched me were the moments when Mattis could sense the people in his village treating him with impatience and indifference. He can feel that they are treating him differently than everyone else, but he doesn’t understand why. 

When I was in Junior High, there was a mentally disabled man and his younger sister on my bus route. He was more severely challenged than Mattis, barely verbal and had some physical limitations. He did have one superpower though. The first time he met anyone he would run up to them all excited and ask “Votre fette? (Your Birthday?)” He didn’t ask for your name, just your birthday. On your birthday--it didn’t matter how long ago you told him—he would run up to you, hug you, and say “Bonne fette!” There were probably 400 people or so in our school and I swear he knew most of their birthdays. I’ve always found that amazing. 

The dynamic between him and his sister reminded me of Mattis and Hege. On our bus, I don’t remember her ever talking to him. You could tell she was protective but also a little worried that he might do something to embarrass her. It’s a complex thing to explain. I appreciate that Vesaas has just as much empathy for Hege’s situation as he did for Mattis.

I could not stop thinking about this man on my bus route while reading this book. Kids and teenagers can be cruel, but I don’t remember people treating him poorly. I do remember that some people would be visibly uncomfortable when he would try to hug them on their birthday. I remember that he would always sit alone on the bus. While reading this book, I kept thinking of this man and wondered if he noticed that people treated him differently than everyone else. I kept wondering where he is today.

The Birds is a great example why placing the reader in someone else’s shoes, asking them to see the world from another perspective, is the most powerful thing fiction can do.

The birds

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