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Pigeons
In the novel, fingerprints symbolize the fear of exposing one’s identity . This symbol is most closely associated with Auntie Sonia, who is an undocumented immigrant and burns off her fingerprints in order to avoid being detained by border control. Harri explains: “Your fingerprints tell them who you are. If you have no fingerprints, you can't be anybody. Then they don't know where you belong so they can't send you back.” Although Auntie Sonia has never harmed anyone, she is treated as a criminal due to strict immigration laws. This compels her to engage in a major act of self-harm and to destroy her own identity simply in order to be able to travel and live in different countries. Fingerprints are also important in the context of Dean and Harri’s mission to apprehend the dead boy’s killer. Dean has learned about the significance of fingerprints in criminal investigations from watching the TV program CSI and decides to imitate the detectives he sees on TV and gather fingerprints himself. As he and Harri are only able to use sellotape to gather the fingerprints, it does not seem likely that they will be able to use these as real evidence. However, when the pair gather Killa’s fingerprints, it makes him extremely flustered and later demands them “back,” which helps convince Harri and Dean that he truly is the murderer.
Fingerprints Quotes in Pigeon English
The Pigeon English quotes below all refer to the symbol of Fingerprints. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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April Quotes
Auntie Sonia burned her fingers to get the fingerprints off. Now she has no fingerprints at all. It's so if the police catch her they can't send her away. Your fingerprints tell them who you are. If you have no fingerprints, you can't be
anybody. Then they don't know where you belong so they can't send you back. Then they have to let you stay.
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Harri and his family have gone on the tube to visit Auntie Sonia at her apartment. Despite Mamma’s resistance, Auntie Sonia has decided to tell Harri and Lydia about how she burns her fingerprints off by pressing her fingers on the stove. In this passage, Harri’s reflects on Auntie Sonia’s reasoning for burning off her fingerprints. He concludes that because fingerprints give people a unique identity, without fingerprints “you can’t be anybody” and don’t belong anywhere. While this may sound like a rather terrible mode of existence, for undocumented immigrants like Sonia, it actually is a preferable state. Due to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati
Auntie Sonia hasn't even done anything bad. She's never killed anybody or stolen anything. She just likes to go to different places. She likes to see the different things there. Some of the countries won't let you in if you're black. You have to sneak in. When you're in you just act like everybody else. Auntie Sonia only does the same things as them. She goes to work and shopping. She eats her dinner and goes to the park.
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Auntie Sonia has explained to Harri and Lydia how she burns off her fingerprints in order to avoid being caught illegally crossing borders. In this passage, Harri explains that Sonia isn’t a criminal, even though she is treated like one because of immigration laws. His thoughts reflect the absurdity and injustice of such laws. Not only do these immigration laws have a strong element of racism (“some of the countries won’t let you in if you’re black”), they also target people who are completely ordinary and harmless. As Harri points out, Auntie Sonia is a normal person who works, contributes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occa
July Quotes
Fingerprints are just for feeling with and to help you hold onto things when they're wet. They don't really mean anything. If you didn't have fingerprints you could be anyone you wanted.
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In this passage, which opens the chapter set in July, Harri learns about the functions of different parts of the body in science class. He repeats the statement that “if you didn’t have fingerprints you could be anyone you wanted,” showing how fingerprints are closely tied to one’s entire identity, not just his or her physical makeup. However, his realization that fingerprints “don’t really mean anything,” perhaps speaks to his developing understanding of immigration, criminality, and injustice. It seems as if Harri now understands that Auntie Sonia shouldn’t have to burn off her fingerprints, as it is not her fingerprints Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusand
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