The paper birds that the madwoman makes in her cell in the Tower represent how hope grows over the course of the novel. As the madwoman gradually discovers that Sister Ignatia thrives on others’ sorrow and hopelessness, the madwoman learns how to shut her own sadness in. As she does, she learns to perform magic and in doing so, cultivate hope within herself. This culminates in the paper birds, which allow the woman to keep hoping for the possibility of escaping her imprisonment and reuniting with her long-lost daughter, Luna. They do so by protecting the madwoman and her daughter (as when they attack Sister Ignatia) and eventually helping her to escape and find her Luna. The fact that the birds are made of paper and are created by the madwoman speaks to the fact that while hope may exist naturally in the world (as real birds do), it’s also possible to create hope for oneself through dedicated work.
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Paper Birds Symbol Timeline in The Girl Who Drank the Moon
The timeline below shows where the symbol Paper Birds appears in The Girl Who Drank the Moon. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 13. In Which Antain Pays a Visit
...shocked: paper is exceedingly expensive and yet, the madwoman’s cell is filled with thousands of paper bird s. They’re beautiful. The madwoman stirs. Antain barely recognizes her with her hair shaved and...
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...madwoman lies back down and laughs, which makes Antain shiver. Suddenly, Antain notices that the paper bird s are all facing him. The madwoman slowly tells Antain to tell Gherland that “she”...
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Chapter 15. In Which Antain Tells a Lie
Antain’s face scars terribly after his run-in with the paper bird s. The madwoman tried to stop the bleeding, but the Sisters finally found both her...
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...back as a staff member. Antain says nothing and fingers the beautiful papers, thinking of paper bird s.
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...Sister Ignatia has met his family. The madwoman appears at Sister Ignatia’s window with a paper bird in her hand. Antain shivers and brushes off Sister Ignatia’s concern. Sister Ignatia asks for...
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Chapter 16. In Which There Is Ever So Much Paper
...and capable, but now her mind is disordered. She only remembers paper. She dreams of paper bird s and entire worlds made out of paper. The Sisters have no idea where the...
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Every day, the madwoman releases paper bird s out of her window. They all contain maps. At first, the birds don’t go...
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...thinks she’s been in the Tower for forever. Suddenly, her sorrow transforms into hope. The paper bird and Antain both feel it, and the madwoman’s hope seems to radiate outward. Sister Ignatia...
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Chapter 18. In Which a Witch Is Discovered
...tell the parents that they’re looking the wrong direction. She folds a map into a paper bird and aims it at the baby.
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...vows to try to reason with the Witch. In the clearing, he finds the madwoman’s paper bird and holds it close.
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...scars, though she reasons that they kept silly girls away. She watches him open the paper bird . It says, “don’t forget.” In her soul, the madwoman feels paper birds and real...
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Chapter 23. In Which Luna Draws a Map
...Luna pulls out her drawings. While she was dreaming, she drew a tower with a paper bird coming out of the window. She drew a baby surrounded by trees in the moonlight...
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Chapter 26. In Which a Madwoman Learns a Skill and Puts It to Use
...In the Tower, the madwoman still draws. She conjures paper and then folds it into paper bird s or draws maps. The Sisters have no idea where the paper comes from, but...
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Chapter 28. In Which Several People Go into the Woods
...underground, and she’s in horrible pain. She thinks that her life is made of paper— paper bird s, paper maps, paper thoughts. She remembers Zosimos writing everything he knew onto paper and...
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...in the Tower. The madwoman turns the window bars and stones into paper and then paper bird s carry her into the sky.
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Chapter 31. In Which a Madwoman Finds a Tree House
The madwoman is used to being uncomfortable, but the paper bird s cut her legs as they fly toward the swamp. She pictures her baby and...
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Chapter 32. In Which Luna Finds a Paper Birds. Several of Them, Actually.
...it. Luna looks up as the crow flies into her arms, panicked, and thousands of paper bird s descend. Luna understands that this is magic.
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Chapter 34. In Which Luna Meets a Woman in the Wood
The paper bird s watch Luna, and Luna nervously greets them. The crow, beside himself, flies around. Luna...
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As Sister Ignatia and Luna look at each other, the paper bird s and the crow don’t move. Sister Ignatia seems to look old and then young....
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The paper bird s roost next to Luna and seem suddenly sharper and more dangerous. Sister Ignatia steps...
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...they are, but Luna gasps for her to go away. Sister Ignatia laughs until the paper bird s rise, make the air shake, and then attack Sister Ignatia. Luna runs.
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Chapter 36. In Which a Map Is Rather Useless
Luna runs in panic. The crow caws that he was wrong about the paper bird s. Finally, Luna stops and says that she doesn’t want that woman anywhere near Xan....
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Chapter 40. In Which There Is a Disagreement about Boots
...madwoman leans against the stone that reads “don’t forget, I mean it” and misses her paper bird s. She likes the boots, however, and feels as though they’re perking her up. Both...
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Chapter 41. In Which Several Paths Converge
...that she needs her birds and her daughter. She races toward Luna’s blue, and the paper bird s find her. On the ridge, the crow crawls out of Luna’s hood and then...
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Chapter 43. In Which a Witch Casts Her First Spell—On Purpose This Time
Paper birds swirl overhead and dive at Luna, Antain, and the madwoman. Luna rolls away as the...
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Chapter 44. In Which There Is a Change of Heart
...here.” The woman takes Luna’s hand as the crow sits on Luna’s shoulder and the paper bird s rise. They hear footsteps and Luna sees glowing, tiger-like eyes. Xan greets the Sorrow...
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Chapter 45. In Which a Simply Enormous Dragon Makes a Simply Enormous Decision
...anyone, but Fyrian continues that Xan is there and sick. He also sees a man, paper bird s that seem to love Luna, and a woman who also seems to love Luna....
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Chapter 47. In Which Glerk Goes on a Journey, and Leaves a Poem Behind
...dries her eyes and folds the poem into a swallow. She steps outside, and the paper bird ’s wings shiver. Luna’s chest hurts, but she feels happy. She tells the swallow to...
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