The Parrot as a Symbol of Deception and Resilience in A Guardian and a Thief

What Is the Parrot?

In Megha Majumdar’s A Guardian and a Thief, the parrot appears literally as a pet: a ring‑necked parakeet belonging to Mrs. Sen, a neighbor of Ma’s family. Mrs. Sen owns two parrots, Abba and Bee Gees, described as having “green feathers luminous as rain‑washed leaves” and “beaks bright as cherries.” The birds are first introduced in Chapter 6 (Day 3) when Ma and Dadu visit Mrs. Sen to review security footage of the thief. Later, in Chapter 17 (Phone), the parrot Abba is used by Boomba to gain entry into Ma’s locked house after she leaves for the airport.

Recurrence and Shifting Meaning

The parrot motif recurs in two primary contexts: as a beloved companion during Kolkata’s worsening scarcity, and as an improvised tool for breaking and entering. The earlier chapters depict the parrots as cherished members of Mrs. Sen’s household, with the birds talking, bringing clothespegs, and even reminding her of bills. Their presence underscores the normalcy that climate change is eroding: the difficulty of finding fresh apples or lettuce for them mirrors the food shortages everyone faces. In the later chapter, the same bird becomes an instrument of deception when Boomba, hiding at Mrs. Sen’s, grabs Abba and coaxes it through a broken window gap to trigger Mrs. Sen to open the door. The meaning shifts from domestic innocence to survivalist cunning—the bird is no longer a pet but a key.

Character Connections

Mrs. Sen represents a refusal to commodify love. When her cousins suggest selling the parrots, she angrily dismisses them. Her devotion to Abba and Bee Gees, even as imported food becomes nearly impossible to find, highlights her steadfastness in a collapsing world.

Boomba treats the parrot purely as a means to an end. He grabs Abba despite the bird’s angry squawking, whispering “I’m not going to eat you!” The act shows his desperation and his willingness to exploit any resource—animal or human—for his family’s future. Later, alone in the empty house, he imagines his mother praising his cleverness, linking the parrot’s misuse to his moral compromise.

Mishti interacts with the parrots playfully. In Mrs. Sen’s living room, she feeds slices of apple to Abba and Bee Gees, who sit “like disciples.” This innocent scene contrasts sharply with Boomba’s later mistreatment of the same bird.

Ma uses Mrs. Sen’s camera—which caught the thief partly because of the parrots’ presence—to begin her search. The birds are thus indirect witnesses to the theft that sets the plot in motion.

Theme Connections

Deception and Improvisation for Survival

The parrot is the literal vehicle for Boomba’s deception. He knows Mrs. Sen, hearing Abba’s distress, will unlock the door. His plan exploits her affection for the bird. This echoes the book’s broader theme that “lies were the lifeblood of the world” (Chapter 4). Lie becomes tactic; the parrot becomes plausible deniability.

Climate Change and Scarcity

The parrots’ diet directly illustrates escalating shortage. Mrs. Sen scours underground markets for apples and green chilis, and shop owners mock her for expecting fresh produce after floods destroyed the northern crop. The birds’ refusal to eat boiled mushrooms foreshadows human food insecurity.

Family Love and Sacrificial Motherhood

Mrs. Sen’s care for Abba and Bee Gees parallels Ma’s frantic efforts to feed Mishti. Both women sacrifice their own comfort—Mrs. Sen deprives herself of nutritious food to buy bird supplies, Ma steals from the shelter. The parrot motif thus binds two forms of maternal love: one directed at animals, one at humans, both strained by scarcity.

Moral Compromise in Survival

Boomba’s use of the parrot raises ethical questions. He hurts the bird (cut glass fragments, rough handling) and invades Mrs. Sen’s trust. Yet he does so believing the end justifies the means: his family will be safe. The parrot becomes a moral test, showing how survival pressure erodes empathy.

Class Inequality and Charity as Control

The parrot’s original home—the neighbor’s house—contrasts with the shelter where Boomba lives. Mrs. Sen’s spacious home with multiple empty rooms highlights class privilege, while Boomba’s family crowded into a bus or shelter lacks even a safe window. The parrot, a luxury pet, is eventually repurposed by a poor thief to claim a house.

Study Questions with Answers

1. How does the parrot function as a symbol of deception in the novel?
The parrot is used by Boomba as a decoy: he forces Abba through a gap to make Mrs. Sen open the door. This deception is essential for his plan to occupy Ma’s house. The parrot’s innocent nature contrasts with the deceptive purpose, emphasizing the moral compromise required for survival in a resource‑starved world.

2. What does the parrot reveal about the theme of scarcity?
The parrots’ diet (apples, green chilis, lettuce) becomes nearly impossible to obtain as climate change destroys crops. Mrs. Sen’s struggle to feed Abba and Bee Gees mirrors the city’s food crisis. The birds’ refined tastes—refusing boiled mushrooms—make them a poignant example of how all Kolkata residents, even pets, suffer from the collapse of supply chains.

3. Compare Mrs. Sen’s and Boomba’s attitudes toward the parrot. What does this show about their different positions?
Mrs. Sen treats the parrots as family: she refuses to sell them, shares her food, and talks to them lovingly. Boomba treats the same bird as a tool, gripping it roughly and ignoring its distress. Their attitudes reflect their class and desperation: Mrs. Sen has the luxury of sentimental attachment, while Boomba’s urgent need for shelter overrides empathy toward animals.

4. How does the parrot connect to the theme of family love?
The parrot links two families’ love. Mrs. Sen’s devotion to Abba and Bee Gees echoes Ma’s devotion to Mishti: both women go to extremes to provide food in a time of shortage. Boomba’s desire to settle his family in a safe house also mirrors that love, but his means—using the parrot to break in—show how the same emotion can produce vastly different actions depending on one’s circumstances.