The Vulture in The Vaster Wilds: Symbol of Surrender and Natural Cycle
What the Vulture Literally Is
In Lauren Groff's The Vaster Wilds, the vulture is a carrion bird that appears only in the novel's final chapters. It is first introduced in Chapter 23 when the dying protagonist hears "a flapping" and opens her eye to see "a vulture settling down beside her." The bird is described as "old carrion bird, bringing your reek of death." Later, in Chapter 24's vision of an alternative life, the girl sees the vulture "spreading its wings in anticipation near her curled form." Finally, in Chapter 25, she envisions her own body "being consumed by a vulture."
The vulture is a literal bird of prey that feeds on dead animals, but in the narrative, it functions as a tangible omen of the girl's approaching death. Unlike the more fantastical beasts she encountered earlier—a dragon-like creature in a cave, a wolf, a bear—the vulture is a real, natural presence that signals the end of her struggle.
Where the Vulture Recurs
The vulture motif appears in three distinct places:
| Chapter | Appearance | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 23 | The vulture settles beside the dying girl | She accepts it as a sign of death |
| Chapter 24 | The vulture spreads wings in the alternative-life vision | Her second self sees it as anticipation of death |
| Chapter 25 | The girl envisions her body consumed by vulture and worms | She imagines her physical return to nature |
The bird is absent from the earlier chapters where the girl is actively fighting for survival. It only emerges when she has fully exhausted her resources—physical strength, hope, and willpower. This late placement underscores the vulture's role as a marker of final surrender, not a recurring threat throughout the journey.
How the Vulture's Meaning Changes
Initially, when the girl first sees the vulture in Chapter 23, her reaction is one of recognition rather than horror. She thinks, "Yes, this is right. Old carrion bird, bringing your reek of death to me." This acceptance marks a shift from her earlier relentless fight for life. Throughout the book, she has struggled against starvation, cold, predators, and her own memories. But as she lies dying by the river, the vulture's arrival prompts no fear—only resignation.
In Chapter 24's vision of an alternative self who survives for decades alone, the vulture appears again as a figure waiting in the wings. Here, the bird represents the ever-present possibility of death that shadows any solitary existence. Even in the vision of a long life, the vulture is there, reminding both the vision-self and the dying girl that death cannot be outrun—only delayed.
By Chapter 25, the vulture has transformed from an external bird into a component of the girl's own death fantasy. She imagines her flesh being devoured, her bones becoming part of an oak tree. The vulture becomes a vehicle for transmutation: the girl's body will feed the bird, which will feed the earth, which will sustain new life. This is not a grim image of decay but a natural recycling of matter, consistent with the novel's view of the universe as indifferent but cyclical.
Connections to Themes
Nature's Indifference
The vulture embodies the theme of nature's indifference (explored more fully on the nature's indifference theme page). Unlike human mourners who might grieve, the vulture is merely fulfilling its biological role. It does not hate the girl; it simply needs to eat. This mirrors how the wilderness has treated her throughout the novel: no malice, no mercy—only cause and effect. The girl accepts this completely when she thinks the vulture is "right" for her situation.
Survival and Resourcefulness
Paradoxically, the vulture also connects to survival. The bird has survived by consuming what is dead. In the same way, the girl survived by scavenging, stealing, and eating whatever she could find. She shares with the vulture a certain pragmatism. Yet while the vulture is perfectly adapted to its role, the girl—a European castaway in an unfamiliar land—ultimately fails. The bird's presence highlights her inability to fully adapt to the wilderness despite her resourcefulness. For more on this tension, see the survival and resourcefulness theme page.
Colonial Violence and Guilt
In Chapter 24's alternative-life vision, the girl considers how her body could have spread smallpox to Native communities. She is glad that she dies alone because her touch might have "set whole villages ablaze." The vulture, by consuming her uncontaminated body, prevents further harm. The bird thus becomes an unwitting agent of quarantine—nature's way of containing the damage of colonial contact. This connects to the theme of colonial violence and guilt.
Identity and Naming
The girl is never given a proper name in the main narrative (she is called Zed or Lamentations only in alternative visions). The vulture, too, remains unnamed as an individual; it is simply "a vulture." This anonymity ties them together as creatures defined not by identity but by function. The girl's final surrender involves relinquishing her personal story and becoming part of the larger biological cycle. For more on identity, see the identity and naming theme page.
Memory and Trauma
The vulture is also connected to memory. In Chapter 23, when the girl's mind rises above her body, she surveys the landscape and experiences a "bright flare, a vision that extended her life vastly beyond this moment of dying." The vulture's appearance triggers a release of memory and imagination—she sees both her actual past and a possible future. The bird is a catalyst for a final confrontation with her accumulated trauma, which includes memories of the mistress, child Bess, and the minister. For more, see the memory and trauma theme page.
Character Connections
-
The Girl (Zed/Lamentations): The vulture is her final companion. Unlike the feverish child Bess or the abusive mistress, the vulture makes no demands. The girl greets it with a kind of dark gratitude. For more background on her character, see the girl character page.
-
The Vision Self (Alternative Ending): This version of the girl lives alone for decades and, when she dies after falling on her hatchet, imagines the vulture as part of her dying tableau. The vulture is the only witness to both the actual and the imagined death.
-
No other character encounters the vulture directly. The bird exists solely in the girl's dying moments, underscoring how solitary her end truly is.
Study Questions
1. Why does the girl feel that the vulture is "right" when it appears?
Answer: The girl has spent the entire novel fighting to survive—escaping the fort, foraging, building fires, evading predators. By Chapter 23, she is completely spent: feverish, starving, and unable to continue. The vulture's arrival confirms what she already knows—that death is imminent. Her acceptance shows that she has stopped resisting and has made peace with her fate. The vulture is "right" because it is nature's way: every living thing eventually becomes food for another.
2. How does the vulture differ from the other animals the girl encounters (the wolf, the bear, the dragon-like creature)?
Answer: The wolf and the bear are predators that could kill her, but she successfully hides or scares them off. The creature she imagines as a dragon in the cave is a product of fear and hallucination. These animals represent threats she can (barely) overcome. The vulture, however, is not a threat—it is a scavenger that waits for death rather than causing it. The girl cannot fight or flee from the vulture because she cannot fight her own mortality. This shift from predators to a scavenger marks her transition from active struggle to passive surrender.
3. In what way does the vulture symbolize nature's cycle rather than simply death?
Answer: In Chapter 25, the girl imagines her body being consumed by the vulture and later by worms, with her bones eventually becoming part of an oak tree. This sequence shows decomposition as a step toward new life. The vulture is not a grim reaper but a participant in the food web. The novel emphasizes that there is no afterlife for the girl—she simply returns to the material world. The vulture embodies that cyclical process of consumption and rebirth. For more on this perspective, see the nature's indifference theme page.
4. How does the vulture connect to the alternative-life vision in Chapter 24?
Answer: The alternative vision shows what would have happened if the girl had survived her illness and lived for decades alone. Even in this scenario, the vulture appears "spreading its wings in anticipation." This suggests that no matter how long she might have lived, death would eventually come in the same way—alone, with the vulture waiting. The vision also reveals that a solitary life, though possible, is not worth living: "Humans were never meant to live alone." The vulture is the final companion for both the actual girl and her vision-self, reinforcing the theme that human connection, not just survival, gives life meaning.
Conclusion
The vulture in The Vaster Wilds is a deceptively simple symbol. It is a real bird of prey that appears only at the end, yet it encapsulates the novel's central ideas: the indifference of nature, the inevitability of death, and the possibility of acceptance. The girl does not rage against her dying; she welcomes it, recognizing that she, like all creatures, will be returned to the earth. The vulture is not a omen of evil but of truth—a truth that the girl finally has the courage to face. For further reading, explore the novel's main page and the themes of memory and trauma.