Pigeon Feathers by John Updike. Short summary

5 seconds

The boy David is interested in the question of resurrection after death. He finds the answer while looking at the beautiful feathers of dead pigeons.

1 minute

David is sorting through books and comes across Herbert Wells’ Essays on History. The boy reads it, struck by the fact that the writer did not believe in the divinity of Christ. This disturbs David and he wonders about death and resurrection.

The boy tries to ask questions in catechism class. But the answers he receives seem implausible to him. David tries to find explanations in the Bible and talks to his parents. But no one can explain to him what happens to the human soul after death.

David is given a shotgun for his birthday. His mother asks him to shoot the pigeons in the barn. David complies with the request. As he examines the murdered pigeons, he is struck by the beauty of their feathers. David thinks that if God spends His art on ordinary birds, He will not destroy the world He created and allow the boy to live forever.