Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

In Eve Bunting’s story, Fly Away Home, the focus is on how to define a home.  Andrew, a young boy, is sharing experiences about how to survive, and live, in an airport.  The author conveys the idea that home can be defined in different ways, and home is basically wherever your family is.  

I think settling into a home is the central theme because Bunting expresses their family journey to settle in to the airport, making it their “home.”

The title, Fly Away Home, is one way that the author suggests that this is the theme.  But it wasn’t until the bird enters the story that the title becomes more clear.  When a bird flies into the main airport terminal, and is stuck trying to get back out, Andrew whispers to the bird, “fly, bird, fly away home!”  This part of the text shows Andrew’s belief that the bird can find its way “home.” His encouraging words to the bird make me think that he believes the same for himself.  When he silently whispers “Don’t stop trying” and “Don’t! You can get out!” I think Andrew is trying to convince himself that he will also make it out of the airport, into another “home.”  His desire to see the bird fly free shows his desire to free himself and his dad from living in the airport.

Although Andrew wishes for the bird to fly away home, I think Bunting also shows that he and his dad are able to make the airport a “home,” too.  The author describes the ways in which he and his dad have made the airport feel more home-like.  For example, they learn when and how to sleep.  They also learn to befriend another family living in the airport, like neighbors.  The other family looks out for Andrew, and they take care of one another in the same way neighbors would do.  Another example from the text is … This text helps me to reshape my own values on what makes a home.  How we define “home” can vary in different ways.  Is home a place we lay our heads? Is home a place we co-exist with others? Is home a place we …