Summary of the Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck

A brief summary of the Blue Bird tells us about an amazing story that begins on Christmas Eve. Two children, Mitil and Tiltil, already sweetly sleeping in their cribs, wake up from the sounds of music that come from the house opposite. The rich neighbors are in the midst of a celebration. Suddenly there is a knock at the door, and an old woman appears in the doorway in a green dress and a red cap. The old woman stands leaning on a stick, she is humpbacked, limping. In addition, she has only one eye, and her nose looks like an ominous hook. She turns to the children and encourages them to go looking for the Blue Bird. Berilyun does not like that young heroes do not see the obvious. "You need to be brave to see the hidden things," the old woman says and hands Tiltil a green hat adorned with a diamond. According to her, turning the diamond, the owner of the cap can see the "soul of things".

To see the world with other eyes is easy

Tiltil follows her directions and turns the stone. And in the eyes of the boy an amazing picture opens: the decrepit witch turns into a magical princess, and the poor environment of the hut comes to life. We continue the short content of "Blue Bird". The action includes new characters. These are the souls of the Hours, the Caravans. The flame turns into a fast-moving man dressed in red tights. Cat and Dog also acquire a human face, although they are masked by a cat and a bulldog. The dog is extremely pleased that, at last, he can put his feelings in a verbal form and with joyful cries of "My little deity!" Jumps around Tiltil. The cat, preserving its grace, extends Mitil's hand. From the tap, a sparkling stream begins to beat the water, and in the streams of the liquid appears the figure of a girl with her hair loose in a seemingly flowing garment. It almost at the same moment comes into conflict with the Fire, because it is the Soul of Water. There are other Souls - Milk, Sahara, Light, Bread. However, this amazing moment is interrupted by a knock at the door. Frightened, Tiltil very quickly turns the diamond on the cap back. The fairy again appears before the children in the guise of a feeble old woman, the walls of the hut fade, but Souls do not have time to return to Silence again. The fairy teaches them to accompany the children while searching for the Blue Bird. In addition to the Soul of Light and the Dog, nevertheless, no one wants to go. The fairy goes on a trick and promises to find suitable outfits for all, then takes everyone through the window. Mother and father of the family Tiley open the door and see only the babies sleeping peacefully in their cribs.

Where did the journey of Mytil and Tiltil lead?

Further, the short content of "Blue Bird" tells how the children find themselves in the palace of the fairy Berilyuny. Souls of objects and animals have already changed into elegant fairy-tale suits, and began to plot against children. For the main thing at this meeting is the Cat. She says that tyrannical people enslaved souls, and, having found the Bluebird, they will definitively take possession of them. But the appearance of the fairy herself, accompanied by the Soul of Light and children, silences them. To ensure that the children have a little refreshment before a distant journey, Bread cuts a couple of slices from his belly, and Sugar breaks off his fingers, which immediately grow back.

The first destination on the way of children is the Country of Remembrance. There Mitil and Tiltil go unaccompanied. Brother and sister visit their deceased grandfathers and grandmothers, see their dead sisters and brothers. Here they learn that those who have gone to another world are allegedly immersed in a dream, but are awakened when the loved ones remember them. After dinner with his family, the children gather to meet with the Soul of Light. Grandmother and grandfather give grandchildren thrush, which seems to them quite blue. However, as soon as the children leave the Country of Remembrance, the bird changes its color to black.

But this journey is just beginning for us. The brief description of the Blue Bird tells about the events taking place in the Palace of the Night, where the Cat arrives first. She warns the landlady that Tiltil and Mitil are going to her. However, Night does not have the power to prevent a person from knowing her secrets, and so she and Kosh can only hope that the children will not be able to catch the real Bluebird. When a brother, sister, and also Sugar, Bread and Dog appear in the palace, Night long time tries to confuse them, not to give the keys that unlock any doors in the building. But Tiltil, not listening to her, takes turns opening all the doors. Diseases, runny nose, wars hide behind the first three. Behind the fourth door Tiltil discovers the favorite fragrances of the night, Fireflies, Wandering Lights, Nightingale Singing, Rosa. The big middle door Night strongly refuses to open and convinces its guests that behind it are so hideous visions that they have not even been given names. All the companions of the boy, except the Dog, are hiding. However, Tiltil overcomes his fear. On the other side of the door is the magic garden of night light and dreams, where fabulous blue birds flutter between planets and stars. The boy, his sister and each of their companions catches several birds and carries them out, but soon they die - they never managed to find the one that can withstand daylight.

We continue the short content of Maeterlinck's Bluebird. The characters will visit a few more amazing places, where young heroes and their assistants meet with dangerous, cunning characters, and with those who wish to help them. Children have time to visit both the ancient Forest, the cemetery, and the Garden of Beatitudes.

Of particular interest was their stop at the Azure Palace of the Kingdom of the Future. Here they meet Lazorevyh children - people who are just yet to be born. Each of them has already prepared for the world some kind of gift. In one this is the Machine of Happiness, the other has several ways to prolong life, the third one has a car flying without the help of wings. Here, Tiltil and Mitil meet and their brother, who just must be born.

Homecoming

And here is the fairy tale "The Blue Bird", the brief content of which you are now reading, brings us back to the green hedge, behind which is the hut of Tiley. Here the children say goodbye to their companions. Bread gives Tiltil a cage prepared for the Blue Bird, which has remained empty. And the Soul of Light says that, probably, the Blue Bird does not exist at all, or it changes its color when it is locked up.

In the morning, when my mother came to wake Tiltilya and Mityil, the children began to tell her about their nightly adventure with rapture. It frightened her mother, she sent her father for the doctor. However, here in the house appears neighbor Berlengo, outwardly very reminiscent of the fairy Berilyunu. Hearing the next retelling of the children's journey, she claims that they dreamed something when they slept under the light of the moon. Berleng also says that her granddaughter is unwell - the girl does not get out of bed, and the doctor writes off everything on the nerves. Mother asks Tiltil to give the girl who was ill to the girl, whom she had long dreamed of. The boy looks at the turtledove, and it seems to him that the Blue Bird is in front of him.

Their children see their own home with completely new eyes: a cat and a dog, fire and water - everything now seems to them alive, not the same as before. Soon, a neighbor Berlengo appears on the doorstep accompanied by an extraordinarily beautiful girl who presses her turtledove to her breast. Tiltil and his sister, the girl seems like a Soul of Light. Tiltil himself wants to explain to his new acquaintance how to feed a turtledove, but, taking advantage of the moment, the bird slips out of human hands and flies away. The girl begins to cry, and Tiltil tries to comfort her and promises that she will soon find a bird.

This concludes the summary. "Blue Bird" (Maeterlinck - the author who managed to write a work that makes a new look at the world around us) is sure to please both adults and children.