In the short story "Initiation," Silvia Plath tells the story of a girl who is trying to
             fit in by being in an exclusive club. She ends up finding out how to be herself and
             not joining the club. Through symbolism, conflict and characterization, Plath
             shows readers the importance of being yourself.
             One of the big symbols in the story is birds, specifically, Heather birds.
             Millicent, the main character, finds out about these birds on the bus from a guy
             whom she met while being dared as part of an initiation. The man on the bus
             describes these birds as mythological creatures.
             Heather birds live on the mythological moors and fly about all day
             long, singing wild and sweet in the sun. They're bright purple and have
             This quote describes the Heather birds the man talks about in the story.
             Towards the end of the story Millicent is deciding between becoming a
             Heather bird or an ordinary bird that follows the flock. The ordinary birds
             symbolize the girls who go through the humiliation of initiation and become
             members of the sorority. The Heather birds symbolize Millicent because she
             found out how to be herself from the initiation. She did not follow the rest of the
             flock to become a member. Instead she rejected the invitation to join the sorority.
             Millicent discovers a lot about herself from the initiation process, and this is
             The worst part, the hardest part, the part of the initiation that I
             figured out myself. But just then, from somewhere far off, Millicent was sure of it,
             there came a melodic fluting, quite wild and sweet, and she knew that it
             must be the song of the Heather birds...(5)
             This quote illustrates how Millicent is symbolized by the Heather birds.
             Another major part of the story is the conflict Millicent has with other
             people and herself. Millicent is always in conflict with hers
             ...