
Every living organism on Earth has its own unique qualities. We all have different physical properties that define who and what exactly we are. Each species is identifiable by its specific traits and behaviors that are naturally in place. There are many characteristics that label us as what we are, but the few features that every organism have in common have much more meaning behind just the physical appearance. One experience that every living being on Earth cannot escape is death.  Death, although not a tangible object or organ, is a feature that all living organisms will eventually encounter. There is no way around death for individuals on Earth, therefore life should not be taken for granted while it is still available. A rather physical feature that nearly every living organism contains is a heart. Brian Doyle uses the heart as a physical and emotional symbol to express his message of how the heart contains more than just blood in a lifetime through his short story, “Joyas Volardores.” By comparing the hummingbirds petite heart to that of a massive blue whale, Doyle conveys his thoughts regarding the heart and its eternal life through memories as well as its physical endurance toward death.

Doyle begins by describing the hummingbird to just about the fullest extent possible. He comments on nearly every feature of the small and very unique bird. Beginning with, “A hummingbird’s heart beats ten times a second,” the author rambles on about the many facts and features that the hummingbird possesses (Doyle 94). From describing its minute size and heart to facts about how far it can travel and at what specific speeds; the hummingbird is clearly a symbol that the author uses to express his message. The center focus of the hummingbird is its heart and Doyle uses the physical properties to describe a deeper, underlying message in the text. The hummingbird’s heart beats roughly ten times per second due to its extremely high metabolism. It must move at insanely fast speeds in order to continue to live, otherwise the fragile birds heart will cease to beat and it will die. Due to its extremely fast heart rate and body movements, the hummingbird lifetime expectancy is that much lower than humans and other animals. The author states, “Every creature on earth has approximately two billion heartbeats to spend in a lifetime. You can spend them slowly, like a tortoise and live to be two hundred years old, or you can spend them fast like a hummingbird, and live to be two years old” (Doyle 95). Doyle explains how the hummingbirds fast paced life only expects it to live for roughly two years, meaning it must constantly be at work. This stress on the heart from constant beating and fast paced movement is what slowly kills the bird over a much quicker span than a human’s lifetime. Doyle explains how, “The price of their ambition is a life closer to death,” implementing that the day to day stress on the heart is what scars and destroys the heart so much to the point that it stops functioning and causes the bird to die. Our hearts physical endurance is what leads us closer to death, but the heart lives on eternally through our memories and experiences we have made. 

The blue whale is the second creature used as a symbol for Doyle. Being much larger than the hummingbird, the blue whale assists to emphasize the contrast between heart sizes in the two different organisms. Doyle states, “It’s as big as a room. It is a room, with four chambers. A child could walk around it, head high, bending only to step through the valves” (Doyle 95). The author speaks about the heart of the whale as a comparison to the tiny heart of the hummingbird. Doyle stresses just how large the blue whale is as well as how little about the species we actually know. The size comparison of the two organisms leads the reader to realize that they both have the same organ inside of them, but both work on totally different levels. The hummingbirds heart has a tremendous amount of stress on it constantly because of its fast paced lifestyle; whereas the blue whale has a much slower and laid back life, allowing it to live much longer than the hummingbird. In the end, both hearts will come to a halt and cease to beat another day. Both animals will pass away and an entire lifetime will be gone, but remain as memories that the heart contained. Two totally different creatures, both with hearts that contain much more than just blood. 

All living organisms carry a heart or have an organ with the same function. Doyle makes this point very clear as he states that, “No living being is without interior liquid motion. We all churn inside” (Doyle 96). We all churn inside, and we all use our hearts to the fullest extent throughout our lives by scarring and pushing it further than it should be pushed. Not only does the heart pump blood to supply oxygen throughout our body, but it carries a whole lifetime of memories along with it. “So much held in a heart in a lifetime. So much held in a heart in a day, an hour, a moment. We are utterly open with no one in the end- “says the author (Doyle 96). The heart physically is destroyed over a lifetime; it pumps blood constantly from our first breathe to our last. Doyle explains how we constantly are moving toward death where we will always be alone. The heart will not continue to pump, and its host will not continue to live. The only thing that will have survived are the memories and experiences that will never be forgotten. 

Doyle focuses on the physical characteristics of the two animals he describes in detail throughout his short story. The final concluding paragraph is the point where the author begins to shift from the physical properties of the heart and two organisms to the metaphorical side of the heart and in humans. Doyle states, “We open windows to each but we live alone in the house of the heart. Perhaps we must. Perhaps we could not bear to be so naked, for fear of a constantly harrowed heart” (Doyle 96). We as humans open our hearts to others so that we can share memories and experiences with others in our lifetime. In the end, all we have are the memories and experiences we made and have stored in our hearts with us forever. Doyle uses the heart as a symbol for eternal peace to explain that the heart contains much more than just blood and that the memories of the heart are what we will always have with us, regardless of when we encounter death. 