Joyas Volardores is a commentary on the human experience. Doyle uses the heart as a physical representation of human emotion; a living record of all of the experiences in a person’s life. His use of this metaphor, along with comparisons to other living creatures, creates a vivid depiction of the effect that life, and our approach to it, has on our emotional wellbeing. 

Descriptive language and imagery are employed throughout the essay, primarily as a means to illustrate the vast array of possible differences in shape and size of an organ found in every living creature, the heart. Doyle contrast the small heart of the hummingbird, “…the size of a pencil eraser”, with the massive heart of the blue whale: “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.” He describes the hearts of mammals and birds, and those of worms and insects. He concludes the paragraph by saying that “No living being is without interior liquid motion. We all churn inside.” The word “churn” seems to carry greater emotional weight than its literal meaning in the context. It does not evoke a very pleasant emotion. Doyle seems to be implying that we all have within us some ongoing struggle. Through describing all of the different hearts, their sizes and varying levels of complexity, Doyle conveys that there is no single correct way of traversing life; we all face similar challenges, yet we approach them in many different ways.

Of the many animals that Doyle describes, one of particular interest is the hummingbird. Its heart is fragile, yet ambitious and energetic: “Their hearts are stripped to the skin for the war against gravity and inertia, the mad search for food, the insane idea of flight.” Due to their fast paced and incredibly active lives, hummingbirds expire relatively quickly; Doyle states that hummingbirds have more heart attacks and aneurysms than any other living creature. The example of the hummingbird is a metaphor for living life to its absolute fullest potential. In relation to humans, hummingbirds represent a vigorous approach to life; one that is beautiful and exciting, but ultimately comes to an end when our hearts have reached their threshold for what they are able to sustain. A person who approaches life in the way of the hummingbird will surely have many wonderful experiences that he otherwise would not, but the cost of a life lived with an open and adventurous heart is steep. A heart left open will encounter more joy than a heart which is closed, but will also accumulate more heartbreak and sorrow. As the heart of the hummingbird quickly tires, so too does the heart left open.

The blue whale is also given special consideration. After describing its heart in great detail, Doyle tells of our lacking knowledge in regard to the adult lives of blue whales. He painstakingly lists all of the things that we do not know about the blue whale: “…for next to nothing is known of the mating habits, travel patterns, diet, social life, language, social structure, diseases, spirituality, wars, stories, despairs and arts of the blue whale.” Obviously, several of these traits cannot be attributed to the blue whale, because, as far as we know, blue whales do not possess spirituality or stories or arts. Doyle is making a broader statement about the contents of hearts, those of humans in particular: That all people carry within themselves the vast collection of a lifetime of experiences. Despite all that we do not know about the blue whale, it is known that they prefer to travel in pairs. Even the largest of animals, one very different from you and I, possesses stories to be told, and longs for connection and companionship. The contrast between the blue whale and the hummingbird is a metaphor for the universality of our basic need for companionship and understanding. 

As Doyle narrows his focus to the hearts of humans, he notes our common fear of letting others see us for who we truly are. He describes the lengths to which we go to shield our hearts from pain. Yet, despite our efforts, the walls of our hearts can be breached at any moment. Doyle ends the essay with a list of experiences that have an uncanny ability to pierce our heart’s defenses; “…the words I have something to tell you, a cat with a broken spine dragging itself into the forest to die, the brush of your mother’s papery ancient hand in the thicket of your hair…” In this final sentence, Doyle is able to demonstrate to the reader, first hand, the vulnerability of human emotion by employing the use of striking imagery and detail. 

Ultimately, the reader is left with one sure conclusion; our hearts are fragile. We can shelter our hearts, but are we really living? Life takes its toll no matter what, it’s only a matter of time. Do you hide from the world and sustain yourself for as long as possible, or do you venture out in search of joy and excitement despite knowing that you will encounter heartbreak and loss? Doyle’s vivid descriptions of the heart, and his comparisons to animals such as the hummingbird and blue whale, allow the reader to visualize the sum of their life’s experiences in a very real and tangible way.
