“Joyas Volardores” is a short story filled with vivid imagery, symbolism, and metaphors. It’s a detailed account about two animals, a hummingbird and a whale, and their bodily systems, sprinkled with facts about an array of other animals. At the end of the story, the reader is exposed to the fact that no living being is without feelings, and that this fact unites the worlds inhabitants. Throughout each paragraph, the writer, Brian Doyle, incorporates many messages to convey a euphoric way of life and living. Through these, one can infer that the story was written to explain that while everyone experiences the world differently through different phases, and unfortunate events may occur, life is a beautiful gift and must be cherished all the while. 

The first half of the story is centered on one of the tiniest, yet hardest working birds known to the Americas: the hummingbird. Doyle presents fact after fact about this creature. From how fast its heart beats to its daily routines, the reader is filled with knowledge about the vibrant bird. After closer reading, it appears the tiny creature has many similarities to an intangible object: youth. One connection discovered is their activeness. The reader finds that the little feathered friend is in constant motion, as Doyle points out “A hummingbird’s heart beats 10 times a second” (94). Likewise, children and teenagers alike are in constant motion. Whether it be running around the park playing tag, or bustling through the halls trying to make it to class, the first set of years of one’s life are hectic ones. Another similarity between the two is that one’s youth goes by in the blink of an eye, as does a hummingbird’s life; only living for 2 years, the time they have here is short. The hummingbird compares to youth because both are so fleeting; when young, humans attempt to pack their lives with numerous experiences to make the most of their juvenile lives.  

The next symbolic animal that Doyle presents to the audience is the blue whale. In the preceding paragraphs leading up to the introduction of the largest mammal, one of the smallest animals was used to portray youth. The blue whale portrays the opposite: age. As one grows, their views change and their experiences expand, and they begin to find themselves. The author provides less facts about the whale than the hummingbird because not as much is known about the mysterious large animal. Doyle writes, “And when it is seven or eight years old it endures an unimaginable puberty and then it essentially disappears from human ken, 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” (95). Blue whales and adults are alike in the sense that after puberty, they begin their lives anew, with each one being different and uniquely special. Doyle uses this mysterious mammal to draw a parallel with different interpretations of life’s experiences. Each experience holds a different meaning to everyone, thus making adult individuals mysterious themselves. Blue whales are old creatures and their hearts beat slowly, thus making their lives last longer. This symbolizes the way in which adults carry out their lives, and cherish their time, because the realization that their heartbeats are running out is incentive enough to do so. By cherishing the moments, they are embracing life and living it to the fullest. 

After wrapping up the whale comparison, the next paragraph consists of many different animals on a larger scale. Doyle talks about mammals, reptiles, fish, insects, and more to illustrate the human population as a whole. While all of these animals consist of different DNA, personalities, and appearances, their single common trait is their possession of a heart, comparable to humans. No two humans are the same. They each live out their own lives and experience the world in their own mind; however, with that being said, they all have feelings. “No living being is without interior liquid motion. We all churn inside” (Doyle 96). By linking the population as a whole to all sorts of animals, the author is expressing the idea that whether you associate as a human, hummingbird, whale, reptile, or even an insect, feelings are within every living being and they create the being itself. 

The third and final symbol used to tie the message together is not an animal but rather a heart, representing time. The author states “Every creature on earth has approximately two billion heartbeats to spend in a lifetime” (95), only supporting the idea that our time is measured in those heartbeats. According to Doyle’s message, those limited heartbeats are not meant to be thrown away. Although it can feel like time is just a number, and life will carry on forever, this is not the case. Life is like an hourglass, and when the sand has run out and time is expired, it’s over. Any human is meant to appreciate the time they have on this earth and not throw it away. 

In the closing paragraph, the familiar upbeat tone is replaced by a darker one. The positive connotation expressed through the use of the hummingbird at the beginning is replaced by a sinister one towards the end. Through eerie sentences, Doyle creates a sense of disturbance. For example, he writes, “A cat with a broken spine dragging itself into the forest to die” (96). He does this to show that while life can be seemingly perfect, it’s not always going to remain that way. Ups and downs go hand in hand and both are guaranteed to happen. The point that Doyle is making is that while life is short and at times hard, we must enjoy it. “You can brick up your heart as stout and tight and hard and cold and impregnable as you possibly can and down it comes in an instant” (96). Here he is stating his final idea: that things can change in the blink of an eye, so take life as it comes and embrace it. 

Brian Doyle’s use of hummingbirds, whales, animals, hearts, and tone to convey his advice of embracing life is eye opening. People go through life at different speeds, starting off fast and ending slow, and along the way they view the world in a multitude of ways. Their experiences affect them all and form their everyday thoughts and feelings. Although life isn’t sunshine and rainbows and curveballs will be thrown, Doyle expresses that overall life is meant to be enjoyed. One is only given so many beats, and those beats are to be spent well. 
