A Tale For The Time Being

Crows recur as an important motif throughout A Tale for the Time Being. Crows are first mention when Nao’s dad tells his wife and daughter that instead of going to work, he has been going to the park and feeding the crows since he does not actually have a new job. After Ruth reads this part of Nao’s diary aloud, Oliver mentions that he has seen a species of crow native to Japan flying around their home. He refers to this crow as the Jungle Crow. After this, Ruth starts to notice the Jungle Crow watching her whenever she comes and goes from the house. She feels as if the crow is waiting for something and has a message for her. Eventually, she has a dream in which the crow transports her back in time to Japan where she encounters Nao’s dad just as he is waiting to meet the other people from his suicide club. She tells him that his daughter is also thinking about committing suicide and persuades him to go find Nao at Jiko’s temple instead of killing himself. The Japanese Jungle Crow thus comes to represent a link between Nao’s world and Ruth’s.