Thurber’s stories are written in a jocose manner, but they contain enough serious matter to make one pensive. He tells us some builders who left a pane of glass standing upright in across the field, struck the glass and knocked inert. He rushed back and divulged to his friends that the air had crystallized. The other bird derided him, said he had become irrational, and gave a number of reasons for the accident. The only bird who believed the goldfinch was the swallow. The goldfinch challenged the large birds to follow the same path he had flown. This challenge served to whet their interest, and they agreed with gusto. Only the swallow abjured. The large birds flew together and struck the glass; they were knocked into a stupor. This caused the astute swallow to wince with pain. Thurber drew a moral that is the antithesis of the cliche we all accept: He show hesitates is sometime saved.
- jocose – lucu, jenaka, bergurau, playful or humorous.
- pensive – termenung, engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought.
- pane – kaca jendela
- inert – lacking the ability or strength to move.
- divulged – make known (private or sensitive information).
- goldfinch – a brightly colored finch with yellow feathers in the plumage.
- gusto – semangat, nafsu, animo
- abjured – mengharamkan, bersumpah untuk meninggalkan
- stupor – pingsan, kelenger
- cliche – klise, a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.