The American Flamingo painting
On his visit to the library, Spencer gets immediately drawn to the paintings by James John Audubon. The American flamingo painting on display has a particular significance to the movie. It symbolizes everything Spencer wants: excitement, fame, extraordinary life. It symbolizes the American dream.
Flamingo on the road
The famed flamingo reappears in front of Spencer as a vision after he gives up on the heist. It reappears on the road in the middle of the night. This vision represents the temptation and the possibility of a different life. Just like he was tempted at the beginning by the real painting of the flamingo at the library, Spencer succumbs to his temptation once again with the vision.
“Who by Fire”
While all the four members of the heist crew are about to get arrested, with the FBI slowly approaching their homes, there is a song accompanying the scene titled “Who by Fire” by Leonard Cohen. The choice of this song is not coincidental when one looks at its lyrics and meaning. The song is about death and judgement, it poses the question of human mortality and fragility. Like in the song, the boys are experiencing the symbolic death of their dreams of extraordinary lives, and there is a judgement awaiting them.
The title of the movie
The title of the movie has many symbolic meanings. The first symbolic revelation comes from the quote at the very beginning. That quote describes the American animals living deep in Kentucky caves. This is a reference to the four students feeling entrapped with their lives in Kentucky, which brought them to the decision to do something “extraordinary”. Furthermore, the title is a reference to Darwin’s “Origin of Species”, which is one of the books the boys steal from the library and which meanings are subtly sprinkled throughout.
