Summary
Mr Gregg cries out with excitement when he sees the transformation the whole family has undergone. He notes that they now have their arms and legs back. Mrs Gregg says she is glad to no longer be so tiny. Philip and William begin to dance around with happiness.
They notice that, high above their heads, four ducks are flying close together, back to the lake near the woods. The Greggs hear their calls. The narrator walks over to the Greggs' garden half an hour later. She says she is checking in to see what was going on, but is surprised by what she sees.
She notices Mr Gregg smashing the family's three guns into pieces with a hammer. Nearby, Mrs Gregg places flowers on sixteen small mounds of soil. The narrator later learns that these are graves for the ducks that the family killed on the hunting trip the day before. Philip and William sit in the middle of the yard with a sack of barley. They feed many different kinds of birds the barley, scattering it on the ground in front of them.
The narrator says good morning to Mr Gregg. Mr Gregg says his name is no longer Gregg, but Egg, in honor of his new friends, the birds. And Mrs Gregg says, similarly, she is now Mrs Egg. The narrator asks what happened to them, as she is shocked by their reversal of behavior.
Philip and William proceed to relay the events of their adventure. They say they slept in that nest in the tree above them. Mr Egg proudly says he built it himself. Mrs Egg says that if the narrator doesn't believe them, she should just look at their bathroom. She says it's a mess, after the ducks filled it to the brim and swam around in it. Mr Egg says that ducks like water and that he's just happy they enjoyed themselves.
They all hear a loud bang. The narrator says someone is shooting nearby. Mr Egg says that it must be Jim Cooper and his three boys. He says they are all shooting mad. The narrator suddenly becomes very angry and starts to see red.
She feels the tip of her finger tremble and is aware that something dramatic is about to happen. She turns and runs towards the lake. Mr Egg asks where she is going. She says she is going to find the Coopers. He asks why. She replies that he should just wait and see. She exclaims that the Coopers will be nesting in trees tonight.
Analysis
Empathy is a central theme in the book's conclusion. As the narrator encounters the Greggs (now Eggs) she finds a group of entirely changed people. Mr Egg is destroying their guns while Mrs Egg is tending the grave mounds of the dead ducks. The Egg boys are sitting in the center of the yard feeding their father's best barley to the birds that live nearby. The narrator is shocked to see the family's change of heart, as they all have managed to find a new sense of compassion and empathy for what Mr Egg calls their "feathered friends." This moment highlights their transformation, as they have gone from enjoying hunting ducks for sport to viewing them as friends. This comes about as they are able to appreciate the feelings of the ducks and see that what they were doing was selfish and cruel. Their new outlook reflects the empathy they are now capable of extending to the ducks and the many other creatures that inhabit the natural world around them.
Environmentalism is also a key thematic component of these pages. In their new lifestyle, the Eggs are able to live peacefully and symbiotically with the natural world around them. They no longer desire to control or conquer it with weapons. Instead, they can express care and concern. This is particularly accentuated in the way that the boys feed the birds. The narrator seemed particularly worried, at the beginning of the book, that they were inheriting their father's brutality towards animals. Now, once again following his example, they have renounced that violence and are actively trying to befriend the birds. They go so far as to feed them their father's best barley, food that they themselves would enjoy. This reversal showcases how humans can interact with the natural world in a thoughtful and tender way, sharing the natural space peacefully.
Morality is another important theme in this section of the book. Mr Egg's destruction of the guns and Mrs Egg's tending of the graves show that they feel remorse for what they have done. While they seek to correct their ways, they remain aware of the harm they caused. The words of the mother duck remain resonant as they consider the fact that they took the lives of their children and must not ever do something like that again. The guilt that they feel reminds them of the lesson that they have learned and helps them impart this way of life to their children.
Magic is also a major theme in the book's final pages. After hearing gunshots in the distance, the narrator heads off to find the Coopers. When Mr Egg asks what she intends to do, she says that the Coopers will be sleeping in a nest tonight. This scene demonstrates that she now has a clearer sense of the impact of her powers and intends to use them with a greater sense of purpose. This is framed happily and somewhat comically, as she will likely repeat the Greggs' transformation with the Coopers and in doing so will teach them a similar lesson. This moment at the end of the story shows her becoming more comfortable with the magic finger and more able to make use of it.
The book's ending focuses on the end of the Eggs' journey. They have learned to be more thoughtful about how they interact with the natural world and treat the birds around them as friends, not hunting trophies. This more compassionate worldview allows them to coexist with the animals of the forest. At the same time, now aware of what her magic finger did, the narrator sets out to teach others about the values of animal rights and environmentalism.
