Finding Meaning In Bernard Cooper's Old Birds

Old Birds by Bernard Cooper is a story that takes place through a phone call between a middle aged man and his elderly father suffering from Alzheimer’s and arthritis; who are both running from their fear of death and becoming obsolete. The story begins with this ongoing discussion of death. The father begins the phone call by asking his son, Jimmy, about his funeral arrangements, and whether or not he would like a coffin. Jimmy doesn’t find this to be a surprising conversation topic, and he later remarks that his father has been, “obsessed with his imminent death for the last ten years”. This in itself is not uncommon among elderly people, especially those with Alzheimer’s who often die earlier than most. However, as the father has been obsessed with his imminent death for a decade, it is surprising that he had only just bought a coffin for himself, and begun to make arrangements for his death. This is an important moment in the story, especially in setting the ending of it. This suggested that something had changed within the father, and that the father has finally realised that he can no longer run from his imminent death and that he has finally accepted that his time is up; a point that is further reaffirmed at the end of the story.
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Whilst the father doesn’t have a problem going out onto the street and asking strangers for help, he views this as asking for a favour; he accepts what he can’t do, but still fights to prove that he is capable of anything else. He would not accept anything more than he needs, for example, when the son first discovers the fathers wandering antics, the father begins making his way home before the son can even offer him a ride. He is insistent that he is not an invalid, with him even yelling out into the street, “you don’t have to treat me like an invalid. I am not an invalid!” Jimmy immediately reassures him that he is not, and the subject is